TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) has called on parents to train their kids in implementing the health protocols in order to prevent any disease transmission, including COVID-19. This also aims at anticipating the new normal era amid the ongoing new coronavirus pandemic.

“It has to become a habit through training,” said the KPAI Commissioner of Education, Retno Listyarti, in Jakarta, Friday, June 12.

She opined that children needed to be trained so that they became familiar with a clean and healthy lifedata-style and other habits such as wearing face masks and washing hands with soap regularly.

“Wearing face masks requires training. Children need to be taught how to wear face masks properly. They can first don masks for 30 minutes, then the period can be extended by 10 minutes per day. So when they go back to school, children will be used to wearing face masks for a long time,” Retno explained.

Additionally, children must be told about the major aims of wearing face masks, which is a necessity amid the Covid-19 pandemic, with hopes that they will not easily take them off while doing activities outside of their homes. “Because they have to protect themselves when people around them sneeze, cough, and fall sick, so they will not be infected.”

Children should also be encouraged to wash their hands regularly with soap. “Parents must not just tell them to wash their hands, but rather teach them how to wash hands with soap properly. If necessary, an alarm for a handwashing time could be activated,” Retno added.

The habits, she went on, are necessary to be taught earlier so children will be well-prepared to adapt to the new normal era as they return to school or interact with others. “So prepare them. Parents have the tasks to prepare their children to face that. Teach them, educate them, and show them,” Retno concluded.

ANTARA