Togetherness in the Face of Covid-19

DOKUMEN RW 005 BALIREJO (DONO SUSILO)

Ndaru Triatmoko (34), a resident of Kampung Balirejo, Umbulharjo, Yogyakarta, was welcomed by his neighbor after he was declared cured of Covid-19, Friday (19/6/2020). Citizen support is one of his strengths to stay healthy after 46 days of isolation.

Support from families, relatives and neighbors is fortifying social capital amid the uncertainties of the Covid-19 pandemic. People that have recovered from Covid-19 attest to the social capital’s benefits.

Bouquets, tumpeng (cone-shaped yellow rice with various dishes) and the beats of a drum band accompanied 34-year-old Ndaru Triatmoko as he was walking to his house on Friday (19/6/2020). It was how people in Balirejo village, Umbulharjo, Yogyakarta, welcomed back a villager who had returned from Covid-19 treatment.

“The moment I got out of the car, so many people greeted me. I was moved. The stress and loneliness that I felt for 46 days in the hospital isolation ward went away instantly,” Ndaru said.

Also read : Solidarity Keeps Thriving

Ndaru was one of dozens of members of the “Indogrosir cluster”, named so after a supermarket in Sleman, Yogyakarta, where a worker passed out while working on April 18, 2020 and was later found to have Covid-19.

“I was the first person to help him. We work in one division,” Ndaru said.

After the worker passed out, he had a swab test and was found to have Covid-19. Other workers, including Ndaru, were then checked. “I underwent a rapid test on May 2 and it was positive,” he said.

On May 5, Ndaru was contacted by the Yogyakarta Health Agency to be isolated at the Yogyakarta General Hospital in Wirosaban. “I was confused at first because I had no symptoms at all. However, I worried about people at home because I have an elderly father,” he explained.

I was confused at first because I had no symptoms at all.

When he arrived at the hospital, he underwent a swab test. “The result came out on May 8 and it was positive. I then did another test, which was also positive,” he said.

Ndaru then spent his days in the isolation ward, still with disbelief that he had Covid-19. What relieved him was that the family he left back home got full support from his neighbors.

Amid the crisis, Ndaru’s neighbors came every day to bring food and moral support for his father and wife. “I had a video call with my wife every day and she told me that a neighbor came by, bringing food, raw or cooked vegetables and even soap and toothpaste. Many also called to give support,” Ndaru said.

Locals’ support

Community unit (RW) 005 head Dono Susilo, 46, of Bali Rejo said Ndaru had always kept everyone informed about his condition during his treatment. This helped the RW to prevent panic from spreading among locals. “Our focus in the beginning was to prevent stigmatization and guide locals to voice their support,” he said.

Before news spread that a community member had contracted Covid-19, Dono immediately established a Covid-19 task force in his RW. “I worked with other people here to prevent confusion among locals,” he said.

Soon afterward, news spread through WhatsApp groups that a community member had contracted Covid-19 and that people should be extra careful. “We gave coordinated responses to those messages so that people would support one another and that Mas Ndaru’s family would not be stigmatized. All of us should work together and help the family so that they can self-isolate,” Dono explained.

Also read: How Neighbors Can Help Each Other amid Outbreak

In the end, locals were united in discussing what they can do to help Ndaru’s family. “Whatever his wife and father needed, we would provide. We also taught locals how to stay safe while still helping,” Dono said.

To boost Ndaru’s morale, locals also brought meals to the hospital. “I personally brought drinking water [to the hospital] as a symbol of locals’ support,” Dono said.

After the 13th and 14th swab test results, Ndaru was finally declared free of Covid-19. “What kept me healthy was support from family members and neighbors. That was so meaningful,” Ndaru said.

Also read : Solidarity Strengthens amid Pandemic

KOMPAS/PANDU WIYOGA

Two patients, Dr. Rizki Amanda Sari (left) and Drg Fitri (right), were welcomed by the medical team at the Batam Exertion Agency Hospital shortly after being declared cured, Friday (1/5/2020).

“Tahlilan” on verandah

In Ngampelsari village, Candi district, Sidoarjo regency, East Java, 24-year-old Ical was still mourning for the death of his beloved father Rudi, 58, last month. Nevertheless, he was grateful that his neighbors had given him an extraordinary level of support instead of stigmatizing him. “Locals supported me and my family until all of us fully recovered,” he said on Sunday (5/7).

It all started when his father died with the status of Covid-19 patient under surveillance (PDP). In line with procedures, all family members were required to undergo self-isolation, testing and contact tracing. They were prohibited from going outside, including to hold a prayer gathering (tahlilan) for Rudi’s passing.

“My neighbors took care of the tahlilan since day one. On the seventh day, the event, which was usually held at the mosque, was held near my house so that I could join in from my verandah,” Ical said.

Also read : The Power of Solidarity

Locals worked together to prepare everything, including meals. “Having Covid-19 is not a disgrace. Anyone can get it. This is why everyone must have a collective awareness,” said neighborhood unit (RT) 001 head Budi Cahyono of RW 005 in Ngampelsari.

Toxinologist Tri Maharani of the Daha Husada hospital in Kediri, East Java, had a similar experience as she underwent Covid-19 treatment. Support from family members and colleagues became the source of her strength during recovery.

“I felt the burden of stigmatization. People stayed away from my family, but I got support from my friends and this became the energy for my recovery,” she said.

Right now, anyone can get Covid-19. However, their illness must not imprison them. The pandemic has truly disrupted our lives. However, our support for one another is an important capital. This is our last bastion to survive amid uncertainties.