Solemn streets: A few cars pass the usually busy Jl. Jend. Sudirman in Central Jakarta, now devoid of traffic on Wednesday, April 1.

The spread of coronovirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is growing worse. Indonesia reported that the number of people who tested positive for COVID-19 had surpassed 1,600 on April 2, 2020.

Jakarta, the epicenter of the Indonesian outbreak, is the hardest-hit province with 808 cases. This has prompted Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan to declare an emergency and extend the “stay at home” policy to April 19, from the original quarantine period of March 20 to April 2.

With the extended quarantine period in Jakarta, the city’s 10 million residents are working and studying at home. Many entertainment centers and shops have closed, paralyzing economic activity in the usually bustling capital.

Most of Jakarta’s streets, which are heavily congested on a daily basis, have been deserted since the emergency status was declared. Several streets have even closed, with banners reading “Stay alert to COVID-19” hanging from closed steel bars and portals.

The most affected groups include informal workers such as traders, vendors, factory workers and ojol (ride-hailing motorcycle taxi) drivers. Many small businesses that hire such workers have been compelled to close their doors, because customers are refraining from venturing outside. However, both informal workers and small business owners still have to meet their basic necessities.

Taking notice: A motorcyclist and his passenger ride past a closed gate hung with a banner advising vigilance against COVID-19 on Jl. Simprug in Permata Hijau, South Jakarta.

“It is hard to get passengers,” said several ojol drivers as they waited in vain for passengers at Kerbau Gajah Park in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta.

They look worried. Some of them continued to fix their gazes on the screens of their mobile phones, hoping for an order.

Meanwhile, Panan, a 46-year-old scavenger from Indramayu, West Java, says it is now difficult for him to sell the secondhand goods he has collected. “My regular buyers [...] closed their shops two weeks ago,” he said.

“I cannot make money anymore. The money I have left is only enough to eat for the next few days,” said Panan with a defeated look while sitting down on a sidewalk in the empty streets of the capital.

We can only hope that the COVID-19 outbreak will pass, and as soon as possible.

Idling in vain: Ojol (ride-hailing motorcycle taxi) drivers straddle their motorbikes as they wait for passengers at Kerbau Gajah Park in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta.

Seeking buyers: Panan (right, foreground), a scavenger, pulls a cartful of used goods down Jl. Gatot Subroto, South Jakarta. With his regular buyers closed for business, he must look to resell his goods elsewhere.

Silent stalls: A lone man reclines atop a table at a deserted rest area on Jl. Karet Pasar Baru Timur III, Central Jakarta.

Text and Photos by Arief Suhardiman