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Weekly Gallery: Finding a new balance

Sun, July 26, 2020 / 03:44 pm

A boy plays soccer at a playground near the West Flood Canal in Jakarta on July 21. London-based NGO Save the Children states that around 9.7 million children around the world have potentially been affected by school closures and are at risk of permanently dropping out of school because of the COVID-19 pandemic. JP/Seto Wardhana

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A boy plays soccer at a playground near the West Flood Canal in Jakarta on July 21. London-based NGO Save the Children states that around 9.7 million children around the world have potentially been affected by school closures and are at risk of permanently dropping out of school because of the COVID-19 pandemic. JP/Seto Wardhana

Children play in an alley of a densely populated area in Tanah Tinggi, Jakarta, on July 23. Many of the capital’s densely populated areas are hotspots for COVID-19 transmission. JP/Seto Wardhana

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Children play in an alley of a densely populated area in Tanah Tinggi, Jakarta, on July 23. Many of the capital’s densely populated areas are hotspots for COVID-19 transmission. JP/Seto Wardhana

An official from Jakarta’s one-stop integrated service records the data of a kiosk owner in Tanah Tinggi on July 23. The Jakarta administration has relaxed permit requirements for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that have been forced to cease operations because of the COVID-19 pandemic. JP/Seto Wardhana

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An election official helps a voter with a disability take part in a simulation of the 2020 simultaneous regional elections in the front yard of the General Elections Commission (KPU) headquarters on July 22. The KPU implemented COVID-19 protocols while holding the voting simulation. JP/Dhoni Setiawan

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People queue to receive government social cash transfers (BST) at an office complex in Cibinong, Bogor regency, on July 20. The Social Affairs Ministry is working with post offices to channel the financial assistance to underprivileged residents from May until July. Each recipient will receive Rp 600,000 (US$42) per month. JP/P.J. Leo

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Livestock trader Tarmizi washes a cow at a sale site for qurban (animal sacrifice) livestock in Cileungsi, Bogor regency, on July 22. Tarmizi and his colleagues shipped at least 40 cattle from their hometown in Bima regency, West Nusa Tenggara, to Tanjung Priok Port in North Jakarta. In line with COVID-19 health protocols, they had to pay Rp 600,000 per person to obtain health certificates to be allowed to board the ship. JP/P.J.Leo

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Workers make baking pans at a small business in Kampung Tonggoh, Bogor regency, on July 22. After halting production for several months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the area – the majority of which specialize in producing baking pans – are slowly starting to reopen. JP/P.J.Leo

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Hundreds of entertainment industry business owners and workers grouped under the Jakarta Association of Entertainment Entrepreneurs (Asphija) hold a rally in front of Jakarta City Hall on July 21. They urged the city administration to allow them to reopen their businesses. JP/Wendra Ajistyatama

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Police officers stop motorcyclists during the Patuh Jaya traffic operation in Jakarta on July 23. The operation, which runs from July 23 until August, involves 1,807 joint personnel from the Indonesian Military, the National Police, the Jakarta Public Order Agency and Jakarta Transportation Agency. JP/Wendra Ajistyatama

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With the COVID-19 pandemic showing no signs of abating, people have started to come up with new ideas to keep their lives on track. Life must go on – despite restrictions and the transition to the new normal – at least until a vaccine for the virus becomes available.

Some people are willing to take risks to make a living. Those who have not been able to return to work have demanded the government allow businesses to reopen, promising to follow health protocols. Others depend on the government’s financial assistances to meet their daily needs.

And amid all that complexity, are the children, who are trying to find ways to enjoy their own kind of luxury: play. (dyn/asp)