"PHBS is very important in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic," Secretary of the Directorate General of Public Health of the Health Ministry Siti Nadia Tarmizi said during a talk show on “Clean and Healthy Lifestyle,” which was followed online from Jakarta on Thursday.
PHBS is an important aspect that the community must implement to anticipate various diseases, including COVID-19, she added.
"The simplest form of PHBS is washing hands as an effort to prevent COVID-19 transmission. Also, do not forget to clean the yard, do physical activities, and exercise. It will increase our immunity," Tarmizi said.
Other examples of PHBS at the household level include cleaning puddles to prevent the breeding of mosquito larvae, consuming fruits and vegetables, doing physical activity regularly, maintaining sleeping and eating patterns, and avoiding smoking, she said.
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PHBS needs to be carried out together with the COVID-19 health protocols such as wearing masks, maintaining a safe distance, and avoiding crowds, Tarmizi said.
"Besides implementing PHBS, the public must comply with the COVID-19 health protocols to suppress virus transmission, especially of Omicron subvariants BA.4, BA.5, and BA.2.75," she added.
She further said that people need to remind each other to comply with the health protocols since the pandemic is still on and all parties must work together to prevent another case spike.
Meanwhile, an academic from the University of Indonesia (UI), Dr. Agustin Kusumayati, said that lifestyle changes are important amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the emergence of several other diseases such as acute hepatitis and monkeypox.
To protect themselves and their families from such diseases, people need to adopt a clean and healthy lifestyle and play an active role in protecting the environment, she added.
"Simple exercises such as walking are good to increase endurance and prevent various non-infectious diseases," she said.
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Translator: Wuryanti Puspitasari, Resinta
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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