Prevention of COVID-19 Spread : Phapros Conducts a Drill about Cloth Mask Utilization and How to Properly Wash Hands

Prevention of COVID-19 Spread : Phapros Conducts a Drill about Cloth Mask Utilization and How to Properly Wash Hands

Semarang, 31st of March 2020 - PT Phapros Tbk (PEHA) - subsidiary to PT Kimia Farma Tbk (KAEF)- provided educational instruction to the citizens of Bongsari, Semarang on using the cloth mask the right way and washing hands with soap in a proper way to minimize the spread of SARS-COV-2 virus, which had led to believe is causing COVID-19 outbreak.

President Director of PT Phapros Tbk, Barokah Sri Utami (also known as Emmy), alongside the head of Ngemplak Simongan Regional Public Health Center, Andriani, said that in this current situation, one of the easiest ways to prevent COVID-19 is to regularly wash hands with soap and wear masks while moving outside the house.

“Based on a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), at least 20 seconds of washing hands with soap is effective enough to remove viruses and germs due to the fact that soap contains surfactants, which are substances that lift oil and microbes from the skin. Phapros, together with Kader Posyandu Pelita Sehat and Mekarsari, wish to persuade the people to always keep their hands clean in order to reduce the risk of transmitting COVID-19”, Emmy said while carrying out the handover ceremony of 20 barrels of clean water, 20 bottles of hand soap, and 300 liters of disinfectant to the residents of Bongsari and Ngemplak, which are not far from the operational area of Phapros.

Emmy added that residents who work outside of their homes are strongly advised to wear cloth masks. "We are aware that transmission of COVID-19 is transmitted through droplets or saliva splashes that contain viruses and stick to the surface of certain objects, so cloth masks can be an alternative to prevent transmission of COVID-19 rather than not using masks at all. However, make sure the cloth mask is washed using soap and regularly replaced.

The use of cloth masks as an alternative attempt to prevent COVID-19 spread is also expected to reduce the number of cases of surgical mask hoarding by certain individuals, which are now urgently needed by medical personnel in almost all areas affected by this virus.

Previously, in the means of prevention efforts to anticipate the transmission of COVID-19, Phapros also provided multivitamins and hand sanitizers to the Central Java Provincial Government and Semarang City Government. These various assistance are supported by Phapros' social responsibility in public health needs.

Emmy also said that although COVID-19 is currently endemic in Indonesia, activities at the Phapros production plant -located in Simongan, Semarang, Central Java- are still operating normally.

“We now have a special protocol to mitigate the Covid-19 transmission in our workplace. In the meantime, our business activities at the plant continue to run normally. We are still producing medicines and multivitamins. We also facilitate our employees with influenza shots, face masks, hand sanitizers, and vitamins to minimize the risk of transmitting the disease”  Barokah added.