Indonesia invokes emergency measures in Jakarta, bonuses for doctors
23 March, 2020
Indonesia's capital Jakarta shut cinemas and other public entertainment on Monday (Mar 23) in the beginning of a two-week emergency period to attempt to slow the accelerating spread of the coronavirus in Southeast Asia's biggest city.
The new measures, such as urging people to work from home, still flunk of the tougher lockdowns imposed by neighbours amid concerns among some experts that the archipelago of 260 million persons is not doing enough to support the virus.
National police spokesperson Muhammad Iqbal said 465,000 police across Indonesia would disperse any public gatherings "for the sake of public safety" though a photograph posted on social media of a packed commuter train in Jakarta quickly went viral.
President Joko Widodo on Monday offered his condolences after a medical association said six doctors and nurses had died after contracting the virus.
"I'd like to thank them for their hard work, for their dedication in working with COVID-19," said Widodo, speaking at the opening of a crisis hospital on the site of the “Athlete’s Village” built for the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta.
Indonesia has confirmed 514 cases of the virus and 48 deaths, mainly concentrated in Jakarta, whose governor on Friday admitted medical staff were already getting over-stretched.
Widodo said doctors and other medical staff would receive bonuses which range from 5 million rupiah to 15 million rupiah (US$300-US$900) monthly in regions that have declared an emergency. Apart from Jakarta, the East Java region in addition has declared an emergency.
The president has up to now resisted demands tougher lockdowns because of concerns about the impact on businesses and the poor, many of whom are vendors plying their trade on the streets.
The normally traffic-clogged streets of metropolis of 10 million were far quieter than usual on Monday and student volunteers at a crossing on a significant road organized signs urging people in order to avoid crowds and stay home.
But Rocky Margiano Simanjuntak, 23, posted an image on social media from inside a packed early morning train on his way to work in the location at a bank.
"Government policies seem to be only half measures, just an appeal," Simanjuntak told Reuters with a message on his Instagram account, adding that public transport should not be limited unless authorities enforced rules to create people stay in the home.
The commuter train company in a statement promised to return to normal operations to ease such crushes, but urged passengers to remain home.
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