They have worked in isolation rooms, in clinics, in regular hospital wards and in the morgues, sometimes without proper protection. Some handle patients wearing cheap, thin plastic raincoats modified to resemble hazmat suits. 

The government must do whatever is necessary to control people’s movements to stop the spread of the virus. Among legal frameworks it has the 2018 Health Quarantine Law.

In times of uncertainty, it is good to set rules because rules provide a sense of order and control. The government also needs to be clear in explaining any new rules and why they are important in the fight against the virus.

With or without the Olympics, however, we will continue to endure this boring world as we miss sports action on our TV screens in the coming few weeks or months.

After weeks of relying too much on our native “good immunity” and divine intervention, Indonesia’s method of handling the COVID-19 outbreak has begun to fall apart.

The fact that regional governments have already taken initiatives to protect their respective peoples is evidence of the central government’s indecisiveness and foot-dragging in a time of crisis.

The government’s ineptitude is frustrating not only for the anxious public who fears contagion but also for local administrations, which are at the frontline to battle the disease.

At the end of the day, health insurance, while important, remains a tool we need in a state of emergency.

What’s worrying is that the government has yet to become a trusted authority at this time of crisis.

The fiscal stimulus from the Finance Ministry will help the hardest-hit sector of tourism and its related businesses, which are all labor-intensive, and protect the purchasing power of the poorest segment of the people.

Between engaging in an itinerary rife with callbacks to the past and calling for a relationship that is forwardlooking, both sides should go above and beyond the expectations of their two peoples.

Then there's the tough job of having to make the consequential decision of voting between two candidates who are so diametrically opposed to one another that even when one figure comes out on top, the party’s unity would be at risk.

We need bold men who are not afraid of being sneered at when they stand up for policies and measures that are sensitive to the needs of diverse genders, including sexual and gender minorities.

What we badly need now in coping with the most pressing health and economic problems caused by the novel coronavirus (we do not know for how long) is a powerful coordinating management and even a sort of crisis management or nerve center directly under the President and comprising related ministers and business leaders.

Details of the patients quickly made rounds on social media, another display of cavalier attitudes about privacy among Indonesian citizens and, worse, the media.

Economic stability is important, but at a time of a possible global pandemic, public health should be top the priority as it can affect the strong economic fundamentals built over decades.

With the announcement of the first infections on home soil, people are anxious about whether the two people testing positive for the virus are just the tip of the iceberg. 

There is no reason for Indonesia to do less or overstate its coronavirus status. It would be more useful for all resources, including funding, to be allocated to help improve public health efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus.

At the very least, pilgrims should be able to expect their governments and pilgrimage agencies to work to ensure their rights are upheld. Stranded passengers need support to cover their unexpected needs, such as transportation and accommodation.

 Though confirmed infections have not been found in this country, we are constantly reminded to not be complacent, given our vast territory and population.

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, other regional leaders and even President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo seem to be comfortable with the argument that the flood mitigation infrastructure is still under construction, and hence, residents should be patient.

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s resignation on Monday sent shockwaves through the country’s political establishment in a seemingly calculated yet unexpected move.

Recruiting military reservists could help the country cope with budgetary constraints while fulfilling the need of defense force personnel, as they would be fully employed only if the country were at war or under an armed threat.

Critics have said that the amendments to the 2009 Mining Law proposed in the omnibus bill are too much in favor of the interests of big coal companies, which have since early last year lobbied for a more liberal policy. However, we beg to differ.

The draft “family resilience” bill echoes parts of the Marriage Law and seeks to allow the state to have greater authority in conjugal affairs.

For a middle-power country like Indonesia not to be trampled by two fighting giants like the US and China, it needs to operate in a way that is both agile and clever.

The census provides an opportunity for the government to better assess the population's potential, especially those in the working-age bracket. It also comes at a critical time as the digital age offers opportunities for countries to make great leaps in economic development.

The omnibus bill is designed to remove inefficient bureaucracy, opaque regulations, complex procedures and high transaction costs that undermine business competitiveness.

Even if the hazardous waste is not from an experimental nuclear reactor, radioactive exposure harkens to Chernobyl and Fukushima, where the issue of radioactive waste from nuclear accidents has yet to be resolved.

The tax cut and simplified tax-payment procedures are expected to significantly broaden the tax base, including taxes on digital-economic activities, as the degree of voluntary tax compliance will increase and investment activities thrive.