Half-Heart Compliance: The Implementation of Health Protocols by Religious People in Worship

Abstract

This study aims to show that the implementation of health protocols has not been fully implemented by the community, especially among religious people. The application of health protocols includes wearing masks, washing hands with soap, and maintaining physical distancing. The focus of this research is on the application of health protocols in places of worship including mosques, churches and monasteries. Research focus in Semarang City, Central Java. The findings of the study show that religious people who come to places of worship do not follow health protocols including not wearing masks, not washing their hands with soap or hand sanitizer, and not maintaining physical distance according to the provisions in the health protocol. These findings indicate that religious people have not fully implement health protocols seen from 1) the obligation to wear a mask when in a place of worship, 2) the obligation to wash hands using soap or hand sanitizer when in a place of worship, 3) maintain physical distance when in a place of worship. The reasons put forward are quite diverse, including with respect to zone, security and comfort. Some religious people do not apply health protocols because they a) consider their area to be in the green zone, which means that they may not apply health protocols in places of worship; b) considers places of worship safe so that they do not have to apply health protocols; c) implementing health protocols is considered inconvenient and troublesome. This finding has implications for 1) the need for the government to tighten the implementation of health protocols in places of worship; 2) the need for socio-religious organizations to be more active in supporting government policies to implement health protocols in places of worship; 3) the need to socialize the importance of implementing effective health protocols and the dangers of the COVID-19 virus and 4) the need to prevent negative discourse about COVID-19 from developing.