Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Director of city-owned PD Pasar Jaya Arif Nasrudin has called upon traders of the Klender Perumnas Market, East Jakarta, to remain consistent in adhering to health protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

"The implementation of health protocols is intended to protect us from COVID-19. With the most appropriate action, the traditional markets need not be closed," he stated during a dialog with Klender market traders on Monday.

PD Pasar Jaya enforced stringent health protocols at the Klender Perumnas Market, right from the mandatory use of masks to the provision of handwashing facilities and disinfectant booths as well as to body temperature checks and the enactment of odd-even rules for the operation of merchant stalls.

The odd-even regulations is applied on the basis of the stall number.

Thus, stalls with odd numbers can only be opened or traded on odd dates.

Even-numbered stalls can only be opened or traded on even dates.

The odd-even system was strictly enforced on the first day.

The street vendor stalls are spaced a meter apart.

Face shields were handed out to over one thousand traders at the market.

Nasrudin made assurance of stringent adherence to health protocols being enforced across traditional markets in Jakarta.

In addition, operating hours for traditional markets are also limited from 6:00 to 14:00 WIB.

Some 20 traders at the market reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 on the basis of results of swab testing.

The Jakarta provincial administration is making ongoing efforts to identify new coronavirus clusters among merchants and customers at traditional markets in the capital city's administrative areas through the use of mass rapid tests.

As a precautionary measure against fresh clusters, rapid tests will be conducted at Bedeng Kemayoran/Cempaka Wangi Market in the Harapan Mulya neighborhood and Nangka Market in the Utan Panjang neighborhood, Buana, head of the Kemayoran Sub-district Health Center, stated here on Friday.

Mass COVID-19 tests are deemed necessary since 14 merchants at the Serdang Market had recently tested positive for the novel coronavirus disease, Buana stated, adding that he had requested rapid test kits from Jakarta's COVID-19 Task Force.

Mass testing can help identify people, who do not show any symptoms or are asymptomatic, so that new COVID-19 clusters do not appear, Buana stated.

On June 3, 2020, the Kemayoran Health Center's paramedics held mass COVID-19 testing and screened 180 merchants at the Serdang Market. As per the test results, as of Friday (June 12, 2020), 14 of the 180 merchants have exhibited symptoms of COVID-19.

Five of the 14 merchants, who reside in Kemayoran Sub-district, are currently being treated at the Wisma Atlet Emergency Hospital, while seven others are receiving treatment from a health center near their home.

Two other infected merchants from Pekalongan City in Central Java Province are being handled by the city's health authority, Buana stated.

In East Jakarta, 20 merchants at the Perumnas Klender Market have also contracted COVID-19. Hence, East Jakarta Mayor M. Anwar has requested the city market operator to shut down the market temporarily. Related news: 20 merchants of Jakarta's Perumnas Klender develop COVID-19 infection

Related news: New normal: Govt prepares budget for traditional markets



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Translator: Andi F, Azis Kurmala
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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