Malioboro Area Crowded With Tourists, Local Government: Still PPKM Level 4, We Haven't Opened Tourist Attractions

Tourists crowded the Malioboro area, Yogyakarta, Sunday, September 5/ Antara

YOGYAKARTA - The Government of the Special Region of Yogyakarta has not opened tourist destinations or public facilities. This is because it is still in the level 4 level of community activity restriction (PPKM) status.

"We were still at level 4 yesterday, we have not opened tourist attractions because there may still be exposure to (COVID-19)," said Yogyakarta Regional Secretary (Sekda) Kadarmanta Baskara Aji at the DIY DPRD Building Complex, Yogyakarta, as reported by Antara, Monday. , September 6th.

This was conveyed by Aji in response to the many tourists who crowded the Malioboro area, Yogyakarta, on Sunday, September 5.

He suspected that the visitors who packed Malioboro included a group of tourists who were asked to turn back when they wanted to enter the Parangtritis Beach area, as well as several other tourist destinations in DIY on weekends.

"I think yesterday there were some places that we didn't allow, such as in Parangtritis, we were asked to go back, so maybe because those there were asked to turn back, we gathered in Malioboro," he said.

Aji hopes that the officers and the community in DIY will work together to prevent temporary tourist visits.

Meanwhile, civil service police units (Sstpol PP) at the provincial and district/city levels are asked to be able to anticipate the emergence of any potential crowds so that the PPKM level in DIY can immediately decrease.

"Not only officers, but residents must also be careful and prohibit," said Baskara. Deputy Chairperson of the DIY DPRD, Huda Tri Yudiana, assessed that the activity in Malioboro which had resumed was a positive phenomenon from the economic aspect.

However, people in DIY need to be aware that this increased activity also has the potential to increase the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19.

"Don't act as if PPKM wants to finish, then they are euphoric, that's dangerous. The euphoria then (the case) rises again, it becomes even more troublesome," he said.

Therefore, he asked the security officers in Malioboro to be more assertive in controlling the movement of people in the shopping tourism center so that they continue to apply the procedures and avoid crowds.

"The capacity of Malioboro has already been calculated. In my opinion, if it exceeds the capacity, it must be firm," said Huda.