Nearly 540,000 people have been infected and nearly 17,000 have died in the country’s fight against COVID-19. With testing rates considered low, we can never really know how many people have actually contracted the disease.

To mark the ninth month — and counting — of the struggle, President Joko “Jokowi” urged the nation not to give up and to keep up the fight. For him, the pandemic constitutes a test of patience and resilience.

Recent statistics clearly do not bode well for the country’s painstaking efforts to deal with the pandemic, which has plunged the world into a crisis akin to the Great Depression. The more people contracting the virus, the heavier the burden on our health system and the more money spent on treatments to save infected patients.

As public health is of utmost priority, much of the state budget this year and next year have been set aside for COVID-19 handling, including the pandemic’s effects on people’s well-being. 

The spending would go to waste if COVID-19 transmissions remain unabated. Nine months is too long for Indonesia to regain its feet, especially because its ASEAN neighbors have been able to gain control of the pandemic more quickly.

We have known from the beginning that the best way to contain the disease is to wear a mask, frequently wash our hands with soap and maintain a physical distance from others — as prescribed by the World Health Organization.

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