The Pondok Ranggon public cemetery in East Jakarta buries 700 bodies every week, mostly deceased COVID-19 patients. If the COVID-19 death rate in the city does not decrease anytime soon, the cemetery is predicted to run out of space in October.
The lack of burial space in Pondok Ranggon offers a glimpse into Indonesia’s inability to curb the disease. The country reached a somber milestone of recording daily new cases of 3,000 in early September.
Although the curve shows no sign of flattening, many local governments, citizens and businesses are eager to return to their normal activities. The Jakarta administration, for instance, is planning to reopen movie theaters soon. (mca)