Sociological public perception of the coronavirus disease 2019 situation in Indonesia: A phenomenological study

Background: The rapid spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused many fatalities in Indonesia. This condition has triggered social changes that were never imagined before. There is no research that explores the public's perception of the sociological situation. Purpose: To sociologically explore community perceptions of the COVID-19 pandemic situation in Indonesia Methods: Purposive sampling, one-on-one, in-depth with semi-structural interviews were conducted to collect data. Data saturation was achieved after interviewing ten participants. Narratives were analysed by Colaizzi’s (1978) seven-step method. Results: Six themes identified to illustrate sociologically community perceptions of the COVID-19 pandemic situation in Indonesia were: 1. COVID-19 is very dangerous; 2. Threats to the social life sector; 3. Threats to the economic sector; 4. Threats to the education sector; 5. Global conspiracy; 6. Creating a new work area. Conclusion: This pandemic condition has changed many things in the social order of society and has a direct impact on various sectors such as education and the economy. Information about the impact of social phenomena that occur on society during a pandemic will be valuable information for government to determine appropriate policies about COVID-19 in Indonesia.