TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Education and Culture Ministry (Kemendikbud), has closed a number of museums that are under the government’s management to further suppress the spread of the coronavirus.

"The closure and limit in visitations to museums is to ensure the safety of the visitors and preventing unwanted conditions caused by the COVID-19," said the Director-General of Culture, Hilmar Farid, on Sunday’s official written statement.

The government used the museum closures as momentum to utilize its digital platform by urging people to visit museums and historical sites across Indonesia via Google Arts & Culture, which utilizes virtual reality technology that can be accessed through Android and iOS mobile gadgets.

"[People] can visit Temples such as Borobudur, Prambanan, and Ratu Boko with the 360 virtual tours," said Hilmar.

Meanwhile, museums under the ministry’s directorate-general of cultural affairs that can be visited digitally are; Jakarta’s Textile Museum, Museum of Fine Arts and Ceramics, YBI Batik gallery, the National Monument (Monas), Yogyakarta Biennale Foundation, and Bali’s Agung Rai Art Museum (ARMA).

The Education Ministry has also utilized Google’s platform to create a number of activities similar to those found when physically visiting a museum. There are also a plethora of interactive programs that students can participate in that the ministry has prepared in its partnership with Google.

BRAM SETIAWAN