Walking through the Goa Gong in the midst of a pandemic is not only admiring the beauty of the stalactites and stalagmites, stone curtains which turned to marble, crystals, and 'sendang' (water spring), but also reviving tourism as a livelihood  for the local residents. Twenty-five minutes I explored the cave while digging up the struggles of a woman who works as a local tour guide when tourism is suspended.

The problem of the Covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia has affected community activities in various fields directly or indirectly. One of the most impactful is the closure of almost tourism destinations which have been a source of income for the people in many regions likewise what happened at Goa Gong tourist attractions in Bomo village, Punung district, Pacitan Regency, East Java. Before the Covid-19 hit, visitor interest was high enough so that tour guides have the opportunity to guide tourists. It is their source of income. However, since March 2020, Goa Gong has been closed for tourist visits, therefore people who previously had economic activity from the tourism spot could not survive.

Based on an interview with one of the tour guides, there are 26 tour guides consisting of 16 women and 8 men. The women who become tour guides in Goa Gong work to support the stability of their family's economy and they get full support from their family so they can focus and be professional when they are working to guide tourists. They also do their job joyfully and enthusiastically because they can interact with people from various regions even abroad.

 

The government tries to implement solutions that can make balance between economy running for society and minimizing the spread of Covid-19. The implementation of the New Normal by complying health protocols, people can do their previous activities as before with certain limits, such as crowd quota and the availability of facilities to carry out health protocols. The access to tourism destination is starting to be reopened by emphasizing the implementation of health protocols.

In fact, the New Normal policy cannot automatically restore life as before. However, it will help even though slowly to recover the weakened sectors and consequently it takes time. Likewise, Goa Gong tourism has been reopened since September 2020, although still for local visitors. The number of visitors is still low, while the availability of tour guides is still the same as the number before Covid-19. One of the guide women said that during this deserted time she had to find an additional work, she works at home industry for herbal medicine. "I don’t know anything else to do, the important thing is my family is healthy and able to afford food,” she added. This is a manifestation of women's struggle to survive even though they have to deal with the threatening of Covid-19 spread. Long live the working women!