JAKARTA - Indonesian rescuers have taken extra measures to protect themselves from being infected with Covid-19 as they battle floods in Jakarta and the surrounding regions.
Several areas in the capital and nearby regions, such as Bekasi and Karawang in neighbouring West Java province, have been inundated even as people in many parts of Java, the country's most populous island, brace themselves for the peak of the rainy season from this week to the end of February.
Fearing a repeat of the spike in Covid-19 infections among disaster relief volunteers which followed the earthquake in West Sulawesi province last month, rescuers are now donning protective equipment, particularly masks, applying decontaminants, maintaining a safe distance from evacuees and taking swab tests after operations.