ESSAY

NEW CLUSTERS OF COVID-19 TRANSMISSION AND HOW TO

PREVENT THEM

DIDIK DWI WINARNO

NIM. 101914253010

UNIVERSITAS AIRLANGGA

PUBLIC HEALTH FACULTY

STUDY PROGRAM MAGISTER OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND

SAFETY

JANUARY, 2021
Field : Health
Topic : Clusters of COVID-19

New Clusters of COVID-19 Transmission

and How to Prevent Them

The global epidemic indicates rapid Covid-19 infection and all regions of
the world are exposed to coronavirus. The number of cases increases in a short
time and needs immediate treatment. Stopping the spread of coronavirus plays a
significant role to decline the number of cluster .
The source and transmission of the virus should be determined to develop
the prevention strategies forinfection. Coronavirus transmission can occur through
various things such as droplets or droplets of liquid from coughing and sneezing,
personal contact such as touching and shaking hands, touching objects or surfaces
with the virus on it, then touching the mouth, nose, or eyes before washing hands,
and fecal contamination (rare case). A recent study shows its potential for airborne
transmission. When a person coughs or sneezes and secretes a liquid containing a
virus, it can potentially spread into the air and directly enter another person’s body
in a close position. Looking at the way of virus transmission, an environmentthat
has a high risk of transmission is certainly an environment with a high level of
population density and mobility. The importance of intensive socialization people
is inseparable from the phenomenon of the lack of society’s prevention towards
the spread of coronavirus.
The Covid-19 pandemic is still not over yet. Community activities that are
currently starting to increase raise the risk of new transmission, especially at
offices and other workplaces. The government socializes through the Decree of
the Minister of Health No. 328 on public health protection, especially at offices
and industries. The workplacesare not only limited to offices and industries.The
Ministry of Health also issues Decree of the Minister of Health No. 382 in which
contains information about health protocols that must be carried out by 12
workplace groups, such as markets, hotels, restaurants, worship places,
transportation modes, salons or care and beauty services, as well as tourist
attractions including events or creative services. All offices and workplaces must
pay attention to both individual health and public health protections. All
workplaces must have a coordinator and Covid-19 handling team to control the
implementation of health protocols and conduct contacttracing if there are positive
cases. There are several things to note to conduct meeting activities that are very
urgent in the workplace, especially in closed rooms. First, ensure a room that can
indeed guarantee social-distancing. Second, ensure meeting participants are in
good health. Then, before entering the room, everyone must pass standard
procedures for adaptation to new habits that include checking body temperature,
washing hands, and then wearing a mask. Next, avoid providing food and drinks,
check the circulation and ventilation of the room, such as air conditioners and fans
that should not directly lead to meeting participants, and the maximum time limit
for conducting a meeting is 30 minutes. Discipline in implementing health
protocols must be done when leaving for work, being at work, until returning
home, including before entering the house.
Clusters of Covid-19 spread in the offices are increasing with the start
ofthenew normal. You must be careful if you become one of the workers who
have to go back to the office and no longer doing Work from Home (WFH). Of
the many office clusters, some of the employees who are exposed to Covid-19
have no symptoms. If you start to feel the decreased body condition and you have
a health disorder, immediately go to the hospital to get your body checked up. Or
if you are having symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue,
body aching, headache, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, runny nose/ nasal
congestion, nausea, to diarrhea, immediately take a test and check yourself into a
health care facility. If it turns out that you should get treatment, it is best to ask to
get treated. You can also do self-isolation at home, with one condition that the
house is ideal to do self-isolation, which means it helps you not to mingle with
other family members. If it is not possible at home, it can be in the local
quarantine center.
Thecorona infectionin families or family clusters these days is growing.
The family's Corona cluster even becomes a particular concern in handling Covid-
19. Family cluster, the cause is because we get home and feel safe, that's where
we have to be careful. On the way to the office, we already feel safe so we also
forget that we should do health protocols inside the office. Many family clusters
appear because many people have started to do activities outside so that
sometimes, unconsciously they bring the virus into the house and infect other
family members. Several activities are suspected to trigger the emergence of
Corona cluster in the family, such as allowing children to play together in the
home environment without implementing strong health protocols. It should be
underlined that children can act as carriers of the virus. Groups of children are
also prone to develop severe symptoms of Covid-19. Other activities that can
trigger the emergence of Coronavirus are community gathering activities such as
regular social gatherings, citizen meetings,celebrations of religious activities,
counseling, or exercising together, and having holidays or picnics to high-risk
areas or red zones of Covid-19. To prevent the family cluster from expanding,
residents are asked as much as possible to stay at home to minimize the
occurrence of Corona transmission.
There are several ways to prevent family clusters during the Covid-19
pandemic. A family cluster means the spread of Coronavirus that comes from
family members or people living in the same house. Usually, the spread starts
from someone who has been previously infected by Covid-19 and then transmits it
to other family members. The ways to prevent the occurrence of Covid-19 family
clusters include always implementing "keep your distance" at home, especially if
there are family members who often travel or work outside and meet many
people. Always wear a mask if you are out of the house and at home to avoid
transmission to family members. Implement sneeze and coughethics well. Always
wash your hands with water and soap before doing activities or touching things at
home. Regularly clean the house by sweeping, mopping, and wiping things with
cleaners containing disinfectants. Make sure all family members get a balanced
nutritious food intake to support immunity. Make sure the whole family at home
does some fun physical activity. In addition, to improve the health and
enduranceof the body, take rest adequately and manage stress. Also, give support
and attention to the whole family. Make sure the air circulation in the house goes
well. If the circulation of the house is not good, make sure you open all the
windows and doors in the morning for a change of air. 
Society is the frontline so that the spread of the new coronavirus or SARS-
CoV-2 does notwidely spread. Society has a very big role to break the chain of
Covid-19 transmission. People’s ability and understanding needs to be improved
so they will do the efforts of prevention. From the aspect of society as a citizen, it
is necessary to raise awareness for themselves, the environment, and others, with
the following ways: maintaining cleanliness by washing hands, and maintaining
nutritional and food intake to increase body immunity, applying the awareness of
social distancing by not shaking hands, gathering and jostling in public places,
keeping the distance and not traveling. Also, Stay at home to break the chain of
transmission and minimize the risk of contracting. If you urge to leave the house,
remember to always wear a mask, keep your distance, and wash your hands. This
step is very powerful to prevent the transmission of the Coronavirus. If you are
suspected of exposure, immediately do self-isolation at home. Postpone the
schedule of vacation and picnics especially out of the city, for your own and your
family's goodness and safety.
The Government of Indonesia has issued a disaster emergency status from
February 29, 2020, to May 29, 2020, related to this virus pandemic with a total of
91 days. Steps have been taken by the government to solve this extraordinary
case, one of which is by socializing social distancing. This concept explains to
reduce and break the chain of Covid-19 infection. A person should keep a safe
distance from other humans at least 2 meters, and not make direct contact with
others, also avoiding mass gatherings. However, many people do not respond well
to this, for example the government has to make students study at home, not to go
to college or school, and workers are work from home, but people misused this
privilage and go for vacation. Besides, when th goverrmnet has ruled a state of
emergency, tabliqh akbar still exists in which it gathers thousands of people in
one placeand be the best mediator for the spread of the coronavirus on a much
larger scale. While the level of people's obedience towards social distance still
looks low, because it looks like people are moving out of the house for
recreational purposes, sitting in groups, gathering without wearing masks or
keeping distance, so the possibility of transmission is still a big task.
Public understanding and awareness of Covid-19 prevention are still low.
Also, the level of people's obedience to conduct social distance is alsolow.
Promotional action to improve public understanding is needed to prevent Covid-
19 clusters. To change behavior that has never been done before in the adaptation
of new habits certainly requires a process. In addition to patience and discipline,
health protocols need to be reminded continuously with passion.

References

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