JAKARTA - When Mr Ari Harifin Hendriyawan's mother tested positive for the coronavirus, their neighbours brought a hammer and nails and boarded up the lane.
As the coronavirus rippled across the world's fourth most populous country, it also carried a stigma that public health experts say has stopped people from getting tested in fear of being shunned, and complicated the response to the pandemic. "Stigma can only be erased by tirelessly promoting health to increase awareness about infections and empathy to help those in need," he said.
In the riverside city of Banjarmasin on Borneo, hazmat-suited civil servants told Reuters of how their arrival caused panic in the streets. They now ask contacts to visit the health centre to avoid unwanted attention - even though that could increase the risk of contact and transmission. "The patients themselves requested this," nurse Yunita Renyaana, told Reuters via Zoom."They would say, 'Sister, not tomorrow, come tonight so nobody knows... They were afraid of the stigma, of being seen as a disgrace, or a source of contagion."
On the islands of Java, Sulawesi and Bali, bereaved families have also barged into hospitals to claim bodies of Covid-19 victims, fearing their relatives might not be given a burial in line with religious beliefs."The government is not doing enough to really educate the people," said Mr Sulfikar Amir, a disaster sociologist at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore,"That's one of the reasons we have seen extreme reactions.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
In coronavirus-stricken Indonesia, many can't afford to self-quarantine at homeJAKARTA (THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Staying home is considered key in suppressing Covid-19 transmission, but many Indonesians confirmed or suspected of having the disease cannot afford to self-isolate because of lack of space.. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Source: The Straits Times - 🏆 8. / 63 Read more »
Indonesia reports biggest daily rise in coronavirus infectionsJAKARTA (REUTERS) - Indonesia reported its biggest daily rise in coronavirus infections with 3,963 new cases on Wednesday (Sept 16), data from the country's Health Ministry showed.. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Source: The Straits Times - 🏆 8. / 63 Read more »
Myanmar races to build field hospital as coronavirus surge stretches health systemYANGON (REUTERS) - Myanmar authorities are racing to build a field hospital in the commercial capital of Yangon to cope with a surge of coronavirus infections that doctors fear threatens to overwhelm the country's fragile health system.. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Source: The Straits Times - 🏆 8. / 63 Read more »
People's Park Complex, People's Park Centre visited by infectious Covid-19 cases; man with ‘false-positive’ test result removed from total countSINGAPORE - People's Park Complex and People's Park Centre were visited by Covid-19 patients while they were infectious, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Wednesday (Sept 16).. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Source: The Straits Times - 🏆 8. / 63 Read more »
Coronavirus: As some US college students party, others blow the whistleNEW YORK (REUTERS) - Some US college students are doing the once-improbable: blowing the whistle on classmates who break rules aimed at stemming the spread of the coronavirus.. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Source: The Straits Times - 🏆 8. / 63 Read more »
EU coronavirus pandemic survey shows Italy disdain for BrusselsBRUSSELS (AFP) - Opinions on how governments handled the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic varies hugely in Europe, a survey showed Thursday (Sept 17), with hard-hit Italians especially disillusioned with the EU.. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Source: The Straits Times - 🏆 8. / 63 Read more »