Essential home work: Producing homemade masks has been encouraged by the government amid the scarcity and skyrocketing prices of commercially produced masks. (JP/Arief Suhardiman)Amid the struggle to mitigate the impacts of the coronavirus outbreak, some are making use of their creativity to help allay people’s anxiety, as showcased by Sri Rahayu Rejeki.

Between working on her digital video businesses and doing household chores, Ayu, as she is more affectionately called, spares time to make fabric masks and distribute them for free to those who need them.

“As I was working out what to do next after having just finished cooking, my eyes fell on the scraps of cloth. And I asked myself why not make masks out of it,” Ayu, 55, told The Jakarta Post at her residential complex in Depok on the outskirts of Jakarta.

Jakarta has been the hardest-hit by the pandemic, with...