New Communication Strategy for Coping with Covid-19

KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO

Residents of RT 03 RW 03 Kelurahan Cilangkap, Cipayung District, East Jakarta who were confirmed Covid-19 were on a school bus for treatment, Friday (21/5/2021). More than 80 people in the RT were confirmed Covid-19.

Despite anticipatory measures like the mudik (exodus) ban, the Idul Fitri holiday period has triggered a surge in new daily Covid-19 cases in several regions.

Based on Kompas observations, an increase in new cases occurred in Deli Serdang and North Tapanuli, North Sumatra; East Jakarta, Jakarta; Tegal, Central Java; and Bandung, West Java, among other places. The increase in Covid-19 transmissions was triggered by violations of health protocols, such as the use of face masks and keeping a safe distance from others.

In East Jakarta, more than 80 people in the RT 003 RW 003 neighborhood unit of Cilangkap subdistrict, Cipayung, have been confirmed Covid-19 positive. This family cluster is believed to have emerged when residents of neighborhood, the majority of whom are relatives, gathered for Idul Fitri on May 13 and May 14.

As for North Tapanuli, a hamlet had to be quarantined after 202 residents tested positive for Covid-19.

In North Sumatra, 21 health workers in Deli Serdang tested positive for Covid-19. As for North Tapanuli, a hamlet had to be quarantined after 202 residents tested positive for Covid-19.

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Similar information was reported in Tegal. From the middle of Ramadan until Idul Fitri, the number of Covid-19 patients admitted per day to Mitra Siaga Hospital increased sharply, rising from one new patient a day in the previous week to 10 a day this week.

KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO

Residents of RT 03 RW 03 Kelurahan Cilangkap, Cipayung District, East Jakarta who have been confirmed as Covid-19 are getting ready to take an ambulance for treatment, Friday (21/5/2021). More than 80 people in the RT were confirmed Covid-19.

In the city of Bandung, 36 new positive cases discovered through randomized rapid testing pointed to an increase in new cases. Examinations were carried out on about 890 people during the period of the mudik (exodus) ban, from May 6 to 17, 2021 (Kompas, 20-21 / 5/2021).

This is not the first increase in new cases seen after public holiday periods. Last year, a similar phenomenon occurred after the Idul Fitri, Idul Adha, Christmas and New Year holidays.

The spikes in Covid-19 case numbers are partly caused by people’s lack of compliance with social restrictions and health protocols when they had to travel for urgent purposes.

Many people ignored the social restrictions imposed by the government, such as the mudik travel ban imposed over Idul Fitri this year. As a result, many new Covid-19 transmission clusters emerged due to crowds during social gatherings.

A group of residents also urged that tourist destinations closed to prevent the spread of Covid-19 were reopened.

In fact, regulations on health rules, such as the obligation to produce a letter certifying negative rapid test results, were ignored by residents in several places. A group of residents also urged that tourist destinations closed to prevent the spread of Covid-19 were reopened.

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It must be realized that Indonesia is still unable to control the Covid-19 pandemic. One of the indications is that the Covid-19 death rate compared to the number of cases has reached 2.77 percent. That figure is higher than the global average of 2.07 percent.

KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO

Health workers detect the level of oxygen in the blood using an oximeter at RT 03 RW 03 Cilangkap Kelurahan, Cipayung District, East Jakarta, Friday (21/5/2021). More than 80 people in the RT were confirmed Covid-19.

The government needs to design a new communication strategy to raise awareness in the community regarding the urgency of preventing Covid-19 transmission, because the pandemic is far from over. Moreover, new variants of the virus have been identified in the country.

(This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi).