Non-Pharmaceutical Intervention Policies in Overcoming COVID-19 in Aceh: A Cross-Sectional Online Survey

Abstract

COVID-19, which transmitted rapidly from China, has crossed all the lands in the world, infecting people in every corner. This phenomenon has shocked the public on a large scale, ranging from the mass media; government; to individuals. This study seeks to assess the perceptions of the Acehnese regarding government policy in dealing with COVID-19 in the local realm, especially related to the implementation of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs). An online survey was conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire using a non-probability snowball sampling technique to answer the abovementioned problem. Finally, the questionnaire distributed online collected as many as 264 respondents. In general, the results of the study report that respondents have a high level of compliance with the policies taken by the government in fighting the Coronavirus. Most of them claim to be ready to help their neighbors who have problems with loss of livelihood during the implementation of NPIs that require people to work at home. Interestingly, even though the community has shown willingness to follow government guidelines on quarantine and social distance, most people reject the call to worship at home. Therefore, in formulating the best policy, a comprehensive socio-economic study and cooperation from community leaders, especially religious leaders, are needed to equalize the public's perception.