Ragunan Closed Following COVID-19 Cases In Jakarta Soared

Illustration (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - Ragunan Wildlife Park is temporarily closed starting today, Tuesday, June 22 until an undetermined deadline. This follows a surge in positive cases of COVID-19 in Jakarta in recent days.

"It is temporarily closed due to the implementation of strengthening health protocols due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases", said Public Relations of Ragunan Wildlife Park (TMR), Wahyudi Bambang, in South Jakarta, reported by Antara, Tuesday, June 22.

He added that the temporary closure was also to strengthen the implementation of Micro-Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM) and accelerate the COVID-19 vaccination.

Previously, the 147-hectare tourist attraction opened 50 percent capacity after the Head of the DKI Jakarta Tourism Office issued Decree No. 405 of 2021 regarding the extension of the Micro PPKM in the tourism sector on Tuesday, June 15.

Even so, his party tightened the entry rules for visitors after a spike in positive cases of COVID-19 in Jakarta.

The management of the animal park continues to apply online ordering the day before visits to potential visitors.

If they don't have confirmation via e-mail, he continued, then the manager will refuse them to enter the 147-hectare tourist attraction.

As for visitors who have received confirmation, before entering they will be checked for body temperature, wash their hands and apply social distancing.

In addition, his party requires all visitors to wear masks before and while in the Ragunan area.

Visitors who are allowed to enter, he said, are also residents with a DKI Jakarta ID card that is still valid until June 30, 2021.

As an illustration, during the pandemic on Saturday, tourist arrivals were estimated at around 5,000-7,000 people and usually jumped on Sunday to reach around 25,000 people.

Whereas in the previous Eid holiday, the maximum capacity opened at Ragunan reached 30 percent of the assumed average of 100 thousand people during the peak season of religious holidays or around 30 thousand.