Food Stalls In Yogyakarta Asked To Obey PPKM Rules: Don't Be Cat And Mouse

Illustration (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - Culinary business actors, especially food stalls, street vendors, hawker stalls, and the like in Yogyakarta City, which have received concessions to operate when PPKM are asked to adhere to the rules for eating on the spot.

"The rules for the operation of food stalls, street vendors, warteg, and others are all the same. If the rules set a time to eat at a place of 20 minutes and a maximum of three people, then we will enforce that rule," said the Head of the Yogyakarta City Civil Service Police Unit. Agus Winarto, in Yogyakarta, reported by Antara, Wednesday, July 28.

According to him, the rules regarding the operation of food stalls and similar businesses have been regulated through the Yogyakarta Mayor's Instruction Number 18 of 2021 which will be valid until August 2, 2021.

Agus emphasized that the Yogyakarta City Civil Service Police Unit personnel would enforce the rules through patrolling activities that have been intensified since PPKM was implemented on July 3, 2021.

"If in the field it is found that there is a food stall in which there are more than three people eating, then the officers will take action. Yes, they will be removed first. The maximum is only three people. Every 20 minutes you have to change customers," said Agus.

Each culinary business place is only limited to accepting consumers who are allowed to eat on the spot until a maximum of 20.00 WIB, he said.

Nevertheless, Agus said that enforcing the regulation is not an easy job because the number of food stalls, street vendors, and other culinary businesses in Yogyakarta City is quite large while the number of Satpol PP personnel is limited.

"Of course it takes awareness and discipline from the business actors themselves. As long as they are disciplined and don't use this rule as a 'gimmick', then the rules should be implemented properly," he said.

In addition, he continued, consumers are more advised to order food "take away" because shop operations will still be allowed according to initial operating hours as long as they do not serve meals on the spot.

"But don't mess with the officers. When there are patrols, business actors follow the rules and when there are no patrols, they accept consumers to eat on the spot," he said.

Since the beginning of July 2021, Agus said that he had not imposed any form of sanctions on business actors found to have violated the PPKM rules. "So far, it's only persuasive. They just need to be reminded and usually they understand and obey the rules," he said.

Previously, the Mayor of Yogyakarta, Haryadi Suyuti, said that the instructions issued regarding the implementation of PPKM must be obeyed and carried out.

He ensured that the PPKM rules set in Yogyakarta City would not conflict with other higher regulations.

"In essence, the rules must be obeyed together because the goal is to suppress the potential for transmission so that COVID-19 cases can be lowered," he said.