To reduce the high spread in South Sulawesi Province, especially Gowa Regency, various preventive measures have been taken. One of the most effective preventive measures is to always wash your hands with soap. Soap has been shown to effectively damage the outer protein layer of Covid-19 and in the end, can kill the virus. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hasanuddin University (UNHAS), located in Gowa Regency, felt the need to participate in minimizing the spread of COVID-19 by donating hand washing equipment to Islamic boarding schools, Public health center and Kindergartens in Gowa.
On Tuesday, 6 October 2020, the Mechanical Engineering Department’s Community Service Team, represented by Azwar Hayat, Ph.D and Dr. Muhammad Syahid and also attending this activity Dr. Hairul Arsyad, Chair of the Mechanical Engineering Masters Study Program, donated portable handwashing equipment to the Yatama Mandiri BKMT Gowa Islamic Boarding School which was received directly by the Chairman of the Foundation, Mrs. Hj. Nuraisah Hafidz. He revealed, “This handwashing aid will greatly help minimize the spread of COVID-19 from guests visiting Islamic boarding schools”. Portable hand washing equipment placed in front of the entrance hall makes it easy for guests to wash their hands.
Assistance for portable hand washing was also given to Mustika Kindergarten and Yatama Public health center which are located adjacent to the Yatama Islamic boarding school. The equipment donation was received directly by the Principal of Mustika Kindergarten, Hj. Fatmawati, SE and Head of Yatama Public health center, dr. Tri Oktaviani. Fatmawati said, “Handwashing education is needed to be grown in our children from an early age”. “We are very grateful for the help of this automatic handwashing device that we received,” he said. The Public health center also felt very helped by the assistance of this handwashing device. “We really need a tool like this and we feel very helpful in preventing the spread of COVID-19,” said dr. Tri.
In addition to portable hand washing equipment, banners were also installed on how to wash hands from the Healthy Living Community Movement of the Ministry of Health as a means of educating on healthy living in these pesantren, schools, and Public health center This activity was carried out as an effort to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in Islamic boarding schools, schools and health centers in entering the current “new normal” period.