Authorities have temporarily closed Waterboom Lippo Cikarang, a waterpark in Bekasi regency, West Java after discounted tickets attracted a huge crowd yesterday, as seen in a video that has widely circulated online.
Bagaimana mau reda Covidnya. Waterboom Lippo Cikarang malah dapat discount tiket masuknya pic.twitter.com/HQ4lWZPogE – Nana Wargadalam (@MissRevolusi) January 10, 2021
The video, which was reportedly taken by a policewoman, showed most visitors without masks and bringing along infants and children, as well as a general lack of physical distancing. Police cleared out the waterpark after receiving a tip from the public.
Waterboom Lippo Cikarang announced a massive promotion valid only for Jan. 10 on its Instagram page, in which the usual ticket price of IDR95,000 (US$6.74) was discounted to IDR10,000 (US$0.71).
"The ticket was sold online, which we didn't know, then people flocked to the waterpark due to the IDR10,000 ticket," South Cikarang sub-precinct chief Sukadi said today.
Sukadi said that Waterboom's management estimated around 2,700 visitors yesterday. The park's maximum capacity is 7,000 people.
Police have since questioned Waterboom Lippo Cikarang's general manager and ticketing manager regarding the promotion, and the case has been handed over to the Bekasi Metro Police.
Authorities have also ordered for the waterpark to close indefinitely. The people responsible for the promotion could be charged with violating the Health Quarantine Law, which carries a maximum sentence of six years in prison.
At the time of writing, Waterboom Lippo Cikarang has yet to release an official statement on the matter. The waterpark is not related to the similarly named Waterbom in North Jakarta's Pantai Indah Kapuk (PIK) and Bali.