exclusive
INDONESIA: Bali-based ‘Jacky’ reveals the toll the coronavirus crisis has taken on his family

In this special series ordinary people across the world share stories of their struggle to survive in a pandemic world. Late in 2019 a mysterious illness emerged at a seafood and poultry market in the sprawling capital of Central China’s Hubei province Wuhan. The growing outbreak was reported to the World Health Organisation on December 31, which on January 12 confirmed a novel coronavirus was the cause of the respiratory illness affecting a growing cluster of people. COVID-19 was officially first detected in Indonesia on March 2 when a dance instructor and her mother tested positive for the virus after they were infected by a Japanese national. Within a month, the pandemic had spread to all 34 Indonesian provinces, with Jakarta, West Java, and Central Java hardest hit. As of September 7 this year, Indonesia has reported the highest number of cases in Southeast Asia, second highest death count in Asia and seventh highest death count in the world. Instead of implementing a nationwide lockdown, the Government applied “large-scale social restrictions”, which was later modified into the “community activities restrictions enforcement”. Indonesia’s vaccination program was officially launched on January 13, 2021, when President Joko Widodo was vaccinated at the presidential palace. According to the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia, as of September 7, 33 per cent of the target population had received their first dose and 19 per cent had received two doses. The tourism industry was one of the hardest hit once COVID took hold across the globe. ‘Jacky’ — who asked for his full name to be withheld — lost his job as general manager of a hotel in Bali. His wife and two children were forced to move more than 1000km away to Java, while Jacky stayed behind in Bali and attempted to find work so he could send whatever he earned to Java. Here is his story. ‘JACKY’, 40, PROJECT WORKER FROM BALI ‘I really miss my family’ Before COVID, my family lived in Bali because I had enough income back then. I was working in the tourist industry in Canggu. The company closed because of corona. Normally we would make 60 million Indonesian rupiah (AUD 5700) per day. After corona, our daily intake became 5 to 6 million (AUD 470-570) per day. So the company couldn’t continue. I suffer. I had to send my wife and children to Java in September 2020 as I cannot handle our home economic situation. It has been one year since I have seen them. This is very difficult for us. I really miss my family. I really want to go back to them. My kid is three years old. The other one is 14 years old. They always ask me when I can go home. Hopefully, god will help me with a miracle. A lot has been affected by the coronavirus. Family, economy, activities. I lost my job and it was very difficult to find another job, especially in tourism as my background is in management. The Government has made very strict rules and some tourist destinations cannot open because of the pandemic. So this has made an economic and financial problem, especially for people working in tourism. I can’t do anything in tourism. I have to take whatever job I can right now to survive. Some of my friends are finding it very difficult to find work after they lost their jobs. They cannot get food for their families. I am lucky. They gave me a job so I can survive. Before COVID, I was supporting my brother. I sent him to college and paid for it, and paid for my brother’s flat in Singaraja. I have another brother in Java I was supporting. I have to support my mother-in-law and father-in-law in Java too, and my wife and my two children. Because of corona, I cannot support them. Whatever I can earn, I send to my family. ‘The rich people are being helped, not the poor people’ Indonesian people really pay attention to the COVID pandemic. They’re aware of hygiene and restaurants, shops, supermarkets and malls provide sanitiser to avoid the spread of COVID. All people in Bali wear masks anywhere they go and everywhere they work, as well as crowded places - the shopping mall, church, mosque and temple. The people are aware of the situation. They support each other. From the Government side, they make rules, local lockdowns, community restrictions, deliver vaccines to the community, provide isolation for COVID patients and donations to the people affected by the pandemic. Normally, government employees can help their families, even if the family is rich. It’s supposed to be the poor people that are being helped, but the problem with Indonesia is the rich people are being helped, not the poor. Some of the government ministers are taking advantage of donations. They are making big corruption. But us small people, we can’t do anything. The donations are a bit difficult to control. ‘I had no power in my body, I was very weak’ I got COVID-19 in August 2020. I was sick for three weeks, almost one month. I had fever, cough, flu, I lost the taste of food and drink. I had no power in my body, I was very weak. I was scared to go to the hospital. Corona at that time was a big sickness. It costs money and I don’t have money. Secondly, if you have corona, it’s a new disease, so you feel shy around family, not confident being surrounded by people. At that time corona hadn’t really blown up. I drank coconut, took paracetamol. I continued working, I tried aerobics, running, exercise to make my body sweat. This is very important. You have to make your body sweat but it is very difficult to sweat if you have corona. After I felt better, I went to the hospital and tested negative on PCR. The hospital said it was negative. I checked two times. ‘I waited four hours for my vaccination’ I’ve had my first vaccine — the Astra vaccine from the UK. In September I’ll get the second. After my vaccine I got a fever and flu, with headache for two days. I went to the hospital for the vaccine. I didn’t have to pay for it. Vaccine in Indonesia is free. There’s a big queue and I waited four hours. I’m lucky, some people go in the morning from midnight to 3am in the morning waiting. ‘Indonesia is very different than India’ Indonesia is very different than India, or some of those countries where a lot of people are dead. Indonesia is not so. The statistics are disputed. In reality, not so many people die in Indonesia. Because of corona, I decided to get another job as a volunteer to help to check coronavirus for three months. I handled people for rapid test antigen in full PPE. Every day I met with corona people. The experience — if we are using the correct testing — the result will be ok. If we don’t use the correct testing, the result will be very dangerous. The people that work doing this have to understand the correct procedure. Some people do not follow the expiry date because they want to get money, revenue, income. I would fight with the owner of the company because of this as I don’t like cheating people and I got fired. From my experience, the reason the infection data from the Government is very high is first they were using the rapid test (blood sample is tested for antibody protein presence), not the rapid antigen (swab) test. They are different. Rapid test price is 30,000 or 60,000 rupiah (AUD 3-6). The antigen test is 250,000 (AUD 24). For accuracy, the antigen test is 80 per cent. The rapid test is less than 50 per cent. Of course, the data in Indonesia is very high. When you check with this test, most people will get positive corona. It’s not correct. That’s why the Indonesian Government changed quickly to antigen. After changing and using antigen, the data is correct. Even if you test positive after antigen, you have to do PCR (90-95 per cent). If you’re positive, then it’s true. PCR is checking by genetic. If you have money, better to go directly to PCR. PCR is 800,000 rupiah (AUD 76). Some are 1,500,000 (AUD 142), some hospitals are 2,500,000 (AUD 237). ‘I am scared about the economy’ I am most scared about the economy. If I don’t have the money, I cannot ensure my family and my body survives. The economy for poor people is very important. Health is important, but in fact money is more important. Luckily, I am still working. Some people don’t have a job. I cannot send enough money for my family compared to my previous jobs, but my family understands. I have to reduce our budget during corona. I lost a lot of things from corona. Before I was a project worker, I worked as a general manager in a hotel. Now I have lost 10 times my salary. I lost five motorbikes — I had to sell them because I don’t have money. And I had to release my house also, because of corona. The bank took it. Mortgage was 3.5 million rupiah (AUD 332) per month. I cannot afford that. So I had to lose my house. And right now I am renting. And I had to ask my wife to sell jewellery. ‘Australians can sponsor to support people in Bali, to help them’ If possible, if any donation from Australia. Australians can sponsor to support people in Bali, to help them. Because the situation is difficult. If there are rich people there, that can give a donation to us, they can contact us to co-ordinate. It’s a small thing. It’s very important to us. Thank you so much. WHO OFFICIAL STATISTICS (AS AT SEPTEMBER 7, 2021) INDONESIA GLOBAL

exclusive
INDONESIA: Bali-based ‘Jacky’ reveals the toll the coronavirus crisis has taken on his family

The No. 1 source of news for every West Australian

Subscribe

Subscribe

The West Australian exclusiveINDONESIA: Bali-based ‘Jacky’ reveals the toll the coronavirus crisis has taken on his family

The No. 1 source of news for every West Australian

Subscribe

Subscribe

exclusive
INDONESIA: Bali-based ‘Jacky’ reveals the toll the coronavirus crisis has taken on his family