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COVID-19: Vacant roads, little activity mark first day of PSBB implementation in Jakarta
On the first day of large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) in Jakarta on Friday, roads around the city have been almost empty. However, some road users still seemed unaware of the new regulation.
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An unusually quiet road in a popular tourist area is pictured in Jakarta on March 18, as people stay home amid concerns of the COVID-19 outbreak. (AFP/Bay Ismoyo)
T
he amount of activity around Jakarta has reportedly been down on Friday, the first day of large-scale social restrictions (PSBB), with roads quiet as people choose to remain home despite the long weekend holiday.
The first day of the restrictions has coincided with the public holiday of Good Friday, which typically sees heavy traffic on toll roads as people travel outside the city.
The Jakarta Traffic Police’s Twitter account @TMCPoldaMetro reported that traffic was light on several roads in the city as well as the Cikampek and BSD toll roads.
Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan will impose the PSBB for 14 days from Friday until April 23 in a bid to slow the spread of COVID-19 after the capital became the epicenter of the outbreak in the country.
Many residents have taken to social media to describe the scenes they saw on Friday.
A photo posted on Instagram by @jktinfo showed the usually packed Jl. Casablanca in South Jakarta totally empty. The regularly congested street in front of Kuningan City Mall was also quiet.
The capital’s main thoroughfares of Jl. Jendral Sudirman and Jl. Gatot Subroto have also been almost totally deserted, pictured with only one or two vehicles passing through.
In Tebet, South Jakarta, the traffic on Friday morning was not dissimilar to previous days, although it has been far less crowded since the coronavirus outbreak was first detected.
Read also: From MRT to Transjakarta, here's how services have adjusted to citywide transport restrictions
The scenes around Tebet railway station were also quiet, although some still passengers were waiting for trains. The station has seen far fewer commuters after work-from-home and study-at-home guidelines were issued last month.
Meanwhile, despite the discussions over the PSBB, some road users appeared unaware of the new regulations. In Palmerah, West Jakarta, traffic police officers had to stop ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers that were still carrying passengers.
09:56 Polri Patwal Ditlantas PMJ menghimbau Ojol terkait pemberlakuan PSBB agar tidak mengangkut penumpang di Stasiun Palmerah . pic.twitter.com/p9aY63wkSF
— TMC Polda Metro Jaya (@TMCPoldaMetro) April 10, 2020
According to Jakarta Gubernatorial Regulation No. 33/2020 on PSBB, ojek drivers are permitted only to carry goods.
“A Jakarta Traffic Police officer informed an app-based ojek driver about the implementation of the PSBB [and told him] not to pick up passengers around Palmerah Station,” @TMCPoldaMetro tweeted on Friday.
