Public Figures, Community Leaders Should Help Disseminate Physical Distancing Campaign

In a bid to slow down the spread of the coronavirus, the Central Government has opted to continue the physical distancing campaign.

However, supports from public figures and community leaders are needed to disseminate the campaign nationwide, ranging from even the small government units such as neighborhood units (RT) or community units (RW), according to Head of Covid-19 Handling Task Force Doni Monardo.

The dissemination, Doni added, should also use simple language such as local languages, dialects, or all ways possible so that it can reach out to the peoples in the hope of making them fully understand the whole issues.

“The campaign also includes what is covid-19, how it spreads, the risks of infection, how to prevent the infection, and how to stop the spread of the virus,” Doni said on Monday (30/3).

According to Doni, the public should understand that 90% of the virus spreads through hands.

“Hands can be the perfect medium to spread the virus since our hands touch anything in public spaces which may contain viruses, then we touch our eyes, nose, or mouth using that same hands,” he said.

“This is the biggest risk of someone may get infected. Therefore, it is very important to inform the people to always wash hands with soap and running water and not to touch the eyes, nose, and mouth areas before washing hands,” he added.

Doni also said that the corona virus can spread via droplets and mucus coming out when someone coughs and sneezes.

Thus, it is also important to keep physical distance anywhere, even at home between family members, he added.

Doni also reminded the people to protect the elderly and those with pre-existing medical conditions such as asthma, hepatitis, diabetes, hypertension, kidney, and cardiovascular diseases or people with weak immune system because they are the most vulnerable groups of people.

“Most of the fatalities appeared to be from those groups,” Doni said, adding that isolation for those people is extremely needed during this risky situation.

“I once again remind everyone to stand united and to support each other to overcome this problem,” he said. (TGH/FID/EN)

Translated by: Estu Widyamurti
Reviewed by: M. Ersan Pamungkas