To strengthen COVID-19 risk communication and engagement within the community, an innovative COVID-19 Ambassador Programme (Duta COVID-19) has been implemented in the province of South Sulawesi.
The programme has been running since 20 April 2020 in Makassar, South Sulawesi and has been highlighted by the South Sulawesi Task Force as part of the main strategy for handling the COVID-19 outbreak in the province.
The programme sees non-symptomatic contacts of COVID-19 patients partake in a 14-day quarantine programme, during which they are provided COVID-19 training and education that they can then share with their friends and family once the quarantine period is completed. During their stay in quarantine facilities, the Duta COVID-19 participants receive information on how to prevent and control COVID-19 infection with introductions to simple yet effective strategies such as physical distancing, hand hygiene, cough etiquette and how to work together to further disseminate risk communication materials among the community.
Four hotels in the city of Makassar have been identified to host the participants.
The programme intends to lessen the burden of COVID-19 care on health facilities by reducing exposure of health personnel and enabling supplies to be focused on patients with confirmed and severe symptoms. Furthermore, according to the South Sulawesi COVID-19 Task Force Spokesperson, Dr. Ichsan Mustari, concentrating COVID-19 care and isolation in Makassar can help ensure standard essential health services remain available to those who need to access them.
The success of the activity was identified during outreach video conferencing hosted by WHO last month to discuss COVID-19 response plans and activities with all Indonesian provinces. It is important to share response plans, and their success stories, across sectors and partners to achieve an effective whole-of-society approach to pandemic preparedness and response.
Image caption: The COVID-19 Ambassadors Programme (Duta COVID-19) has been successfully operating in South Sulawesi since mid-April 2020. Credit: OkeNews