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COVID-19: Passengers required to wear masks on public transportation
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Passengers ride a metrotrans, medium-sized bus provided by city-owned bus operator PT Transjakarta, in Jl. MH Thamrin area in Central Jakarta on Feb. 14. (JP/Jerry Adiguna)
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s part of the aggressive effort to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the capital city, the Jakarta administration has instructed all residents to wear masks when engaged in activities outside the home and in particular when using public transportation services.
Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan has sent out a memo to all city-owned public transportation operators to implement the policy for all passengers. The memo to the president directors of MRT Jakarta, LRT Jakarta and Transjakarta noted that passengers not wearing masks should be refused service.
“Anyone not wearing a mask may not board public transportation. Please widely promote this policy among passengers and the public at all bus stops, stations and on board [vehicles],” he said as reported by tempo.co. on Sunday.
The public dissemination of the policy starts on Monday, with enforcement starting on April 12, the memo stated. The memo followed Gubernatorial Regulation no. 09/2020 on mask usage issued by Anies on Friday, in which he urged all residents to wear masks anytime they are outside. The governor also strongly suggested residents wear washable two-layer cloth masks and not the medical masks prioritized for medical workers.
The city-owned public transportation operators started implementing the policy following the memo.
“For the next six days, Transjakarta urges to all customers to bring their own masks. Anyone not wearing them may not enter bus stops or ride on buses,” spokeswoman for Transjakarta Nadia Diposanjoyo said.
MRT Jakarta also requires passengers to wear masks upon entering stations and while using MRT Jakarta services.
“We will be introducing the new policy on Monday until Saturday. It will come into effect on April 12,” said MRT Jakarta corporate secretary division head Muhamad Kamaluddin in a press statement.
Passengers who travel on LRT Jakarta will also be required to wear masks to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
“Passengers without masks will not be allowed to enter the stations,” said LRT Jakarta corporate secretary general manager Arnold Kindangen on Sunday.
LRT Jakarta will be operating from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic with 30-minute headways and a maximum of 30 passengers in each car to implement physical distancing.
Jakarta is the hardest-hit province in Indonesia with the most cases of COVID-19. The capital city has recorded 1,124 confirmed cases, nearly half of the cases in the country, with 95 fatalities.
