The number of Covid-19 cases in Indonesia has continued to increase with a total of 203 thousand cases, and is continuously rising. On the other hand, public awareness to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 chain in Indonesia by implementing the 3M protocol, namely washing hands with soap, maintaining distance and using masks is quite low. The low level of awareness in the community is also experienced in the Kasihan Bantul district, which is one of the three most risk-averse locations for COVID-19 in Bantul Regency, Yogyakarta. Therefore, Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY) cooperated with government officials at the sub-district level, Kasihan Clinic, FPRB (Disaster Risk Reduction Forum), Local Police, and Danramil 4 of Kasihan to spread awareness to the people of Kasihan through the ‘Gerakan Masyarakat Kasihan Bermasker’ which was opened on Wednesday (9/9) at the Kasihan District Office, Bantul, Yogyakarta.
The Kasihan Masker Community Movement is an initiative by Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta which aims to provide education to the community, especially in the Kasihan area, so they continue to implement the 3M protocol (wearing masks, washing hands with soap, and maintaining distance). The Rector of Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, Dr. Gunawan Budiyanto, MP., IPM said that the activities of the Kasihan Masker Community Movement were targeted at cafe or restaurant owners or food stalls that are often visited with locals and UMY students. “This movement is a form of awareness for the public about the importance of breaking the chain of COVID-19 spread or social transmission. We noticed that the number of Covid-19 cases in Indonesia continues to rise, but public awareness has decreased, “he explained.
Gunawan also added that the number of people who do not implement 3M is very low, namely only 17 percent. “For that, we needed to make the community be aware of the 3M movement, which we did through this movement. Through this movement, the function of higher education is realized as a form of community service through disciplinary education on the use of masks and hopefully it can be welcomed by other campuses, especially campuses that are still in the Kasihan District area, “he explained.
Furthermore, Slamet Santosa, Head of Kasihan District, Bantul welcomed this movement and said that this movement was a collaboration between the Kasihan District government, universities and the community who worked together to prevent a COVID-19 outbreak. “Kasihan is the top three locations for the spread of Covid-19 in Bantul. Therefore, it is our duty to provide public awareness through this movement which is supported by the ranks of Puskesmas Kasihan II which also have a socialization program in preventing Covid-19 and a healthy lifestyle, one of which is by using masks during the Covid-19 pandemic, “he added.
This movement not only spreads awareness of masks, but also provides education to cafe owners to provide proper hand washing facilities in accordance with health protocols. In addition, this movement is also a consistent movement to make the community aware, not only at the sub-district level but also at the Bantul Regency. (Sofia)
