The DKI Provincial Government Has Not Wanted To Grant A PHRI Request So Restaurants Can Be Dine-In During PSBB

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JAKARTA - The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government has not granted the request of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) requesting that dine-in service be allowed again during the PSBB.

Acting (Plt) Head of the Jakarta Tourism and Creative Economy (Disparekraf) Gumilar Ekalaya said that his party must still comply with Governor Regulation Number 88 of 2020 concerning PSBB.

"We already have a governorate. Previously during the transitional PSBB, the dine in was allowed to open. With the issuance of Pergub 88, PSBB was tightened. We must obey the governor's regulation," said Gumilar when confirmed, Tuesday, September 29.

Separately, the Head of the DKI Health Service, Widyastuti, explained the reason why restaurants or restaurants were prohibited from serving dine-in during the current second volume of the PSBB.

Widyastuti said, when someone eats, they will automatically remove the mask. When removing the mask, the level of discipline of the health protocol will decrease.

"Let's say the restaurant has prepared a seat setting at a distance, but there are still face to face, that one table raises the risk of transmission when eating together by removing the mask at a relatively close distance," explained Widyastuti.

Usually, continued Widyastuti, people who eat together will chat because they know each other. In fact, sometimes there are people who, after eating, continue to smoke together.

"As soon as we eat, there is chatter, there is smoking sometimes, that's where there is interaction between people, which again, we never know whether our friend was positive or not, if there is no examination," he said.

Previously, PHRI asked DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan to allow dine-in services to restaurants specifically located in hotels and malls.

PHRI Deputy Chairman for Restaurant, Emil Arifin, said that his party had sent a letter of request to the Tourism and Creative Economy Agency (Disparekraf) regarding the dine-in permit.

"We ask Pak Anies to allow the dine-in service to return to restaurants in malls and hotels. We ask that we be given permission to resume operations such as the transitional PSBB," Emil said.

As for Emil's reason for asking Anies to allow dine-in restaurant services in malls and hotels, because currently the food business sector has been losing money since the early PSBB period.

"Even now, many have closed permanently. Yesterday, when the PSBB transition we took a little breath, uh, we were hit again by an unpredictable PSBB. In fact, businessmen hate uncertainty the most," Emil explained.