Indonesian rescue workers take extra Covid-19 measures

Indonesian rescue workers are taking extra steps to protect themselves from being infected with Covid-19, as they fight floods in Jakarta and surrounding regions.

Several areas in the capital and nearby regions, such as Bekasi and Karawang in neighbouring West Java province, have been inundated even as people in many parts of Java, the country's most populous island, brace themselves for the peak of the rainy season from this week to the end of the month.

Fearing a repeat of the spike in infections among disaster relief volunteers after last month's earthquake in West Sulawesi province, rescue workers are now donning protective equipment - particularly masks - applying decontaminants, maintaining a safe distance from evacuees and taking swab tests after operations.

Extra teams were also deployed to disperse crowds or prevent people from gathering in some densely populated areas in Jakarta, while evacuation boats carried fewer rescuers and evacuees, said Mr Novry Wullur, a team commander at the National Search and Rescue Agency's special squad.

He told The Straits Times: "We are more scared now because of the pandemic... We don't know if the evacuees are infected by Covid-19."

But the 31-year-old father of one, who also took part in the rescue effort after the Sulawesi quake, remains undaunted.

"Our willingness (to help) is greater than our fear," said Mr Novry, who has been a rescue worker for nearly 14 years.

Official figures show that at least 91 volunteers involved in last month's quake relief efforts had tested positive for Covid-19, likely owing to lack of physical distancing at the evacuation shelters.

Dr Joko Murdiyanto, a Yogyakarta-based anaesthesiologist who was in Sulawesi last month, said the emergence of virus clusters after the quake was not surprising as evacuees, many of whom wore no masks, stayed in packed tents. For instance, a 160 sq m tent, without any partition, might shelter around 50 people.

"We could imagine what happens if there was just one person positive for the virus without showing symptoms there," he said.

Anticipating the worst, Dr Joko's team of doctors from the Muhammadiyah Disaster Management Centre took extra precautions. He said: "We even slept wearing masks as we were trying to be very careful."

Indonesia has experienced at least 66 natural disasters, including quakes, floods, tornadoes and landslides, from early last month to Feb 7, said the National Disaster Management Agency.

The floods in South Kalimantan last month were among the most deadly of recent disasters, with 21 people dead.

Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said the rainy season has yet to peak in many areas, including Jakarta, West Java, Central Java and East Java.

Regional disaster management agencies have already taken early measures to protect rescuers, disaster relief personnel and residents.

The Disaster Management Agency of Bekasi regency has allocated 200 rooms to segregate flood victims who have tested positive from those who are healthy.

Mr Sabdo Kurnianto, acting head of the Jakarta Disaster Management Agency, said that tents had been set up in line with health protocols. Special boats had also been provided to evacuate Covid-19 patients, he added.