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Community groups unite to tackle misinformation on COVID-19
Lack of govt information leads community to step up, raise awareness about COVID-19
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Hospital staff and Visitors wear masks at the Sulianti Saroso Infection Hospital (RSPI Sulianti Suroso) isolation building in Jakarta, on March 2. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
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mid criticism aimed at the government for its lack of transparency in handling the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), community groups have moved to take the initiative to raise awareness and tackle misinformation among the public.
On March 1, a community of volunteers came together to create an initiative called KawalCOVID-19, to “safeguard issues surrounding COVID-19”. They created an official account on twitter @KawalCovid-19 and in just a week the account had already attracted around 35,000 followers. It was launched a day before President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo announced the first two positive COVID-19 cases in the country.
The group took the initiative on the grounds of concerns about the confusion circulating on social media and messenger services among the public regarding the fast-spreading respiratory illness.
Through its digital platforms, KawalCOVID-19 shares a wide range of information, from how to use masks and how to avoid infection among students in schools, to detailed information on the latest confirmed cases.
“We believe that clarity of information will have a positive effect on all [aspects of the outbreak]. The public and the government will have an accurate picture of the current conditions so that they know what can be done to anticipate and mitigate risks. Panic and fear will ease and public confidence and trust in the government will increase. Fake news and disinformation will lose its power. Thousands, maybe even millions of lives will be protected and the economy will recover faster,” the account tweeted on Friday.
