CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC AND SOCIAL DISTANCING (REVIEW OF SOCIAL WORK PERSPECTIVES IN FIVE COUNTRIES: INDONESIA, MALAYSIA, SINGAPORE, INDIA AND SOUTH KOREA)

Abstract

The Social Work Perspective Review's research on the Coronavirus Pandemic and Social Distancing is aimed at answering the main research question, which is how social workers contribute to efforts to overcome the corona virus outbreak, both micro, mezzo, and macro levels in the Covid-19 pandemic situation in five Asian countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore India and South Korea). This research use mixed methods and a descriptive research approach. The study's target population consists of Social Workers who are members of Social Worker organizations in five countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, India, and South Korea) who have engaged in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic in their respective countries. Quantitative data samples were collected from 61 respondents in three Indonesian cities: Yogyakarta, Palembang, and Makassar. According to the findings of the study, social workers in India and Malaysia prefer a macro-level strategy since both nations adopt the lockdown paradigm to deal with the pandemic. Meanwhile, Indonesia, Singapore, and Korea are heading further toward social distancing, hence the social work strategy adopted by social workers in these nations is a micro level approach. Although social workers in each nation are more focused on the level that best fits their country's challenges, they nonetheless play a role at all levels, whether micro, mezzo, or macro. In carrying out each duty, Social Workers encounter a variety of challenges, ranging from the existence of social distancing and physical distancing regulations to legislation governing social restrictions in each country.