JAKARTA: “What? Why? But flying is dangerous. Are you not afraid?"
Such was the response from my family members when they heard about my upcoming flight - the first since COVID-19 hit in Indonesia in March.
Travelling by air is part and parcel of my job as a journalist in this huge archipelagic country.
But when COVID-19 broke out and my hometown Jakarta implemented a partial lockdown to curb the spread of the disease, I had to stop travelling.
In early June, the restrictions were lifted gradually and people started going out again. I, on the other hand, continued to work from home as I was still concerned about the growing number of infections in the capital.
However, when the chance arrived at the end of July to fly to Riau province, just under two hours away from Jakarta, I took the chance.