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Salatiga opens traditional market with physical distancing requirements in place
Salatiga Mayor Yuliyanto has allowed traditional market sellers to operate, as long as they adhere to physical distancing protocols.
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Sellers wait for customers at the Salatiga morning market in Central Java on Wednesday, April 29. The city administration has allowed traditional market sellers to operate, as long as they adhere to physical distancing protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19. (Antara/Aloysius Jarot Nugroho)
Salatiga city in Central Java has shown the world it is possible to maintain economic activity while also following health protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19, with traditional market sellers in the city following physical distancing measures while working at the market.
The Salatiga administration has allowed sellers to open stalls along a major road in the city to ensure physical distancing measures are followed by both sellers and customers. The market operates daily from 1 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. on Jl. Jenderal Sudirman, as reported by kompas.com.
Sellers and officials make sure the distance between booths is 1 meter, with the location of each booth marked with chalk.
The mayor, Yuliyanto, issued a regulation requiring sellers and buyers at the market to wear face masks as a precaution. The administration has also assigned security officers to the market to ensure every one obeys the health protocols.
“The government doesn’t want to kill the economy,” Yuliyanto said on Tuesday, as quoted by kompas.com.
Read also: Greater Jakartans show low awareness of physical distancing measures despite PSBB: Survey
“Closing down traditional markets will put people’s access to food at risk. The best option is to practice physical distancing and implement health protocols, such wearing masks and providing hand sanitizer.”
He added that the administration would take strict action against people found violating the health protocols at the market.
“People are not allowed to enter the market if they refuse to wear face masks. We do this for the sake of the public’s health, so we can prevent the coronavirus from spreading,” Yuliyanto went on to say.
A photo of sellers practicing physical distancing, first published by Kompas daily newspaper, went viral on social media and received praise from Indonesian netizens.
Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo had also lauded Salatiga for implementing health protocols in its traditional markets.
“This is well-managed. […] The residents just need to participate by wearing face masks and gloves, or bringing their own disinfectant,” the governor wrote on his official Instagram account @ganjar_pranowo on Tuesday. (dpk)
