In Indonesia, where the number of Covid-19 cases is rising sharply, a major controversy is currently shaking the country. A journalist's snapshot showing a Covid-19 victim in hospital seems to have struck a chord. But this case also shows how widespread denial of the disease is in this country.
Photojournalist Joshua Irwandi recently followed the daily lives of Indonesian hospital staff. Covering the pandemic, the man took a snapshot as part of an exceptional scholarship granted by the National Geographic Society. This shot shows a coronavirus victim completely wrapped in plastic . However, the journalist was careful not to reveal any information about the victim, not even his gender.
The thing is, the snap, posted to Joshua Irwandi's Instagram account on July 15, has been liked over 350,000 times ! The same shot, relayed on the National Geographic account, received more than a million likes. Naturally, many media, television and scientific news have taken up this image.
You should know that Joshua Irwandi was notably the target of Erdian Aji Prihartanto, an Indonesian singer who is very popular on social networks. The latter has minimized the dangers relating to the Covid-19 epidemic and accused the journalist of having staged the facts. In response, the singer's fans inveighed against the journalist and accused him of being a "slave" to the World Health Organization (WHO). Joshua Irwandi claims for his part that he was threatened and that the government tried unsuccessfully to identify the hospital where the photo was taken.
However, Joshua Irwandi has received support from the National Association of Photojournalists. She believes that the photo meets journalistic standards . Under pressure, singer Erdian Aji Prihartanto finally apologized.
The publication of this image, however, seems to have awakened an Indonesian population so far in denial about the pandemic. Indeed, even today, a large number of people do not respect social distancing and barrier gestures, including wearing a mask. While the country has just passed the 100,000 case mark (about 5,000 deaths), discussions around the coronavirus are finally increasing. It must be said that the victim thus presented looks like a mummy and particularly inspires fear.
Finally, let's talk about the fact that the government itself even took a long time to decide to face it. President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo even at first praised the effects of a herbal remedy yet not recognized by the health authorities!
