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Cities reopen public areas as mobility curbs eased
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akarta, along with some other cities, has reopened some of its public parks, museums and zoo to its residents as the capital city has been relaxed into level 2 of the government’s multitiered public activity restrictions (PPKM).
The Jakarta administration reopened 59 city parks in all five mayoralties in Jakarta, as well as Ragunan Zoo in South Jakarta, starting on Oct. 23 at reduced capacity, marking the first time that such public facilities have been allowed to welcome visitors since the government closed them during the Delta variant-fueled second wave in the country that peaked in July.
Cultural venues, such as the National Gallery in Central Jakarta, also began to welcome visitors in a limited capacity. Visitors are required to book their visit a day before, while their visit will also be limited to under an hour, antaranews.com reported.
Ragunan Zoo now welcomes visitors of all ages, with a limited daily capacity of around 15,000 people, or 25 percent of its maximum capacity. Currently, the zoo is open only to Jakarta residents, who are required to purchase online tickets before their visit and also apply health protocols, such as wearing a mask and maintaining physical distance.
Visitors are also required to check in using the PeduliLindungi app when they visit the zoo. Children under 12 are also allowed to visit the zoo along with their parents.
City parks also opened with a 25 percent capacity limit and visitor screening via PeduliLindungi. Central Jakarta Parks and Forestry Agency head Mila Ananda said 15 public parks in Central Jakarta, including Lapangan Banteng, were ready to welcome visitors.
“The 15 parks [in Central Jakarta] will be open between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.,” said Mila on Monday, as quoted by tempo.co.
The reopening of recreational spots and public parks is stipulated in Gubernatorial Decree No. 1245/2021, which came into effect on Oct. 19. The regulation limits the opening hours of public areas until 9.00 p.m. and caps visitor capacity at 25 percent.
Other cities, meanwhile, also started to reopen their public areas but with different capacity limits depending on their PPKM status.
In Semarang, Central Java, tourist attractions can welcome visitors up to 75 percent capacity, with children under 12 also allowed to visit after the city’s PPKM level was eased to level 1 on Oct. 19.
The Karawang administration in West Java, meanwhile, has allowed tourist attractions to reopen, but children under 12 are not yet allowed to visit, despite the city's restriction level having been eased to level 2.
Is it safe?
Masdalina Pane of the Indonesian Epidemiologists Association was of the view that since coronavirus transmission was under control, marked by a low positivity rate of around 0.5 percent in the past week, it was relatively safe to reopen recreational spots.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended an ideal positivity rate of 5 percent for an outbreak to be under control.
"The important thing is that health protocols are being followed. This means no crowding at tourist attractions or overflowing visitors," Masdalina recently told The Jakarta Post. “It can be arranged with the online entry system to detect how many people enter [the area].”
She went on to say the policy of easing mobility restrictions for children younger than 12, even if they had not been vaccinated for COVID-19, was safe in the current situation, taking into account that healthy children have stronger immune systems than adults.
