UI Rector, Ari Kuncoro: UI’s Role in Navigating National Health and Economic Recovery in the Middle of the Pandemic
Nino Eka Putra ~ PR of FEB UI
DEPOK – (28/10/2020) Rector of Universitas Indonesia (UI), Professor Ari Kuncoro, said that the perspective of using masks in the United States (US) and Indonesia is different. In the US, the use of masks is very strong with political nuances, whereas in Indonesia, such nuances are irrelevant.
“Our society views that wearing masks is aimed at avoiding or preventing the transmission of Covid-19. The use of masks provides a sense of security and relevance for the community in minimizing transmission. This is until the middle-class people who are middle-class consumers of durable goods, lifestyle, travel, etc. return to their normal purchasing activities by implementing health protocols” said Ari in a webinar held by the Use Masks Movement with the Indonesian Economists Association (ISEI), entitled “Navigating the National Health and Economic Recovery in the Middle of the Pandemic,” moderated by Taufik Machrus, on Wednesday (28/10/2020).
No matter how much stimulus is issued by the government to deal with the pandemic, if people do not feel safe, then the money is only saved and not spent. So, the government needs to disseminate this policy of wearing masks, through the neighborhoods around RT and RW, social media, advertisements, etc.
Even so, to help the government in recovering due to the Covid-19, continued Ari, UI has contributed by providing a policy brief, namely to increase middle-class spending. The Ministry of Transportation has tried to find a solution through safe and healthy transportation studies, in collaboration between several leading universities in the country. However, this effort will not be sufficient without the accompaniment of a wider socialization and enforcement of stricter discipline of 3M (wearing masks, maintaining a safe distance, and washing hands). This habit may have to be applied even after the mass vaccination has been carried out.
Overall, if perceptions of health and consumption behavior remain as they are today, perhaps the pattern of recovery is not progressing as fast as expected, or it may resemble a symbolic mathematical operation of the root of a number whose tail rises lengthwise with a gentle slope.
Ari continued, UI is also involved in the prevention or treatment of Covid-19, by turning the UI Hospital (RSUI) as a referral hospital, providing accommodation for medical personnel and volunteers at the UI Japanese Study Center Guest House, ventilators, mathematical models to predict the end of the pandemic, mobile hand washing tools, and future treatments in facing the Covid-19. (hjtp)
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