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Officials wearing protective suits prepare to check Indonesians who were evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, before they are transported to Sebaru island for observation, at Kertajati International airport in Majalengka, Indonesia, March 1, 2020. /Reuters
The global pandemic has left millions of Indonesians struggling to make ends meet. Now the authorities are rolling out "rice ATMs" in a bid to ensure greater access for those in need to the essential Asian staple.
Indonesia has now reported 14,265 COVID-19 cases, and 991 deaths, according to the latest statistics released by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.
With the peak of the pandemic expected in late May, President Joko Widodo recalibrated the strategy of large-scale social distancing rules and called for a ramp-up of testing to contain the impact of the virus. More cities are opting for partial lockdowns, some small businesses shuttered and many people temporarily laid off from work.
Linda Syafri, a 28-year-old expectant mother was among the many who lined up in masks at a military base in Depok, on the outskirts of the capital Jakarta, for their 1.5 kilogram (3.3 pounds) rice ration.
"I was laid off by my company last week and my husband was laid off too without severance pay," she said." Although it (the rice subsidy) is not that much, it is very helpful in this situation."
The rice dispensary, one of 10 in and around Jakarta, is part of a government initiative to assist those worst affected by the coronavirus outbreak, which has caused millions to lose their jobs in Southeast Asia's largest economy.
Stacked with kilos of good-quality rice and operated by magnetic cards, the tall automated teller machines look much like normal cash-points, only that they pump out grain instead of banknotes.
"Each day we prepare 1.5 tonnes of rice for around 1,000 residents," said Ibrahim, an army official supervising distribution. "We will continue doing it every day, without rest, even on weekends, we will distribute non-stop."
Indonesia announced a 25 billion U.S. dollars stimulus package in March in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, pledging to provide social welfare for up to 10 million households, including food assistance and electricity tariff discounts.
In the sprawling developing nation where millions work in the informal sector, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati told parliament last week the coronavirus had set efforts to eradicate poverty back a decade.
Residents eligible for the rice ration include daily wage earners, the unemployed, those who do not own a house and people who live below the poverty line.
Despite a lack of evidence the government has flattened the COVID-19 curve, or slowed the rate of new infections, the administration of President Joko Widodo is eager to resume economic activity and ease social restrictions which critics have described as premature.
(With input from agencies)
