The Lede: A memorable Idul Fitri
Hello Coconauts!
This will be an Idul Fitri for the ages. With travel bans forcing millions to stay at home, the tradition of visiting open houses of friends and relatives was unusually quiet. So where to next?
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See you Friday!
The latest
The Health Ministry on Tuesday reported an additional 415 cases, bringing the total to 23,165. Total confirmed deaths from COVID-19 now total 1,418 with 27 losses.
Palace celebrations
President Joko Widodo and his wife, Iriana, sent their best wishes to celebrating Indonesians on Sunday in a video message. Jokowi focused primarily on thanking the country for observing the social distancing policies, especially the mudik ban which kept families and friends at home. “We celebrate differently, because [now] we all need to make sacrifices to refrain from the usual mudik and [family] gatherings,” the President said in the video message. The couple had an unusually quiet celebration, observing prayers in Bogor with son Kaesang Pangarep.
Nothing but blue skies
Breathe deeply, Jakarta. The city’s Environment Agency has confirmed what your Instagram feed showed all holiday — this is the best air quality in five years. Compared to last year’s Lebaran period, a 28 percent drop in PM2.5 particles and massive drops in other pollutants. Agency head Andono Warih also confirmed suspicions that the social distancing measures have seen air quality improve dramatically.
Closed doors
And stay out! That’s the message from the Jakarta government to mudik-takers returning to the city. Residents and non-essential workers from other provinces will not be permitted to enter Jakarta without prior approval. "Before Idul Fitri, we already told people not to leave Jakarta because we couldn't guarantee you would be able to return," Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said. The strict rule is an effort to prevent a second wave of infection and risk further restrictions, he added.
On the streets
With the holiday over, the country can expect to see additional monitoring in an effort to move to the next stage of recovery. Military and police officers will be deployed across four provinces to enforce measures, including the wearing of masks in public places and social distancing, with the potential to roll-out further if the crisis deepens. “We want the military and the police to be at every crowd to further discipline the public, so they follow the protocol that we have agreed to in the large-scale social restrictions,” President Jokowi said yesterday.
Recommended reads:
Eid in time of pandemic: Quiet and lonely but modest and solemn (The Jakarta Post)
For Adhytia Pahlawan, a 26-year-old who started his job in Jakarta in September last year, this year marked the first time he celebrated Idul Fitri away from his family in Lumajang, East Java.
“I could only keep the silaturahmi through video call. My mother really wanted me to be home as she misses me, but the situation does not allow me to,” he told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
Adhytia said although he felt somewhat isolated and longed for his family’s company, he wanted to comply with the government’s ban on mudik (exodus), which prevents Indonesians from traveling to their hometowns for the holiday. For him, not going home was the best option, as he did not want to risk getting his loved ones sick.
The Kawal COVID-19 (Guard against COVID-19) group organized a data model presented to the provincial governor that showed there could be 70,000 deaths by July in West Java if no restrictions were imposed compared with only 20,000 if it took tough action.
West Java province locked down.
“They were keen to provide help and we accepted it,” said Ridwansyah Yusuf Achmad, an adviser to the West Java governor who organised the online meetings with Kawal volunteers and praised the group as patriotic for donating its expertise.
He, and other West Java officials, said the modelling from Kawal had swung the argument.
In the face of patchy data and conflicting advice from Indonesia’s central government over measures to fight coronavirus, Kawal’s 800 volunteers have emerged as an increasingly important source of information and guidance.