There's No Point In Arguing About COVID-19, It's Better To Focus On Handling And Health Protocols

JAKARTA - The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has hit the world and Indonesia for almost two years, but there are still a small number of people who doubt the existence of the virus that has caused many people to die.

Public debate through chats in coffee shops or even in offices regarding the presence or absence of the coronavirus, which is currently developing with its new variant, continues to occur amid soaring positive cases and death rates due to COVID-19, since June 2021.

The ongoing debate about COVID-19 encourages survivors or people who have been infected with the virus to speak up, share their experiences of living life with being infected with the virus.

An environmental activist in South Sumatra who is also a survivor of COVID-19, Anwar Sadat, invites all levels of society to apply strict health protocols in living social life and carrying out routine activities in crowded places.

"Now stop debating COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus personally I feel is present and quite torturous. The key to preventing infection with the coronavirus is by implementing health protocols (prokes) such as always wearing masks, washing hands, and maintaining distance as well as following vaccination programs," said Anwar, who is a former Director of the South Sumatra Walhi, who is currently in self-isolation at his home, since July 11, 2021.

The importance of maintaining health and carrying out health procedures strictly is recommended to all levels of society, because personal experience is often lax in implementing health procedures.

Health protocols are always applied, especially when conducting meetings with the management of the institutions and mass organizations they lead, but in certain conditions they often relax the prokes when the official event is closed and continued with casual talks.

"By experiencing the impact of loosening the health protocol exposed to COVID-19, I invite fellow activists, organizers of mass organizations, and anyone who is in regular contact with people to strictly implement the prokes if you don't want to feel pain from the virus attack," said the chairman of South Sumatra Lazis NU, as reported by Antara.

If you are infected with COVID-19, try not to panic, don't let it infect other families, especially babies and the elderly as well as those who have comorbid/chronic diseases.

In addition, if the symptoms are mild, it is enough to self-isolate at home, take medicine and vitamins, and exercise and bask in the sun in the morning.

The spread of COVID-19 in Palembang City and other areas of South Sumatra has targeted anyone, from ordinary people to officials and regional heads.

Regional heads who are known to have been infected or have survived COVID-19, such as himself, include Pali Regent Heri Amalindo and Lubuklinggau Mayor SN Prana Putra Sohe.

In fact, it was recently revealed by the South Sumatra Police Chief Inspector General Pol Eko Indra Heri S. that 250 of his personnel infected with COVID-19 were undergoing self-isolation, struggling to heal themselves from the virus attack. "Looking at the fact that COVID-19 has attacked all levels of society and the cases have soared since June 2021, we need to be careful by implementing strict procedures, whereas if there is an offer to participate in vaccination, we will take advantage of it at the first opportunity," said Anwar Sadat, a humanitarian and environmental activist.

Health Protocol

Facing the COVID-19 pandemic and the surge in the number of people infected with the virus, the South Sumatra Health Service asked residents to improve clean and healthy living behavior (PHBS) and implement strict health protocols or health procedures.

Head of the South Sumatra Health Service, Lesty Nuraini, said that to improve PHBS and health care, officers were dispatched to residential areas to educate the public about these two things.

Communities spread over 17 districts and cities in this province must pay attention to PHBS indicators, such as washing hands using clean water and soap, consuming vegetables and fruits, and doing sports.

In order to prevent diseases that usually appear during this rainy season and the spread of COVID 19, people are advised to always wash their hands with clean water and soap before touching food, use clean water to drink and cook food, and apply strict procedures such as always wearing a mask when doing outdoors/open space activities and maintain physical distance.

She explained that PHBS is one of the main pillars in the Healthy Indonesia movement and part of the strategy to reduce the burden on the state and society in health financing.

PHBS is social engineering to make as many community members as possible agents of change in order to improve the quality of daily behavior with the aim of living clean and healthy.

The main goal of the PHBS movement is to improve the quality of health through an awareness process that is the beginning of the contribution of individuals in living a clean and healthy daily life behavior.

Even though the community has received the COVID-19 vaccine, the process must be carried out strictly to break the chain of transmission of the new type of coronavirus. Through these efforts, it is hoped that the community will be able to avoid all diseases, including the attack of COVID-19.

The number of deaths due to COVID-19 in South Sumatra is still quite high. Based on data, in the last few days around 30-70 people died per day. Data collected from health facilities and the COVID-19 Task Force in 17 regencies/cities on Thursday, July 29, there was an addition of 1,278 positive cases and 70 deaths.

Based on these data, the number of deaths in South Sumatra is the sixth-highest after Central Java, East Java, West Java, East Kalimantan, and Lampung.

Seeing the still high death rate due to COVID-19 and the significant addition of daily positive cases, the public is urged to increase vigilance with discipline in implementing health procedures.

He explained that currently nine of the 17 districts and cities in this province are in the red zone or at high risk of COVID-19 transmission. The areas are Palembang City, Prabumulih, Lubuklinggau City, Ogan Ilir Regency, Banyuasin, Muara Enim, Lahat, Musirawas, and South Ogan Komering Ulu.

The total number of people infected with COVID-19 from the districts/cities included in the red zone and other areas has reached more than 45 thousand people. In suppressing the number of positive cases and deaths from the virus, his party continues to run a vaccination program to build group immunity and remind the public not to ignore health protocols.

Incessant

Officials and businessmen in the city of Palembang, as well as the area of South Sumatra in the past month, have aggressively descended on residential areas, especially those classified as slums or "slum areas", to distribute social assistance in the form of rice and other basic needs packages.

Officials who appeared to be carrying out social actions in Palembang at the end of July 2021, namely the Head of the Regional Office of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights (Kemenkum HAM) of South Sumatra Indro Purwoko along with a number of officials in his ranks, such as the Immigration Office, correctional institutions, state detention houses.

The official distributed packages of basic necessities, containing rice, cooking oil, sugar, instant noodles, sardines, and milk to people in a number of slum areas in the Seberang Ulu and Seberang Ilir areas, Palembang, as well as communities around correctional institutions in other regencies/cities in South Sumatra.

Indro Purwoko said this activity was a continuation of the social assistance program "Kumham Peduli, Kumham Sharing" launched by Minister Yasonna H. Laoly from the head office in Jakarta on Thursday 29 July.

In the program, his party prepared 1,000 food packages to be distributed to people in local provinces affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The social assistance, which was collected from self-help employees of the South Sumatra Ministry of Law and Human Rights Regional Office and its staff, is being sought to continue to be given to the community until the COVID-19 pandemic can be handled properly.

Other officials who are quite active in going to residential areas in Palembang and other areas, namely the South Sumatra Police Chief Inspector General Pol Eko Indra Heri, Military Commander II/Sriwijaya Major General Agus Suhardi, and South Sumatra Governor Herman Deru.

Kapolda Eko Indra Heri went to the slum area of Talang Betutu, Palembang, Wednesday (28/7), to hand over rice aid directly to the community related to the impact of the policy of the Implementation of Restrictions on Community Activities (PPKM) in order to suppress the transmission of COVID-19.

Assistance for people whose business activities and work are disrupted due to PPKM in the form of 10 kilograms of rice per head of family (KK).

On that occasion, he hoped that the public would be patient in dealing with difficult conditions due to the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The PPKM policy to overcome the spike in the spread of the virus is expected to get maximum support from all levels of society.

With the support of the community in complying with PPKM rules and implementing strict procedures, he said, the transmission of COVID-19 could be controlled and the pandemic could be ended immediately.

Meanwhile, the Regional Military Commander Agus Suhardi provided assistance to people who were in self-isolation (isoman) in the "slum area" of the Ilir Timur I Subdistrict, Palembang, Tuesday, July 27. "We did a 'door to door' (door to door) handing over packages of basic necessities to a number of people who were doing isoman," he said.

The public was also shocked by the news about Aceh's benefactors donating Rp2 trillion to the people of South Sumatra who were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Generous Aceh, the family of (the late) Akidi Tio provided a grant of Rp2 trillion to help the people of South Sumatra who are experiencing economic difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The assistance was handed over by a family member of the late Akidi to the Regional Police chief Eko Indra Heri in the Rekonfu Room of the South Sumatra Police Headquarters, Palembang, Monday (26/7), witnessed by Governor Herman Deru and Danrem 044/Gapo Brigadier General Jauhari Agus Suraji.

Eko explained that the grant was given by a family he knew while on duty in Aceh. The funds will be used to help the people of South Sumatra in the PPKM series.

"This deposit of aid funds is a fairly heavy mandate, the distribution of which will be communicated with all parties so that it can be distributed quickly and accurately or to the people who are entitled to receive it," he said.

Governor Herman Deru appreciates the grant and expects the same from other entrepreneurs so as to ease the suffering of the local community in the midst of the pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic which lasted for quite a long time, almost two years, resulted in many business activities being disrupted and people losing their jobs. For this reason, joint efforts are needed to face and get out of the difficult conditions caused by this pandemic.