These bike-riding volunteers are critical for delivering medicine in Indonesia

SEMARANG, Indonesia – Pedaling by means of the Indonesian metropolis of Semarang, Arrahman Surya Atmaja stops at a pharmacy to select up some nutritional vitamins earlier than hitting the street once more to ship them to an individual isolating at residence.

The 35-year-old is a part of a small group of volunteer cyclists working errands for folks within the metropolis of three million, which together with the remainder of the nation, has been hit laborious by the pandemic.

“I take into consideration how tough it might be to be in self-isolation or have COVID-19, so hopefully with this, we will help people who find themselves,” mentioned Arrahman, who began the service in April.

Indonesia has become Asia’s COVID-19 epicenter with document infections and deaths this month. Complete infections have surpassed 3.2 million, together with virtually 87,000 deaths.

In Semarang alone, officers have reported round 78,000 instances and greater than 5,600 deaths.

Arrahman mentioned delivering drugs or nutritional vitamins have been the commonest requests, which he picks up through Whatsapp or Instagram.

As soon as although, he mentioned, he ended up unknowingly making a supply to a hospital ICU ward, a state of affairs he tries to keep away from.

“I received scared, however my emotions went away after I remembered I solely wish to assist,” he mentioned. The cyclists attempt to make sure deliveries are contactless.

Arrahman and the opposite volunteers usually should raise their bikes over barricades blockading “pink zones” or areas of excessive an infection.

“Possibly as a result of we’re serving to the neighborhood, it is going to in some way increase our immunity, possibly it’s like that,” he joked.