COVID-19; the Reason Jakarta Still Bans Wedding Receptions

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Head of the Jakarta Tourism and Creative Economy, Cucu Ahmad Kurnia, on Wednesday said that wedding receptions are considered to be forms of public activities that can increase the risk of spreading COVID-19, which is why the Jakarta Administration has yet allowed wedding receptions to be held during the transitional PSBB (large-scale social restriction).

“We are still basing this in general terms and consider [wedding receptions] are still prone to spreading COVID-19. We must learn from other regions,” said Cucu at City Hall on Wednesday. 

He said that receptions will be difficult to oversee by existing health protocols, especially in rural areas as there is no dedicated authority personnel directly overseeing them. However, Cucu said the Jakarta administration is only banning public wedding events until the COVID-19 curve is able to be flattened. 

Cucu has also met with the city’s wedding organizer association at City Hall and revealed that the association has prepared health protocols upon hosting such events. One of the protocols is to separate invitations to a number of shifts. 

Meanwhile, Chairperson of the Indonesian Documentation Entrepreneurs Association (HIPDI), Suprafto, regrets that the Jakarta administration is still banning wedding events during the transitional PSBB. 

“It’s quite unfair for us. Malls are permitted to open but we’re not,” said Suprafto.

Read also: Mayor Claims Bekasi is Safe from COVID-19

IMAM HAMDI