Necessity is the mother of invention. But also of alliances.
On 17 March, the Philippines imposed a sweeping lockdown policy in its main island Luzon, where capital Manila is situated. Soon after, a group of developers created an app that helps the police and military at quarantine checkpoints verify if a person is allowed to pass through.
In Indonesia, meanwhile, labs were running out of the components required to perform Covid-19 tests, and samples were piling up. Biotech startup Nusantics developed local Covid-19 test kits to help bridge that gap.
Across both countries, ride-hailing firms Grab and Gojek have been distributing essential goods like food and medicines.
