PUBLIC OPINION ABOUT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PUBLIC

ACTIVITY RESTRICTION IN THE PANDEMIC ERA

Putri Chairani Eyanoer1), Harriyo Utomo2)

1)Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine,

Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia
2)Department of Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine,
Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia

ABSTRACT

Background: Implementation of public activity restrictions has already replaced large-

scale social restrictions in Indonesia since January 2021. This policy has been done and
changed multiple times to adapt to increasing COVID-19 transmission. This study aimed to
examine peoples knowledge and opinion about the implementation of public activity
restrictions.
Subjects and Method: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in September 2021. A
sample of 301 lay people was selected for this study. The data were collected by
questionnaire consisting of 10 questions.
Results: As many as 99% of study participants knew the regulation and 81.1% understood
it. 75% of the study participants agreed with working from home. As many as 100% agreed
with opening of essential stores. 30.6% agreed with closing worship places. As many as
49.8% agreed with closing amusement parks and playground. 31.2% of the participants
disagreed the health protocols.
Conclusion: People have already known and implemented the public activity restrictions
and agreed with the regulation.

Keywords: public activity, restriction, policy, transmission, COVID-19, community

Correspondence:
Putri Chairani Evanoer. Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of
Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan. Jl. Dr. T. Mansur No. 9, Padang Bulan,
Medan Baru, Medan 20222, North Sumatera. Email: putrieyanoer@usu.ac.id. Mobile: +62
81370232513.

BACKGROUND normal, health protocols, and other

The number of people infected by
COVID-19 is increasing every day. Data
obtained from World Health Organiza-
tion (WHO) until August 2nd, 2021
were 198,234,951 confirmed cases,
including 4,227,359 deaths. The
development of COVID-19 in Indonesia
is still increasing in number. Due to the
increase in COVID-19 cases, the
government has implemented various
policies in the form of large-scale social
restrictions, lock down, limited scale
restrictions, social distancing, new
policies (Napitu et al., 2021).
The implemented policies have al-
ways been dynamic, from wearing
masks, maintaining distance, washing
hands, avoiding crowds, and avoiding
mobility. The changes from large-social
restrictions to the implementation of
public activity have started in January
2021 (Susanna, 2021).
The implementation of public
activity has been done and changed
from time to time. from the first time
applied was January 11 to January 25.

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the second application became the
micro implementation of public activity
started on February 9th, 2021 to
February 23th, 2021, and then changed
to emergency implementation of public
activity from July 3th, 2021 to 20th,
2021, and the last one is 4 levels of
implementation of public activity
carried out from July 21th, 2021 to
August 2nd, 2021 (Ministry of Home
Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia
(2021).
This study aimed to find people’s
knowledge and opinion about the
implementation of public activity
restrictions conducted so far.
SUBJECTS AND METHOD
1. Study Design
This was a descriptive cross-sectional
study conducted in September 2021.
2. Population and Sample
The population in this study were lay
people (public people). A total of 301
lay people was selected by random
sampling.
3. Study Variables
The study variables were knowledge,
and the participants understanding the
regulation.
4. Operational Definition of Vari-
ables
Knowledge is information that a
person knows or is aware of about
government regulations applied during
a pandemic.
Understanding of the regulation is
is people's understanding of the rules
that are applied and their implementa-
tion in everyday life.
5. Instruments
The data were collected from the parti-
cipants through self-made survey ques-
tionnaire that consist of 10 questions.
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6. Data Analysis
The frequency distribution data were
reported descriptively.
RESULTS
1. Characteristic of study subjects
The majority characteristics of the
participants were 151 females (50.2%),
age in the range of 18-24 years were
108 (35.9%), university graduates were
179 people (59.5%), entrepreneurs were
74 people (24.6%), no history of
COVID-19 infection were 208 people
(69.1%) and vaccinated two times were
153 (50.8%) people (Table 1).
Table 2 showed that 298 people
(99%) have heard about the imple-
mentation of publicactivity restrictions
but only 244 people (81.1%) under-
stand the policy. Table 2 also showed
that 147 people (48.8%) agree that 3 to
10 people cangather in one place at one
time.
Table 3 showed the results
showed that the majority of the
participants strongly agreed to essential
stores should open 100% were about
43.2%, places of worship closed were
about 30.6%, amusement parks and
playgrounds should be closed 49.8%.
Table 3 also showed that the
participants agreed to work from home
should be 75% were about 33.2%, this
restriction could suppress COVID-19
transmission were about 33.6%, the
restriction interfered with daily life
activities were about 34.6%, but
disagree when asked whether the
health protocol carried out by the
community had been doing well were
about 31.2%.
Table 1. Characteristics of Study Subjects
Variable Category Frequency (n) Percentage (%)
Age (years) 18-24 108 35.9
25-34 56 18.6
35-44 21 8
45-55 56 18.6
≥55 57 18.9
Gender Female 151 50.2
Male 150 49.8
Education (Graduates) Primary school 5 1.7
Junior high school 14 4.7
Senior high school 103 34.2
University 179 59.5
Job Civil servant 65 21.6
Entrepreneur 74 24.6
Housewife 41 13.6
Student 96 31.9
Jobless 25 8.3
History of COVID-19 Yes 93 30.9
No 208 69.1
COVID-19 Vaccination Not vaccined 85 28.2
Vaccinated 1 time 63 20.9
Vaccinated 2 times 153 50.8

Table 2. Knowledge of the policy

Question Frequency (n) Percentage (%)
Do you ever hear the implementation of public activity restrictions?
Yes 299 99
No 3 1
Do you understand the rule inthe implementation of public
activity restrictions?
Yes 244 81.1
No 57 18.9
How many people can gather in one place at one time?
<3 134 44.5
3-10 147 48.8
11-20 20 6.6

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Table 3. Statement and Opinions about the Policy
SA A NS D SD
Question
n % n % n % n % n %
1. 75% workers 91 30.2 100 3.2 58 19.3 33 11.0 19 6.3
should work from
home in this
restriction.
2. Essential store 130 13.6 100 33.2 43 14.3 16 5.3 12 4.0
should be open
100% in this
restriction.
3. Places of worship 92 30.6 65 21.6 56 18.6 35 11.6 53 17.6
should be closed in
this restriction.
4. Amusement parks 150 49.8 82 27.2 28 9.3 15 5.0 26 8.6
and playground
should be closed in
this restriction.
5. Health protocols 18 6.0 38 12.6 67 22.3 94 31.2 84 27.9
carried out by
community so far
are doing well.
6. This restriction 82 27.2 101 33.6 72 23.9 34 11.3 12 4.0
can suppress
COVID-19
transmission.
7. This restriction 85 28.2 104 34.6 62 20.6 32 10.6 18 7.0
interferes with
daily life activities.

DISCUSSION the participants has known and un-

The implementation of public activity
restrictions is one of the policies made
by the government to suppress COVID-
19 transmission. The first activity that
must be done is socialization. This
implementation is started by socializing
with the parties involved such as the
head and the community in each
district. This must be informed so that
the public will not be surprised by the
new policy that will be implemented. In
addition, socialization was carried out
to inform the technical implementation
of this implementation. Technical
implementation is very important to
convey so that there are no mistakes or
lack of information if there are people
who ask about this policy. The result of
this study showed that the majority of
derstood about the implementation of
public activity restriction in the pan-
demic era.
In this study, the participants
have strongly agreed and agree with
opinions about the regulation. These
showed that the participants’ opinions
were in line with the policy made by the
Ministry of Internal Affairs in the first
policy. The regulation was based on
four elements for the parameter such as
death rate above the national average,
cure rate is below the national cure
rate, active case rate is above the
national average active case rate,
hospital bed occupancy rates for
Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and isola-
tion rooms above 70% (Ministry of

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Home Affairs of the Republic of Indo-
nesia, 2021).
Maintaining health protocols such
as physical distancing, face masks
usage, and eye protection has been
proven to prevent people-to- people
transmission of COVID-19 (Chu et al.,
2020). This study also showed that
most participants (33.6%) agreed that
health protocol could suppress the
transmission of COVID-19. Besides
that, other health protocol that should
be kept doing includes maintaining a
healthy lifestyle, washing hands,
avoiding crowds, and avoiding mobility
(Susanna, 2021). But the majority of
the participants (31.2%) disagree that
the health protocols carried out by the
community had been going well.
Government interventions may
cause substantial economic and social
costs while affecting individuals’ beha-
vior, mental health and social security
(Haug et al., 2020). Individual's ability
to use available resources (such as
technology, food, work, and a sense of
security, comfort) in meeting basic
needs and carrying out social functions.
COVID-19 pandemic makes the
resilience of the community experience
social vulnerability. Social vulnerability
causes decreased productivity, dis-
rupted livelihoods, and the emergence
of social anxiety disorders in society
(Napitu et al., 2021). This study showed
that participant’s daily life (34.6%) was
disturbed by this regulation.
The impact of social vulnerability
causes some people to take three
interrelated actions, namely apathy,
irrational actions, and criminal acts.
We can see apathy in the actions of
people who don't care about govern-
ment instructions to implement health
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protocols. Irrational actions mean that
not a few people believe in various
medicinal ingredients and prevention
methods so as not to get infected with
COVID-19 even though there is no
scientific research evidence, panic
buying, debt to moneylenders, depres-
sion, Suicide, and other maladaptive
behaviors. Criminal acts are behaviors
that are feared to occur due to social
vulnerability to the COVID-19
pandemic, such as theft, mugging,
pickpocketing, burglary, looting, and
even murder.
Criminal acts are carried out
because of the difficulty of meeting
needs due to difficulty in finding a
livelihood, layoffs occur, economic
conditions, the low purchasing power
of the people. To maintain the survival
of people who do not have good access
to capital, a short route that is at risk of
being carried out is in the form of
criminal acts and behavior social
deviation (Napitu et al., 2021).
This study shows that most of the
participants have known and agreed to
the regulations made by the govern-
ment to suppress COVID-19 trans-
mission. This study concludes that the
news of the regulation has reached
most people in the country. However,
the regulation until now had not been
effective to suppress the transmission
due to indiscipline obeying health
protocols. Further changes in the
regulation are advised to be made to
make the better outcome for the
people’s daily well-being.
AUTHOR CONTRIBUTION
Putri Chairani Eyanoer concieved and
design the study and analysis, perform
the analysis and wrote the article.
Harriyo Utomo collected the data and
wrote the article.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
There is no conflict of interest in this
study.
FUNDING AND SPONSORSHIP
This study is self-funded.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We would like to thank all the subjects
for spending their valuable time to an-
swer the questions.
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