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Tourism Ministry, Blue Bird team up to provide transportation for medical workers
Blue Bird will provide a total of seven buses and one minibus to transport medical workers between Gatot Soebroto Army Hospital and their hotels.
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A Blue Bird taxi is seen in front of Terminal 1B at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport . (Shutterstock/File)
T
he Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry and taxi operator Blue Bird have agreed to cooperate in providing transportation services for medical workers who are treating COVID-19 patients in Jakarta.
With the collaboration, Blue Bird will provide a total of seven buses and one minibus to transport medical workers between Gatot Soebroto Army Hospital (RSPAD), a COVID-19 referral hospital, and their hotels.
“This aims to provide a safe and comfortable atmosphere for medical workers who have been carrying out their duties on the frontline by treating COVID-19 patients,” Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Wishnutama Kusubandion said in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Blue Bird director Sigit Priawan Djokosoetomo said the buses and minibus could accommodate around 260 medical workers.
Sigit said that Blue Bird’s crew and drivers would take several measures to ensure all crew members are healthy, with temperature checks part of daily protocol. The vehicles will also be routinely disinfected before and after trips.
“We also provide hand sanitizers and hand gloves in every vehicle as well face masks [...] for all of our drivers,” Sigit said.
In addition to Blue Bird, the ministry is also cooperating with hotels to provide places to stay for medical workers who are treating COVID-19 patients. The collaboration was made possible after the ministry reallocated its budget and shifted its focus toward slowing the spread of COVID-19.
With the collaboration, the ministry hopes that it will also help the transportation and hotel industries to survive the economic situation. Transportation and tourism are among the sectors that have been hit the hardest by the coronavirus.
