The management of several tourist destinations will focus on cleaning and sterilization during the two-week closure imposed by the Jakarta administration in a bid to curtail the spread of the coronavirus in the capital.

“We will take advantage of having no visitors for the next two weeks to focus on the cleanup. Therefore, by the time the closure is over, we can ensure that our place is safe to visit,” Berkah Sadaya, the head of technical management at the Maritime Museum and Onrust Island, told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

Berkah said he had asked his 131 employees to focus on cleaning up the area to make sure the locations were not vulnerable to the virus spread.

The employees, he added, would spray disinfectant throughout the Maritime Museum and Onrust Island, including door handles, several collections and stair handles. He also urged his employees to wear masks and for them to be sprayed by disinfectant before entering those locations.

The Maritime Museum in North Jakarta and Onrust Island in Thousand Islands regency are two of 14 tourist destinations and entertainment spots that have been closed by the administration from March 14 to 30. Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan announced the decision on Friday as part of measures taken by his administration amid the outbreak.

Popular tourist spots on the list include Ancol Dreamland in North Jakarta, Ragunan Zoo in South Jakarta, the National Monument (Monas) and Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM) in Central Jakarta, and Kota Tua in West Jakarta.

The administration will also suspend the weekly Car Free Day on main roads Jl. Sudirman and Jl. MH Thamrin.

The measures are detailed in Gubernatorial Instruction No. 16/2020.

According to a website set up by the city administration, corona.jakarta.go.id, the administration is monitoring 660 people and closely observing 289 others who have traveled overseas or shown COVID-19 symptoms.

Similar measures were also taken by the management of the family favorite Ragunan Zoo in South Jakarta. Ketut Widarsana, the zoo’s promotional department head, said the management would not dismiss its 700 employees but instead ask them to kerja bakti (clean up the area collectively) during the closure.

He also ensured that veterinarians would visit the zoo regularly to examine the health of the animals

“We have around 30 ticketing officers who will be idle during the next two weeks, so we have asked them to help with the cleaning activities because we believe that maintaining good hygiene is important to curb the spread of the virus at the zoo,” Ketut said.

The city-owned PT Taman Impian Jaya Ancol, the management of Ancol Dreamland, has also closed several recreational spots in the area, namely Ancol Beach, Fantasy Land amusement park and Sea World aquarium. However, three resorts in the area such as Putri Duyung Resort, Mercure Hotel and Discovery Hotel will operate as usual.

“During the closure, we will still pay our employees’ monthly salaries and we are also going to overhaul our rides at the amusement park as well as spray recreational facilities with disinfectant,” said the president director of the company, Teuku Sahir Syahali, in a statement.

The management said it was not overly concerned about the halting of operations as it supported the government’s efforts in the fight against the lethal respiratory illness.

Berkah said he supported the closure since the virus could spread easily in crowded spaces. The management has also canceled several visits — mostly from schools — and deployed extra security personnel to Onrust Island to ask visitors to leave once they anchored their boats on the island.

Ketut also expressed his support for the closure, adding that Ragunan had experienced a decreased number of visitors since February due to the intense rainy season and also growing public concern over the disease.

“We usually receive around 15,000 to 20,000 visitors on Saturday and 40,000 to 50,000 visitors on Sunday. However, since February, we’ve probably only welcomed 8,000 visitors on weekends,” Ketut said.

Many Jakartans are expected to take similar precautions by avoiding crowded places to lower their chances of getting infected.

“I think the administration is on the right track by temporarily closing those places,” said Anggita Kusuma, a 28-year-old from Cijantung, South Jakarta. “And I’m better off staying at home in times of anxiety, such as now,” she
added. (glh)

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