Tri Indah Oktavianti, Jakarta – The Jakarta administration has fined the management of the McDonald's restaurant in the Sarinah shopping center in Central Jakarta Rp 10 million (US$670) for violating the large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) by allowing a gathering of hundreds of people on the last day of its operation.
"We summoned the management staff of the restaurant [on Thursday] and they cooperatively admitted their omission," Jakarta Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) head Arifin said.
The management had agreed to pay the administrative sanction as referred to in Article 7 of Gubernatorial Regulation No. 41/2020 on sanctions for PSBB violators.
"Both business stakeholders and the society are expected to abide by the rules of the PSBB in an effort to contain the COVID-19 virus transmission," Arifin added.
McDonald's Sarinah, the first branch of the fast-food chain in Indonesia, closed down after almost three decades in business on Sunday.
McDonald's Indonesia announced on social media that the closure of its flagship outlet in the shopping center would take place on Sunday at 10.05 p.m., triggering mass nostalgia and impromptu visits to the location.
The company's management later told The Jakarta Post that it did not expect that hundreds of fans would flock the restaurant building on Jl. MH Thamrin on Sunday night to bid farewell on its last day.
Videos and pictures of the mass gathering went viral on social media, triggering criticism and concerns about the possibility of a new COVID-19 transmission cluster.
The Jakarta Police, however, initially played down the situation, with spokesperson Comr. Yusri Yunus saying "It was just a spontaneous action to express their sadness."