Nurse under investigation after having gay sex with COVID-19 patient in hospital toilet, leaving PPE scattered on the floor
(Envato)
A nurse at the Wisma Atlet Emergency Hospital in Jakarta, Indonesia, is under investigation after having gay sex with a COVID-19 patient in a hospital toilet.
On Friday (25 December), the gay sex between the nurse and COVID-19 patient was revealed after the patient posted about it on Twitter, sharing a screenshot of a WhatsApp conversation, according to Indonesia Expat.
This was accompanied by a photo of the nurse’s Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) strewn across the floor of the hospital bathroom.
The hospital, which is an emergency facility set up for treating coronavirus patients, is run by the Regional Military Command.
The manager of the Integrated Joint Task Command responsible for operating the hospital conducted a search and identified both the nurse and the patient.
They were both arrested, although it is unclear on what charges. The patient was later sent back to the hospital after it was confirmed that they still tested positive for COVID-19.
A representative for the Indonesian National Nurses Association said: “It is true that there has been a suspected incident of a same-sex relationship between a health worker and a COVID-19 patient at the Wisma Atlet Emergency Hospital.
“Our response from the Indonesian National Nurses Association is that the alleged nurse must follow legal processing.”
LGBT+ rights in Indonesia lag far behind other countries. While same-sex sexual relations are legal in most parts of the country, queer people often face persecution, violence and stigma for living as their authentic selves, and there are no discrimination protections for LGBT+ people.
Although gay sex is not illegal in the country’s capital of Jakarta, in some regions such as Aceh, and for Muslims in the city of Palembang, gay sex is punishable by flogging.
In November, a gay couple in Aceh were forcibly dragged out of their homes and brought to a police station because of their “illegal sexual orientation”.
