Clinging to Hope amid the Severity of COVID-19

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

Food vendors wearing masks and face shields push carts after finishing selling in the Pademangan area, North Jakarta, on Thursday (14/1/2021).

Bete, 42, a resident of Pademangan, North Jakarta, has been forced to stop selling his wares since the beach tourism center next to his neighborhood was closed again at the end of June as the COVID-19 caseload was back on the rise.

The family was practically cut off from its livelihood when the government implemented emergency public activity restrictions (PPKM Darurat).

When contacted on Monday afternoon, Bete said he was now struggling to meet the household’s needs. He has had to stay at the house of his parents-in-law with his wife and child because they could not pay the rent.

While staying at home to stay healthy and not be infected with COVID-19, Bete and his wife are trying to do whatever they can to meet their needs.

Also read:

> Growth to Overcome Poverty

> The Poor Are Not Optimally Helped

The Bete family is a recipient of government cash social assistance of Rp 300,000 per month. The last package of Rp 600,000 was received in May – for April and May – while they have yet to receive the June and July package.

"It is not that we are ungrateful, but this PPKM period sometimes causes pain. It is said the community is calm. How can we be calm? We have no income at all. The government considers Rp 300,000 a month enough,” Bete said.

They are trying to stay at home, and are afraid of testing positive for COVID-19.

At neighborhood unit (RW) 019 in Tugu Utara, Koja district, North Jakarta, a number of residents are starting to get coughs, runny noses and flus. They are trying to stay at home, and are afraid of testing positive for COVID-19.

As many as 48 families in the densely populated neighborhood are currently undergoing self-isolation at home after testing positive for COVID-19.

Those whose condition suddenly worsens and who need treatment at a referral hospital have difficulty getting an ambulance.

“There was a resident who was short of breath. We transported the person on a tricycle. I tried to call the hospital so the person could be admitted immediately to the ICU [but they couldn\'t admit the person], and finally the person died," neighborhood head Ricardo Hutahean said.

In his neighborhood, Ricardo said, three people had died in self-isolation. They died of a sudden worsening of their condition and got late medical help or none at all.

KOMPAS/RIZA FATHONI

PT Pos Indonesia officers together with local RT administrators took pictures of residents of Koja Flats, North Jakarta who received cash social assistance (BST) from the government through the Ministry of Social Affairs, on Saturday (9/1/2021).

The neighborhood is home to 1,060 households. The residents work as scavengers, parking attendants and do other rough work. Despite their condition, social assistance during the PPKM Darurat period has not yet fully reached the residents.

Of the 1,060 families, about 20 percent are not on the social assistance beneficiary list. Instead, they are registered for the cash and non-cash assistance program under the Prosperous Family Card program.

Poverty rate

The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to an increased poverty rate in Jakarta. Data from Statistics Indonesia shows that the poverty rate in the capital city in September 2019 was 3.42 percent. In September 2020, it was 4.69 percent, up 1.2 percent. This figure exceeded the 2007 poverty rate of 4.61 percent.

The Jakarta administration has various assistance programs to deal with poverty, including the Jakarta Child Card, Jakarta Persons with Disabilities Card, Jakarta Elderly Card, Jakarta Smart Card, Jakarta Excellent Student Card, Health Insurance Assistance – all apportioned from the budget – and the cheap food program.

Also read:

> Painting Bodies Silver to Outsmart Plague

> Recovery without Inequality

During the pandemic, the administration and the central government have also disbursed special social aid, both cash and packages of basic goods, to impacted residents.

However, the aid reportedly has not been able to reach all eligible people, which has prompted the residents to strive on their own to help others, as seen in RW 019 of Tugu Utara.

The neighborhood has set up a public kitchen to help fellow residents in self-isolation. They are given one meal per day.

Urban Poor Network (JRMK) coordinator Eny Rochayati said that many residents did not have access to health services. “Every day, the JRMK receives reports of the deaths of at least two people. The symptoms are shortness of breath," she said.

She said she also had a relative that suffered from headaches, stomachaches and shortness of breath for ten days. The relative was treated at a hospital in the Penjaringan area and was admitted to an emergency ward. However, according to the family, not much health service was given, so the family decided to take the ill relative home. However, on the way home, Eny\'s relative died.

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

Children play on railroad tracks in a slum area, Pademangan, North Jakarta, Friday (18/6/2021).

On the other hand, some sick residents have refrained from undergoing swab tests for fear of testing positive for COVID-19, which would mean they would not be able to see their families. In the case of death, the family buries them without following COVID-19 protocols. This consequently causes the spread of COVID-19 in their environment.

The government is expected not only to administer the implementation of PPKM Darurat strictly but also to take an approach that seeks concrete solutions to economic, social and health problems.

"So it must be balanced. The sick are helped and the healthy are also helped," Eny said.

(This article was translated by Musthofid)