This Tribal Community in Indonesia Claims To Be COVID-Free

Residents of a remote cluster of villages on Indonesia’s western Java island have weathered the pandemic better than most. So much better, in fact, that officials say they have yet to record a single positive coronavirus case there in a country with one million infections and more than 28,000 deaths as of Tuesday.

The Baduy, an indigenous tribe living close to the mountains in Banten province, live only 70 miles or so from the capital Jakarta. But they have long shunned the trappings of modernity, rejecting the internet, electricity and regular interactions with Indonesian society. 

Though levels of seclusion have decreased in recent years, officials and residents say the separation and strict health rules have been enough to prevent an outbreak among the 11,600 who live in the area. Their story has made headlines in the Southeast Asian country because it stands in stark contrast to virus-hit cities, towns and tourist hotspots.

Iton Rustandi, an official from a local health facility, confirmed to reporters that not a single Baduy person had tested positive. He said that village elders ordered residents to avoid traveling to nearby cities with high numbers of confirmed cases, and that mask wearing, social distancing, and hand washing were practiced across the community.

Village head Jaro Saija also told CNN Indonesia that when the pandemic started, every Baduy person visiting or staying in cities was told to return home immediately, and they complied.

“We guarantee that this settlement is free from COVID-19. Health protocols are strictly enforced, and visitors must complete a health screening upon entering the Baduy area,” Saija was quoted as saying.

Spread across dozens of settlements at the foot of Mount Kendeng in Banten province, the tribe has a village head who acts as a government official, and elders who make communal decisions. They are divided into three sub-groups: Baduy Dangka, Baduy Luar (outer Baduy) and Baduy Dalam (inner Baduy).

Living outside the main village of Kanekes, Baduy Dangka have been more welcoming of technology and formal education. Those from Baduy Luar have also been exposed to modernization, but they remain in the village. Baduy Dalam are the most isolated.

Experts say that a strong respect for the decisions of authority figures could be the secret to the apparent health success. Their territory has been closed to visitors since May, with officials and journalists even prohibited from entering.

Dicky Budiman, an epidemiologist and researcher at Australia’s Griffith University, grew up in Banten, and his father served a local health official. The claims of zero cases make sense to him.

“It’s not surprising at all. We can actually take their behaviors, specifically those from Baduy Dalam, as an example. They’ve never gathered in large numbers since they really respect privacy. They never walk side by side and always keep a distance from each other,” he told VICE World News. 

In other words, the Baduy have practiced a form of social distancing long before the rest of the world was familiar with the term.

Budiman pointed out that tribal villages like Kanekes have strict procedures for outsiders who want to visit, which also helps minimize risks of infection.

“The Baduy almost never leave their village, while visitors must obtain permission to enter their territory,” he said.

He said he doesn’t rule out the possibility of undetected cases within the community, but he believes their customs have helped protect the Baduy from the coronavirus that has been so devastating to the rest of Indonesia.