Warteg Community To Jokowi: If Parents Are Restricted To Eat 20 Minutes Can Choking

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JAKARTA - The head of the Warung Tegal Nusantara Community (Kowantara) Mukroni stated that the provisions for operating time and eating onsite 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, quoted by Antara, Monday, July 26.

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.

Mukroni also criticized the operational hours of warteg traders which were limited to 20.00 local time because not all traders could fulfill these provisions.

"Warteg has a capacity, ranging from a small area of at least five people (capacity), to a large one that can accommodate 50 customers," he said.

Warteg with a large capacity, said Mukroni, will be difficult if you have to adjust operating hours until 20.00 local time.

Mukroni suggested that the rules regarding time restrictions in small traders' operations during PPKM be abolished.

"If you want to ban it, or there is no eating at the place, you can only order delivery. There is no need to be limited in time," he said.

Or if necessary, said Mukroni, the government will close the warteg business premises, but this is followed by the provision of subsidies to anticipate business losses.

"If you want to close your business, I read in the mass media, that the Japanese government pays compensation of up to Rp. 40 million per trader because their business was closed during the pandemic. Because these traders earn from selling, if you want to give stimulus because they have bad credit and others, " he said.

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.

The maximum number of visitors to eat at the place is three people and the maximum meal time is 20 minutes.