Indonesia running short of graves as Jokowi admits failure to wage ‘effective’ Covid fight

Joko Widodo has conceded Indonesia has not been ‘effective’ in fighting Covid-19 as Jakarta sets aside more land to burial land.

Covid burials at Bambu Apus cemetery in Jakarta last week. Picture: AFP

President Joko Widodo has conceded Indonesia has not been ­“effective” in fighting COVID-19 as Jakarta sets aside more land to bury pandemic victims.

Jakarta is at risk of running out of graves as suspected and confirmed COVID-19 deaths overwhelm the capital’s cemeteries.

“God willing, we have prepared around 17,900 new graves that will be available in phases,” said Jakarta Deputy Governor Ahmad Riza Patria.

A city official confirmed that three public cemeteries had been closed. “The burials have exceeded capacity per January 26th and those cemeteries cannot open up new graves following the COVID-19 protocols,” Jakarta Forestry Agency spokesman Ivan Murcahyo told The Australian.

Mr Murcahyo said his agency “begin preparing alternative cemetery sites” as health officials ­recorded more than a 100 deaths daily despite a fresh set of coronavirus restrictions on movement.

On Sunday Mr Joko, know as Jokowi, criticised the restrictions implemented on January 11 for failing to control the pandemic.

“We must say it as it is, it is not effective,” he said. “Mobility is still high and as a result the COVID-19 numbers have been increasing in several provinces.”

Jokowi said enforcement had “not been strict and consistent”.

Indonesia recorded its highest number of daily COVID-19 cases at the end of last month, 14,518, a few days after surpassing one million infections. On Sunday it suffered its highest daily death toll, 476. A cemetery manager said he had had to resorted to cutting down the size of graves.

“Usually each grave is 2.5 by 1.5sq m, but we’re making graves sized 2.2 by 1.2sq m to increase ­capacity,” Bambu Apus cemetery administrator Muhaimin wrote on an Instagram post on Friday.

Authorities are expanding the capacity of this East Jakarta cemetery to take another 800 bodies. Since the cemetery began receiving coronavirus burials on January 21, it has buried 306 victims.

More gravediggers have been recruited, with burials peaking at the end of last month with 50 bodies a day buried on January 26-28.

Jakarta hospitals are also under strain with occupancy rates for isolation rooms and intensive care units at over 80 per cent.

Last week, Mr Patria said the provincial government would continue to increase beds across the city’s 101 COVID hospitals, but pleaded for the public to “stop the infection at the source”. “We hope that public discipline becomes a norm, not because of the regulations, or the law enforcement, or the threat of sanctions, but the people of Jakarta must make COVID-19 protocols as part of our new lifestyle,” he said.