By: Akbar Rasyid (National University Journalism Science Student)
The new normalcy, aka normal, will begin to be implemented in several areas that are proven to be safe from Covid-19. The slope of the Covid-19 case is one of the conditions to allow the application of new normal. At least 102 regions have been allowed by the government through the Covid-19 Handling Acceleration Task Force to implement new normal. Not without reason, the government has begun implementing new normal in some of these areas. Reviving the country’s economy is one reason. But stick to the implementation of health protocols.
Vice President Ma’ruf Amin said that the new normal would have to be carried out in order to avoid the danger of Covid-19 transmission as well as economic downturn. The Indonesian people must be able to deal with both in intelligent ways without compromising safety and security.
New normal is the best way to deal with the realities of life today. Making peace with Corona and fighting to restore the country’s economy is a joint task. Once again, health protocols should not be abandoned, but rather improved so that the curve of the Covid-19 case does not rise again. More importantly, implementing a good protocol can avoid the risk of a second wave of Corona Virus spreading.
Actually, the term new normal and the protocols contained therein are not new to the people of Indonesia, but only good habits that are rarely carried out by the community. Like washing hands frequently, not touching your face with dirty hands, wearing a mask when you have a cold, etc. are things that really should be applied in everyday life. However, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, it becomes a necessity and must be done and will even be sanctioned if it violates it.
In addition, living by maintaining cleanliness, mutual cooperation, and discipline adheres to applicable ethics, also become a necessity to avoid the risk of being infected with Corona Virus. Therefore, the application of new normal is like rebuilding people’s enthusiasm in caring for health and safety that has long been lost.
Mutual cooperation has become the most important thing to remind and strengthen one another in the midst of a lack of condition due to Covid-19. Sharing with each other can ease the burden of someone affected by Covid-19 and regain the spirit of fighting against the latest conditions, namely implementing new normal while maintaining safety and security.
Encouraging this, there needs to be communication about good and right health from the government in order to be able to invite people to change bad habits and be able to adjust quickly to new normal life. A number of statements about the frontline in handling Covid-19 are doctors and medical personnel, but it is not wrong if the frontline in the war against Covid-19 is the community. Therefore, there is a need for strong integration between government, health workers, and especially the community.
Meanwhile, media people can play a very important role in the circulation of information that must be factual and ethically and legally accountable. Media reporting is one way that is able to control the mindset and way of looking at the community, so that media people need to encourage to foster public optimism to live a new normal life through constructive information and reporting.
The role of other media should be as a reference for the community to run the new normal well. The media must really preach the information that will be done for new normal, but not limited to the matter of the media, the public must be educated directly so as not to mis-capture the information circulating. In addition, the public must also think critically so as not to be led by wrong media opinions.
The media also plays an important role as a provider of information about new normal, as well as activities that can be done and may not be done or limited to do. So here the media must prioritize news that has a positive impact and brings benefits to the community especially in conditions like this. Positive reporting is very helpful for the public to maintain psychic so as not to be disturbed because media reporting is one of the keys to success building optimism in the midst of a pandemic.