Viral Anies Asked About Eating At Warung 20 Minutes: God Willing

JAKARTA - DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan admitted that he received questions from netizens about his ability to eat for 20 minutes at a food stall during PPKM Level 4. He admitted that it could be done.

"There are a lot of people on social media, I was also asked 'can you do it, Mr. Anies, (eat) 20 minutes?' I said, God willing, you can," said Anies when met in Central Jakarta, Tuesday, July 27.

The former Minister of Education and Culture views that meal times are usually not too long. The thing that takes time is chatting after eating.

Therefore, Anies explained that the government's regulation of eating in stalls for a maximum of 20 minutes is an effort to prevent transmission. Because, Anies said it was impossible for people to still wear masks while eating.

"The point is, eat moderately, don't hang out, then go home. For me it's not about 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, but about as little interaction as possible that has the potential for transmission," said Anies.

The rules related to the time limit are contained in the Instruction of the Minister of Home Affairs Number 24 of 2021 concerning PPKM Level 4 and Level 3 COVID-19 in Java-Bali Island.

One of the provisions in the regulation states that the implementation of eating/drinking activities in public places such as food stalls or warteg, street vendors, hawker stalls and the like are allowed to open with strict health protocols until 20.00 local time. A maximum of three diners eat at the place and the maximum meal time is 20 minutes. Meanwhile, the Head of the Warung Tegal Nusantara Community (Kowantara) Mukroni stated that the provisions for operating time and eating on site in PPKM for 20 minutes need to be reviewed.

"There are not only children and young people who eat at warteg, but there are old people too. Parents eat slowly. If they are told to hurry, they can choke," said Mukroni.

The 20-minute dine-in provision does not specifically regulate the preparation of vendors serving meals to customers. "There are traders who sell grilled chicken, catfish and others. This takes time (preparation), if you rush it, it can even be splashed with oil," he continued.

Mukroni said the time limit for eating in places does not guarantee a person is safe from transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. "We all know that the transmission of COVID-19 does not recognize hours, but seconds," he said.