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Greater Jakartans show low awareness of physical distancing measures despite PSBB: Survey
The survey further revealed that 35.1 percent of the participants, surveyed between April 14 and 19 by phone, were going about their normal activities during the outbreak.
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Motorists are stuck in traffic as they pass a construction project on Jl. Lenteng Agung in South Jakarta on Monday, (JP/P.J. Leo)
T
he Indonesian Public Opinion Research and Discussion Group (KedaiKOPI) found in its latest survey that Greater Jakartans' awareness of physical distancing measures to flatten the COVID-19 infection curve was still low.
KedaiKOPI executive director Kunto Adi Wibowo explained during a teleconference on Wednesday that the survey's findings were concerning because only a small number of participants had taken precautions to reduce their chance of getting infected or possibly spreading the disease caused by the new novel coronavirus to others.
Around 32 percent of the survey’s 405 participants--spread in Jakarta and its neighboring areas of Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, South Tangerang and Bekasi—said they washed their hands frequently. Twenty-five percent of them chose to stay at home to reduce the risk of being exposed to the virus and wore face masks when they left their homes. Only 12.3 percent of the participants practice physical distancing, the survey said.
"The stay-at-home and wash-your-hand campaign apparently is not sufficient to change the behavior of the majority of Greater Jakarta residents," Kunto highlighted, adding that main roads were still crowded with motorists despite the implementation of large-scale social restrictions (PSBB).
The survey further revealed that 35.1 percent of the participants, surveyed between April 14 and 19 by phone, were going about their normal activities during the outbreak.
Kunto demanded more serious measures from authorities, including local figures at the community level, to educate their respective residents on the importance of staying home and adhering to social restrictions to bring the number of COVID-19 cases down.
Indonesia has reported 7,418 positive COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday, 45 percent of which or 3,383 cases were in Jakarta. The number of fatalities reached 635, with 301 cases in the capital, the COVID-19 epicenter in the country.
Indonesian Doctors Association chairman Daeng M. Faqih, who also participated in the teleconference, highlighted the need to impose disciplinary actions during the PSBB for it to be effective.
"We can't merely rely on people's participation. There should be disciplinary actions and monitoring by authorities," Daeng said.
