Coronavirus

These Local Leaders Are Standing Out in the Fight Against Coronavirus in Their Countries

From drive-through clinics to children’s meal deliveries, these leaders are effectively addressing the coronavirus in their own ways.
Local Government Leaders coronavirus asia
Photos from Facebook and Instagram

As the novel coronavirus continues to spread in communities, it also poses difficulties in various aspects of life including public health, local economies, and social interaction. At this point in time, the pandemic is no longer only a challenge for national healthcare systems, it is also a test of local governance. While some miss the mark, other local government officials are proving that big changes can start small by responding to the crisis quickly in their areas, going beyond the national government’s requirements, and building on general policies.

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From drive-through clinics to children’s meal deliveries, these leaders are effectively addressing the coronavirus in their own ways. Here are some who have made their mark in Asia-Pacific.

Australia

Mehreen Faruqi
Senator, New South Wales

Senator Mehreen Faruqi

Photo from Senator Mehreen Faruqi on Facebook.

Australian Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi is highlighting the government's priorities by calling them out on issues that matter. In March, she successfully pressed the government to extend COVID-19 welfare payments to full time students.

"At a time when students are losing work and their studies are up in the air, they are absolutely deserved of the same support as anyone else," she told SBS.

As a spokesperson for animal welfare, Faruqi also questioned the government's stance on whether greyhounds and horse racing are an essential service during the pandemic.

"Organised sports, cinemas, restaurants and shops are shutting down but the government is turning a blind eye to these cruel industries," she said in a press release.

As Australia's first female Muslim senator, she also gave a viral senate speech describing COVID-19 as a gendered crisis: "Nurses, nurse aides, teachers, child carers and early-childhood educators, aged-care workers and cleaners are mostly women. They are on the frontline of this public health crisis and carry a disproportionate risk of being exposed to the virus." — Mahmood Fazal

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India

K. K. Shailaja
Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Kerala

K. K. Shailaja

Photo from Shailaja Teacher on Instagram.

When India's first COVID-19 case appeared in Kerala, the state became the model for the rest of the country in terms of fighting the novel coronavirus. At the helm of this fight is K. K. Shailaja, a former science teacher who is now nicknamed the “coronavirus slayer” for her quick and efficient handling of the crisis.

Her experience of controlling the Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala in 2018 also applied to her response to this crisis. Six days before the first case of the coronavirus was reported in India on January 30, the state already had a COVID-19 control room ready. There were also other effective measures like delivering mid-day meals to children at home and opening up community kitchens to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Shailaja, who is also known as “Shailaja Teacher,” heads the 24-member State Response Team. She does daily press briefings and is known to be directly available on-call to people of the state, making transparency and empathy vital elements of her leadership. Her handling of the coronavirus crisis also reminds people that the Indian political arena needs to champion more women leaders. — Dhvani Solani

Indonesia

Dedy Yon Supriyono
Mayor, Tegal City

Dedy Yon Supriyono

Photo from Humas Pemerintah Kota Tegal on Twitter.

As the mayor of Tegal City in Central Java Province, Dedy Yon Supriyono was the first to implement a partial lockdown on March 28, before the central government agreed to the idea. He was one of the first officials in Indonesia to actually listen to health experts, establishing firm policies to flatten the curve.

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Tegal is a hub connecting West Java to Central and East Java. People from Tegal are also known to migrate to urban areas like Jakarta. Dedy is cautious of these people coming back to Tegal, so he established a partial lockdown on the city and placed roadblocks on roads connecting Tegal to Jakarta. President Joko Widodo criticised this decision, only to announce the same directives nationwide a week later.

Tegal now has one of the lowest number of COVID-19 cases, compared to other cities in Indonesia, with six positive cases and two deaths as of Tuesday, April 21. — Ardyan Erlangga

Philippines

Vico Sotto
Mayor, Pasig City

Vico Sotto

Photo from Vico Sotto on Instagram

Amid a rise in COVID-19 cases and strict lockdown measures in the Philippines, 30-year-old Vico Sotto put people's well-being first, even if this meant going against the grain.

He initially allowed tricycles to service frontliners in Pasig City, despite a ban on public transportation, because many had no means to go to work. This provoked the ire of President Rodrigo Duterte and the Investigation Bureau even summoned Sotto for supposedly violating national directives. In the end, Sotto complied with the national government, saying that they have established transportation alternatives.

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Sotto also started a roving market initiative that allows citizens to buy essentials without going to crowded establishments. Other municipalities have since adopted the project.

Above all, Filipinos appreciate that Sotto is transparent about the city's projects, communicating his plans through regular updates on social media. — Therese Reyes

South Korea

Lee Jae-myung
Governor, Gyeonggi Province

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Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung is leading coronavirus-related issues in South Korea. The widespread support for his policies against the coronavirus has led him to become one of the top three strongest presidential candidates for the 2022 presidential election.

Lee was the one who proposed the idea of setting up “drive-through” test clinics to test people more quickly and safely. He also called on the central government to tighten up face mask policies to ensure a stabilised supply of masks.

The liberal politician is the first local governor to provide an anti-disaster basic income of 100,000 won ($82) for every resident in the region to cope with the economic impact of the coronavirus. Lee announced that foreign spouses and permanent residents in the region will also be included in the plan.

He also took the Shincheonji Church of Jesus head-on when it became the first epicentre of South Korea’s coronavirus outbreak. He retrieved a list of church members and ordered health surveys on more than 30,000 Shincheonji members in the region, among which 740 tested positive. — Junhyup Kwon