I am Habibah L. Now I am in the Netherlands, thousands of kilometers from my native land, Ambon City, Indonesia. Nevertheless, I continued to communicate with my family in Molucan. Among a pandemic of the transmission of the contagious COVID-19 virus, I would like to share the story with readers. Oh yeah, I’m 30 years old.
I am an alumni of Ambon Pattimura University. I went to college in the Netherlands after getting a scholarship from the Indonesian Ministry of Finance in 2018, for post-graduate students at Maastricht University. I know of data from the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, 15,723 positive confirmed COVID-19 cases with 1,487 deaths.
Although the conditions are fairly severe, the Dutch government has not implemented a lockdown system as did the closest European countries. The condition in the Netherlands is quite severe. The Netherlands now is included in the top 10 but has not yet implemented extreme full lock down like in France, Germany, or Spain, The government does not even hesitate to give fines to people who violate social distancing rules. Even though it is fairly strict, they are still allowed to do outdoor activities on the condition that not many people gather.
For example, gathering more than 3 people in public spaces could be fined up to 400 € per person. But just for a walk at dusk to the park near the house or exercise, it is still permissible, I’m grateful to be still healthy. I don’t know how long and how long I will be in the Netherlands. There is an extraordinary longing to meet my family. But this feeling of longing I must endure, for the good of all. Hopefully, my story will be useful.
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