UNAIR NEWS – A new normal scenario or era in Indonesia is being prepared. President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said that several regions in Indonesia are ready to face a new normal life during Covid-19 pandemic. There are at least 25 regencies or cities deemed ready to undergo the new normal.
One of the cities that is ready for new normal is Surabaya. However, it is known that every day the number of confirmed cases is still increasing. On Wednesday, June 3, 2020 there were 2,803 confirmed cases in Surabaya with 0.5 percent recovery rate and 8.3 percent mortality rate.
In this regard, Prof. Drs., Bagong Suyanto, M.Si., sociologist of Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Airlangga (FISIP UNAIR) gave an explanation. According to him, people in any regions are not yet ready to face the new normal, including the people of Surabaya. It can be seen from people’s behavior which is difficult to obey health protocols, especially people in densely populated areas.
He continued, the approach developed by the government so far is through a threat of punishment or regulation. At the current state, the society requires an alternative approach based on reward or incentives to the community.
“So if you really want to prepare the community to welcome the new normal era. The government must be ready with various alternative approaches that do not homogenize the entire Surabaya community with that one approach, “explained Bagong.
In dealing with the new normal, he continued, the problem now is how to facilitate and accelerate the readiness of the community so in responding to the new normal, they will not stutter or left behind and even threatening their safety.
“But it needs to be done like this, don’t just explain the importance of the new normal from a medical perspective, such as threatening their safety, their lives and so on. The government must make the shift. So far, it was only medical and economic aspect, but the social aspect has not worked on. The covid-19 handling should be refocused and the social aspect must get the attention, the government must be willing to help the community readiness in that direction, “he said.
That way, according to Prof. Bagong, the emphasis of the approach used in dealing with new normal is not homogenized or generalized. The government must also embrace community groups as a support system. And also, the government must have a priority scale by selecting groups that must be prioritized. (*)
Author: Asthesia Dhea Cantika
Editor : Binti Q. Masruroh
