The Disaster Response Unit (DERU) Team of the UGM Directorate of Community Service provided Covid-19 education to a number of villages in DIY and surrounding areas. In addition, UGM has also prepared dozens of students to be deployed to villages to provide education and assistance in handling Covid-19.
“We have seen that in recent times there have been panic, many villages have started to lockdown. The lockdown is a form of community participation, so actually there is enthusiasm but the knowledge (behind it) may still be lacking,” said UGM Director of Community Service, Prof. Ir. Irfan Dwidya Prijambada, M.Eng., Ph.D, Monday (13/4).
Irfan explained that previous experience of dealing with several natural disasters, has shown that the people of Yogyakarta are actually resilient. He gave an example of how after the earthquake in 2006, Yogyakarta could rise quickly because the community had the initiative to get involved in handling disasters together.
“Even during the Merapi disaster, people were very active in helping one another. We think that this community must be mobilized,” he added.
One of the outreach activities, he explained, was carried out by the DPKM Team in Sumberharjo Prambanan Village. In this session, information related to the spread of Covid-19 was explained, including symptoms that need to be observed for, as well as preventive steps that each family needs to take, from wearing masks when doing activities outside to washing hands regularly.
This activity received a good response from the local community. Some people, he explained, had the wrong understanding regarding Covid-19 due to the intake of information from social media without checking the source of the information. Therefore, many preventive steps taken by the community are also considered inappropriate.
“For example, if someone saw on YouTube that there were police spraying disinfectant in the streets, then they sprayed the streets. When in fact, this is not like dengue fever where fogging should be done,” said Irfan.
With the wider dispersion of updated information related to Covid-19, according to him, the public will be able to sort out correct information and distorted information, and be able to take the right steps without panicking. In the last few days, several villages have even invited teams from UGM to provide education and assistance in handling Covid-19 in their villages.
“This is something good, the fact that people are trying to learn and seek information,” he said.
UGM has also prepared 60 students, 28 of whom are FKKMK students, to be involved in extension activities. For these activities, UGM has coordinated with various parties, including the local government, so that students are well received by the community.
“They will be involved in overseeing the handling of Covid-19 in the villages. Hopefully this correct information can be disseminated to homes,” he concluded.
Source: https://ugm.ac.id/id/berita/19272-deru-ugm-berikan-penyuluhan-covid-19-ke-berbagai-desa
