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 most commercial offices, business and shopping centers almost completely deserted.

Depok, which is part of Greater Jakarta and where a large group of people commute from, is also suffering from the spread of the virus. A sprawling mall next to Ayu’s home looks quiet with only security officers at the scene.

“I started trying to make masks from cloth last week. Now I can make between 10 and 15 masks,” she said while she was meeting a group of volunteers to hand over the masks at her home.

The volunteers work to mitigate the transmission of the virus in their neighborhood.

“I thank Ibu Ayu for the masks. We will distribute them to fellow volunteers who work on the front lines of the battle,” Munif, the volunteers’ spokesperson, said.

Entering the second month of the outbreak since the first case was reported in Indonesia, the government has stepped up efforts to raise people’s awareness about the danger of the virus.

One of the efforts is encouraging homemade mask production amid the scarcity and skyrocketing prices of medical masks on the market.

Even the Jakarta administration is now looking to accrue masks from household sewing work, and people interested in the services are required to fill out a form available at the shared link.

Bogor municipality, another area that borders Jakarta, is also pushing ahead with its campaign against coronavirus with its Thousand Mask Movement, mobilized by the mayor’s wife Yane Ardian.

Singer and entertainer Soimah has joined the calls for those with sewing machines to start making masks.

“At least they can make them for their own family. But if they can, it will be more encouraging for them to make more for others,” she wrote on her Instagram page @showimah.

People are also encouraged to do hand stitching, as shown on YouTube account Lista Tsurayya, which demonstrates the stitching process.

Model and actress Agni Pratistha, who participated in Miss Universe 2007, is reportedly willing to give away the masks she hand-stitches herself.

“I know it is not as perfect and effective [at filtering out the virus] as N95, but I want to give these masks to those who need them,” she said as quoted by kompas.com.

Stitch in time: Sri Rahayu Rejeki (right) and anticoronavirus volunteer Munif show off homemade cloth masks in Depok, West Java. Demand for face masks has risen exponentially and the government has called for more household mask production. (JP/Musthofid)

Share, care and aware

Willingness to share with others has also motivated Ayu to go beyond her care for her children.

“Sewing is my hobby. I sometimes make a dress for my daughter,” she said.

“Now I might as well make use of the cloth scraps and help people rather than let them go to waste,” she added.

She said she was currently working to prepare some 40 masks to meet the order. Some of them are set to be dispatched as far as Purbalingga in Central Java.

La Ode Ayub Zailani, another coronavirus volunteer, expressed his appreciation for Ayu and her peers for their humanitarian work.

“We are suffering from this pandemic. Masks are crucial to help shield ourselves from the virus. Now they are scarce and the price has increased a hundredfold, we expect more Ayus to help mitigate the situation,” Ayub said.

He leads a task force to pull together the resources of fellow residents in their neighborhood in Depok to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Among the preventive activities they carry out include spraying the neighborhood with disinfectant, installing an automatic spray at the entrance gate and installing several public hand wash poles.

“People’s support is amazing. While hoping for a quick recovery, we find the pandemic brings a blessing… that people are caring more about each other,” he said.

A face covering is advisable, but the most important thing, according to Ayub, is that people should be more aware about the need to approach the adverse situation with an appropriately adjustable lifestyle.

“We must share, care and be aware to help ourselves through this challenging time,” he said.