Arnold Simanjuntak
Many people in Yogyakarta depend on tourism to support themselves. But tourists have left the city following the spread of COVID-19.
Some restaurants and hotels have stopped operating and furloughed their employees.
In this challenging time, Yogyakartans are showing their solidarity and strong will to protect the city against the virus.
Some kampungs in Yogyakarta cordoned off their areas even before President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo issued the physical distancing policy.
Some kampungs are rejecting the arrival of their own residents who had just returned from their jobs in other cities.
Meanwhile, some communities are contributing their skills and resources to make personal protective gear.
A group of disabled tailors have sewn hundreds of hazmat suits ordered by a hospital.
As the suits must be made quickly, the tailors asked for help from their neighbors to finish some of the orders.
A team of fashion designers, meanwhile, sewed their leftover fabrics into masks that they distributed for free to underprivileged people along Jl. Malioboro. [yps]