2020 in Photos: One of Most Memorable Years

Yudha Baskoro, Antara Photo
December 29, 2020 | 12:15 am

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Indonesian Red Cross personnel wearing protective gear march to disinfect the Sarinah department store in Central Jakarta on March 18, 2020. (JG Photo/Yudha Baskoro)

Jakarta. Indonesia has survived major crises since the Dutch colonial era, from the 1965 coup attempt by the communists to the 199-98 financial crisis that led to the downfall of longest-serving President Soeharto. But the pandemic-smeared 2020 will go down as one of the most devastating crises in the nation's modern history.

Looking back last year, people welcomed 2020 with optimism. Heavy rain did not stop hundreds of Jakartans from gathering at the Hotel Indonesia Circle on the New Year eve. The next day, people continued with their normal lives despite the flood hitting a large part of the capital.

But there were signs that an imminent global pandemic would drastically change people’s way of life and it all started on March 2 when the government announced first confirmed cases of coronavirus. Since then, Jakarta has been the hardest hit by the virus.

Each photo published in the Jakarta Globe for the past 12 months has been trying to capture the kaleidoscope of ordinary life in Jakarta, the country’s biggets city and the epicenter of the outbreak.

As a photojournalist, I also had to endure a difficult year in which I had to go out and take pictures, while assuming that everyone could become an asymptomatic carrier of coronavirus, including myself.

I had to conquer my own fear and take risk to capture key moments amid an ongoing pandemic that infects and kills many people in Jakarta every day.

I equip myself with all necessary protective gears from head to toe. October was the toughest period in my job because there were massive rallies against the newly-adopted Job Creation Law with people ignoring the social distancing rule.

Also in that month I got a chance to visit Bali -- Indonesia's most famous tourist attraction -- that bears the brunt of the economic impact of the pandemic. Bali depends largely on the tourism sector, which makes up around 80 percent of its revenues. The global shutdowns due to the Covid-19 pandemic have wiped out its income almost all year long.

January