Muhammadiyah.id, Yogyakarta – After President Jokowi’s announcement on the first COVID-19 patient on 2 March 2020, General Chairman of the Central Board of Muhammadiyah immediately commanded all Muhammadiyah leaderships to establish a task force to tackle the virus on 5 March 2020, later called Muhammadiyah COVID-19 Command Center (MCCC).
The team establishment is aimed at overcoming the COVID-19 cases through undertaking several programs.
At the beginning, 15 Muhammadiyah and Aisyiyah hospitals were appointed to be referral hospitals to treat COVID-19 patients. The number became 20 hospitals and now there have been 35 Muhammadiyah and Aisyiyah hospitals as the referral hospitals in Indonesia.
The hospitals statistically have dealt with 881 people under surveillance (ODP), 192 patients under observation (PDP), and 11 positive Covid-19 patients so that there have been 1,084 patients in total.
Majlis of Public Health (MPKU) reported the data per 1 April at 4 pm. The data showed an increasing number day by day.
Besides focusing on the COVID-19 cases, the MCCC has promoted preventive actions through making infographics, articles, videos, dialogues, and talkshows on both TV and radio.
In an interview, chief of the MCCC dr. Corona Rintawan stated that, regardless of what the task force does, the death toll from the COVID-19 rises.
“Thus, we are attempting to maintain the safety of all of us,” he asserted.
In addition, as a proclamation of Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, Muhamamdiyah through Majlis of Primary and Secondary Education (Dikdasmen) and Majlis of Higher Education, Research, and Development (Diktilibang) decided that all learning processes at Muhammadiyah and Aisyiyah schools and higher education institutions are conducted online.
Furthermore, in regional and local areas, Muhamamdiyah disinfected all places of Muhamamdiyah charity and services (AUM), promoted how to confront the COVID-19, fundraised with Lazismu, made and distributed hand sanitizers. All the activities engaged thousands of volunteers from Muhammadiyah elements.