Weekly Gallery: Happy viral holidays

Thu, December 24, 2020 / 12:08 am

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Islam Defenders Front (FPI) leader Rizieq Shihab arrives at the Jakarta Police headquarters in Jakarta on Dec. 12. Rizieq was summoned by the police for allegedly breaching health protocols by holding crowded events at his house and at the group’s headquarters in Petamburan, Central Jakarta, last month. JP/Seto Wardhana.
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Children wearing costumes of various cartoon characters work as street singers to collect money from passersby in Cibinong, Bogor regency, West Java, on Dec. 14. They said they went out busking after attending their online classes. JP/P.J. Leo
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A worker assembles a giant Christmas tree in front of the St. Mary of Assumption Cathedral in Central Jakarta on Dec. 15. The giant tree was erected as part of the 2020 Christmas celebrations. JP/Seto Wardhana
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Students stage a theatrical performance in Jakarta on Dec. 15 in protest at rising violence against people for expressing their opinions throughout 2020, which has been considered a dark year for democracy. JP/Seto Wardhana
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A worker inspects a tunnel-boring machine inside Tunnel 1 of the Jakarta-Bandung high speed railway project in Pondok Gede, Bekasi, West Java on Dec. 15. The machine has completed the 1.8-kilometer tunnel located under the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road. JP/Wendra Ajistyatama
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Indonesian Anti-Corruption Community (MAKI) coordinator Boyamin Saiman brings a social aid package worth Rp 188,000 (US$13.35) to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) headquarters in Jakarta on Dec. 16. He handed over the package to the graft busters as evidence for the KPK’s investigation into a suspected bribery case pertaining to the COVID-19 social aid procurement. The antigraft body has named Social Affairs Minister Juliari Batubara a suspect in the case. JP/Dhoni Se...
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Employees sort out goods at a Lazada warehouse in Cimanggis, West Java, on Dec. 17. During Lazada’s three-day national online shopping (Garbolnas) held on Dec. 12-14, the online shop saw a 100 percent increase in sales compared with 2019. Bank Indonesia (BI) recorded Rp 180.74 trillion (US$ 12.8 billion) in e-commerce transactions as of September, lower than the 2019 figure of Rp 201 trillion. JP/Seto Wardhana

Indonesia is approaching the year-end holiday season with the Christmas and New Year holidays in sight. But people have been urged to at least stay in their city of residence as the country has yet to see an end to the COVID-19 outbreak.

While churches are being decorated with Christmas trees, it is likely that the congregations will not attend services as the government has limited public celebrations during the holiday season. Nevertheless, people are buying Christmas gifts online taking advantage of online discounts, making December another busy month for e-commerce employees and couriers.

This week, the country also saw law enforcers name a firebrand cleric a suspect for violating health protocols, putting around 10,000 people at risk of getting infected by the coronavirus disease. Graft busters were also working hard to uncover an alleged bribery case pertaining to the procurement of COVID-19 social aid packages at the Social Affairs Ministry that shocked the archipelago. (kuk)