SARS causing paranoia among Jakartans
SARS causing paranoia among Jakartans
Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A babysitter has just been temporarily laid off. Not because of
incompetence, but because her boss has become overly cautious
about the spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
"I've just dismissed my son's babysitter temporarily. My
husband and I think it will be safer if we take care our son
ourselves during the SARS alert," said Yuniarti Kho, 27, a mother
of a 19-month baby.
Yuniarti was shopping at the Plaza Senayan, South Jakarta, on
Wednesday with surgical mask covering her mouth. Several layers
of tissue paper were evident from behind her mask, presumably for
extra protection.
On Wednesday there were seven suspected SARS patients being
treated at the Sulianti Saroso respiratory hospital in Sunter,
North Jakarta. There is also one in Banyuwangi, East Java, and
one in Surakarta, Central Java.
Director General for Communicable Disease Eradication and
Environmental Health Dr. Umar Fahmi Achmadi told The Jakarta Post
on Tuesday that an empirical study has shown that a SARS-infected
person could transmit the disease to an average of 46 other
people in two weeks.
That is in comparison to tuberculosis patients who infect 15
other people a year on average.
The disease is thought to be transmitted primarily by a
coughing SARS sufferer when people nearby breathe in the
microscopic droplets. Some also believe that they can be infected
by airborne transmission, but no doctors have proven that.
While some people here are totally unaware of the new ailment,
others have taken precautions in their own way.
"I've reduced the number of times I go shopping in malls. And
of course, I prefer to leave my baby at home," said Yuniarti,
"Like today, I have to shop here because we are running out of
meat. When I am done, I will go home directly."
She said that now she had her mother-in-law take care of her
baby son at home while she was away.
"I also prefer not to touch anything carelessly. Now I cover
my hand with a tissue first," said the young woman, who used a
tissue before touching a door handle or an elevator button.
"I do not care if people think I am paranoid, but I believe it
is better for me to take such precautions than feel regret
later."
Angelina, an expatriate woman, also said that her husband now
forbade her and their children from ice-skating at Taman Anggrek
in West Jakarta.
"My husband said the number of SARS-infected people was
increasing out there," she said.
She added that she doubted the government's statement that
said there were no confirmed cases of SARS in the country.
Davina, a public relations associate, said now she washed her
hands more often when visiting public places.
"Once, I had just washed my hands, but then I touched the
toilet door handle. I instantly felt that my hands were dirty
again, so I washed them again," she said, laughing. She said she
then used a tissue to open the door.
Even though many people said that they preferred to avoid
shopping malls and public places, the management of several
public places denied any decrease in the number of visitors.
General Manager of Plaza Senayan, Budiyono, said that they had
a constant number of visitors. "During weekends, we still have
about 11,000 to 12,000 cars in the parking garage as usual."
He also said the management had not yet made their staff
members wear protective masks.
Metty Sander, public relations officer from the Sea World
Indonesia in Ancol, North Jakarta, also claimed that the SARS
alert had not yet affected the number of visitors. "We still have
about 1,500 visitors during weekdays and 4,000 to 6,000 on
weekends," she said.