Written by: Laras Susanti
After claiming zero cases of Covid-19 as recently as February, Indonesia has now confirmed more than 14,200 cases of infection and 991 deaths. What’s worse, the real numbers are estimated to be much higher, due to low rates of detection.
The pandemic has also hit Indonesia’s economy hard. At the beginning of April, it is estimated 90 per cent of the 1.5 million workers in Indonesia had lost their jobs, or been sent home with only a fraction of their pay. The urban poor bear a disproportionate burden and risk in these changing economic circumstances. Small and medium businesses have suffered, and many are struggling to pay back loans.