THE POTENTIAL OF COMMUNITY BASED FIGHTING INITIATIVE AGAINST COVID-19 IN JAKARTA, INDONESIA

Abstract

The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) has become a global threat. In Indonesia, Jakarta  was the first epicentrum of COVID-19. The rapid increasing number of cases were  occurred in Jakarta because of the high density population. The healthy habits at grass  root level of the community is the key of prevention to reduce the infection rate. They  should have the capability to fight against COVID-19. However, their economic and  social condition, particularly the urban poor is unfavorable. It need a community based  intervention to empower them. The aim of this study was to describe the prevention  behavior and the potential implication of community based fighting initiative against  COVID-19 (Perang Akar Rumput COVID-19/PARC-19) concept in Jakarta region,  Indonesia. An initial survey using cross sectional study design was conducted in three  selected areas in Jakarta. For data collection, we did face to face interview with  respondents who were selected purposively by utilizing questionnaire. We observed the  practice of washing hands and wearing mask after they received health counseling  session. The result indicated that 99.49% of respondents remember the content material  of counseling about washing hands and 96.43% of them said they received explanation  about wearing mask. However, the observation showed that only 79.69% of respondents who practiced washing hands properly following the guidelines. Furthermore, 86.92% of  them were able to demonstrate how to wear mask correctly. This study implies that  providing the comprehensive intervention through PARC-19 is potential to support the  community practice the prevention behavior and make it as a culture.