PANDEMIC COVID-19 LOCAL WISDOM RESPONSES LEARNING FROM ACEH PROVINCE

Abstract

During a one-year pandemic responses have resulted many lessons learned from Aceh province in Indonesia. Pandemic COVID-19 has re-emerged local wisdom in Aceh including how to response for pandemic or locally called “tauen”, public health measures blended with modern technology for mobility cross border application. The public and government of Aceh have a long-standing history of disaster preparedness due past experience to natural disaster including tsunami. This paper describes and provides best lessons learn, local wisdom, and community empowerment. This paper examines the local community responses along with local wisdom from past pandemic, several lessons learned from the implementation and best practices from Aceh responses and recovery efforts during pandemic COVID-19 in the year of 20202021. Several lessons learned from Aceh including unique challenges, reemerging traditional approach and community based public health measures blended with new technologies. Data was collected using literature review, in depth-interview, and focus group discussion. Data were then analyzed using thematic analysis. Result suggested that several challenges, local wisdoms, traditional approach, community efforts and empowerment, gaps and best practices related to COVID-19 responses and recovery efforts provides a new disaster risk reduction approach and strategies for future recommendations.