Around 1,500 tourists reportedly flocked to Cibodas Botanical Garden on the first day of its reopening on Tuesday.

According to kompas.com, the visitors mostly came from Jakarta and its surrounding satellite cities.

The acting general manager of botanical garden operator Mitra Natura Raya, Zaenal Arifin, estimated that the number of visitors would increase the following weekend.

“To deal with this potential hike, we have deployed special staff to monitor health protocol among visitors,” Zaenal said as quoted by kompas.com.

The management will also add a handwashing facility to the area.

“We will also ban visitors who don't wear face masks, as well as those with a body temperature above 37.5 degrees Celsius,” he said.

To prevent lines at the ticketing counter, the management will allow for online transactions via the botanical garden’s official website. 

“After purchasing the tickets, the visitors will get a barcode to be tapped at the entrance, which will minimize touching,” Zaenal added.

The number of visitors is limited to only 50 percent of the garden’s normal capacity. The management will no longer provide mats, which are usually available for rent for those who want to have a picnic on grass located within the grounds.

Read also: Five Jakarta museums reopen to public

The Cibodas Botanical Garden had been closed for four months to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

Located on the slopes of Mount Gede in Cibodas subdistrict, West Java, the garden was founded in 1852 by Dutch botanist Johannes Elias Teijsmann as a branch of the bigger botanical garden in Bogor.

With the garden built at a high altitude of 1,300 to 1,425 meters above sea level, various subtropical plants thrive there. More than 10,000 species can be found at the garden, including orchids, cacti, algae and ferns, in addition to a wide array of lush garden plants. (gis/kes)