Jakarta – The Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) has asked Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan to allow restaurants in shopping malls and hotels to provide dine-in services despite the large-scale social restrictions (PSBB).
PHRI deputy head Emil Arifin said that, as long as the restaurants implemented health protocol to curb the spread of COVID-19, they should be permitted to provide dine-in services.
"We ask [Anies] to grant permission to restaurants that adhere to health protocol, especially in hotels and shopping malls, to provide on-site dining," Emil said on Tuesday as reported by kompas.com.
Emil argued that, as the Jakarta administration allowed hotels and restaurants to continue operating during the PSBB, it should also let the restaurants inside hotels and shopping malls to reopen for dine-in guests.
"Especially since most of the restaurants in hotels and shopping malls have already implemented health protocols," he said.
Emil claimed that no COVID-19 clusters had emerged from restaurants located in hotels and shopping malls so far.
"No [COVID-19] transmission has happened in restaurants so far, because we have implemented health protocols – we are cautious and disciplined. We have heard of office clusters and market clusters but not restaurant [clusters]," he further stated.
On Sep. 14, the Jakarta Administration reimposed strict PSBB in a bid to curb the rising number of coronavirus infections in the capital city.
On Friday, it announced an extension of the policy for two weeks.
During the strict PSBB policy, restaurants in the capital are only allowed to provide takeaway services and are prohibited from letting customers dine on site.
Up until Tuesday, Jakarta has recorded 72,177 cases of COVID-19, with 12,732 active cases, 57,741 recoveries and 1,704 fatalities. (nal)