Riza Roidila Mufti, Jakarta – Several airports are implementing social distancing measures in tackling the spread of COVID-19 as major operators rearrange public spaces at airports across Indonesia.
State-owned Angkasa Pura I and Angkasa Pura II, which operate most airports in Indonesia, have rearranged public spaces to maintain a minimum distance of 1 meter between people, as the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends.
Social distancing is a public health measure to slow the person-to-person transmission of an infectious disease. For airports, both operators are focusing on public spaces, such as boarding lounges, security checkpoints, elevators, boarding pass checks, baggage claim, fixed bridges and taxi line areas.
"We urge passengers and potential passengers at airports to be discipline in following through this recommendation to minimize the potential of coronavirus spread and maintain public convenience in the middle of this pandemic," AP I president director Faik Fahmi.
The airport operators' move is in line with President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's speech on Sunday, which focused on social distancing, "working from home, studying from home and praying from home" to slow the spread of COVID-19. State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir also issued a circular letter to push state firms to contain the virus.
At airports, the distance between one person to another is marked using yellow lines or yellow tape to make space between people.
"The yellow line will make every passenger stand in a safe distance [between one and another] at every line-up point to minimize the risk of spreading COVID-19," AP II president director M. Awaluddin wrote in an official statement.
Yellow tape, for example, has been placed on the floor at the security checkpoint area and on the floor of fixed bridges to separate every passenger by 1m when they are lining up to board a plane.
In the boarding lounge where passengers usually spend time before departure, both operators also placed yellow tape on chairs to make space between one sitting passenger and the other. Inside elevators, both AP I and AP II also limit the number of users to four per ride, with yellow tape designating where they should stand.
"The implementation of social distancing using the yellow line in the queuing spaces, in the elevator and boarding lounge has been implemented in our airports such as Soekarno-Hatta, Depati Amir, Supadio, Kualanamu, Banyuwangi airports and others," said Awaluddin.
AP II manages 16 airports, mostly in the western part of Indonesia. Apart from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Depati Amir in Bangka Belitung Islands, Supadio in Pontianak, Kualanamu International Airport in Medan and Banyuwangi Airport, it also manages Radin Inten II International Airport in Bandar Lampung and Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II in Palembang, among others.
Meanwhile, AP I manages 15 airports, mostly in central and eastern Indonesia, including Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, Sam Ratutalangi in Manado, Sultan Hasanuddin in Makassar and Yogyakarta International Airport in Kulon Progo.