INDONESIA AND CORONA VIRUS (COVID-19)

Today is the 4th months after indonesian government announce the first case of corona virus, yes after that almost all people in indonesia was scared and reduce their mobility, the world seems run slowly, panic attack spread to all area, even there are some areas who make their own rules to avoid the corona virus, hoax news flooding the social media, at the beginning its very hard to find the right news about why we affected by Corona Virus and how the corona virus spread? the one thing is clear that this virus came from Wuhan, China.

1 month before the first case was announced by the government, the government make a dirty joke regarding this virus, Health minister said that the coronavirus is impossible to affect Indonesian people because the Indonesian people like to drink “Jamu” Jamu is Indonesian traditional drink was made by cucumber and blend like a juice, and the other minister said that he just knew that corona is a car not a virus, and day by day when the corona virus spread to all around the world, in Indonesia the government still believe Indonesia is still safety, while the scientist from one of reputable university in Indonesia said impossible if Indonesia still safe from this virus while other country was fighting with this corona virus, they believe that Indonesian people already infected by corona virus but we just don’t know who is the people who was affected by this corona virus.

And then in march 2020, in the end of month indonesian government envoy by the President Joko Widodo and accompanied by The Health Minister who made a dirty joke previous month announced the first case of corona virus indonesia, yup two people were affected by corona virus after doing medical check up, and then the Indonesian president said the government will do the best effort to avoid the spreading of this corona virus, and ask Indonesian people to be not panic. But I thinked it was too late, mostly of Indonesian got panic after the first case was announced by the government. For a while there are so many people go to supermarket to buy a food, they buy so many food for saving for some next months, finally the government make policy to reduce panic attack, they make appeal to not panic and make sure that the inventory food is still enough for Indonesian people, but it cant stop the panic attack.

In the beginning time after the government announced the first case, the government seems so confused about how they should do and what is the right policy to stop the spreading of corona virus, the government seems wait and watch the policy of others country, because some of countries do different policy, there some country do lockdown area and other countries do physical distancing while the people still can do their own activities, the country who choose lockdown mostly is a rich country such as China, USA, Italy, they full fill the people needs with subsidy, while other country which not calssified as a rich country, they choose physical distancing because the government don’t have money to full fill the people needs, on of that country is Indonesia, the president choose to apply physical distancing with health protocol and give the explanation in one of interview that every country is different he said that Indonesian has a different level of discipline than the other country, it seems that he believe if Indonesia do that policy, not all people will obbedient with that rule, more over Indonesian financial can not cover lockdown policy, that is the first point that why President did not choose lockdown policy and choose physical distancing with helath protocol and give subsidy to some part to make the economy still running.

After that almost every day the government always announced new policy to face the corona virus, the economic policy, the transportation mass policy, the health policy, mostly the economic policy be a prioity policy from Indonesian government because hard for the government if the economy decrease while the Indonesian people is still need food to fill their lung.

And there are some regulations contradicting between with center government and local government such as mass transportation regulation, there are some area who prohibit mass transportation from other area came to their area, and finally government make a Corona Task force to manage this pandemic period to synchronize the policy between local and center government.

Not just that the policy who make Indonesian people confused is about the worship policy, the government appeal to doing worship on each others house, but the traditional market and supermarket still opened, even though the house of worship is easier to be controlled than the traditional market.

The Jakarta Goevernment as the capital city make a rule for employed and company who still operate while the pandemic period, because at the beginning there are so many office still open and still operate as usual, it make the Jakarta governor angry, it seems that the company let the Indonesian people infected and more concerned to their company and profit than the health of Indonesian people. And finally many office do work from home policy for comply the governor’s rules, because if the company did want to comply the rule the governor will force to close the office, and give penalty to the company.

The unhappy periode is when Indonesian moeslem people doing fasting in Ramadhan month, the big holy month on moeslem people, the government appeal to do worship in each others house this is the big different thing who feel by indonesian people, this is the first time after the long periode Indonesian people can not do tarawih prayer together in mosque because previously the mosque always crowded by Indonesian moeslem people, the policy still continue until the biggest day Eid Al-Fitr, but after that biggest days the government said moeslem people can pray in mosque again with health protocol, I like think that “why you did not do the same thing when the moeslem doing tarawih prayer and eid al-fitr?”

Hopefully we want this pandemic gone as soon as possible.