Cemetery mementos mark virus’ toll

In a graveyard on Jakarta’s outskirts, portraits of the dead, bouquets of flowers and other mementos serve as reminders of the deadly coronavirus wave that battered Indonesia over the summer. The Jakarta government cleared and dedicated land at Rorotan Cemetery for victims of the virus in March. By June, there were more than 50,000 confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the country. That grim total surged to over 100,000 on Aug 4. All told, at least 82,000 Indonesians died from June through August as the pandemic raged. The true number is believed to be even higher, due to Indonesia’s low testing and tracing rates.