Some 183,000 people thronged the famous Tanah Abang Market in Central Jakarta last weekend, representing almost twice as much as the markets' capacity. Pictures of visitors walking shoulder to shoulder in the jam-packed market -- many not wearing masks -- made the rounds on social media, sparking a backlash from the public and experts who said the Jakarta administration had failed to anticipate the crowds.

But city secretary Marullah Matali blamed it on a lack of manpower, saying Jakarta COVID-19 task force officers patrolling the market could not do much when outnumbered by market visitors.

Tanah Abang is believed to be the largest textile market in Southeast Asia and is home to about 10,000 tenants. The market is typically at its busiest during Ramadan and ahead of Idul Fitri, when people come from all over the country to either purchase goods in bulk to resell in their home regions or simply for holiday shopping.

Authorities closed the market during Ramadan last year as part of the city's COVID-19 control, unlike this year during which they have permitted the market to remain open.

Criticism over the market’s overcrowding has prompted the Jakarta administration to limit the number of visitors to a maximum of 50 percent of the market capacity and order shops to open for shorter hours, starting from Monday.

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan has also deployed hundreds of Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) officers to help the city’s task force officers enforce safety protocols inside and around the market every day. He has even stopped commuter line services at the nearby Tanah Abang train station to discourage people from visiting the market, also starting from Monday.