Residents Need Public Parks during the Pandemic

Many people still visited Taman Suropati Park in Menteng, Central Jakarta, although they knew that it had yet to be reopened to the public.

KOMPAS/FAJAR RAMADHAN

Members of the Jakarta Regional Sugar Glider Community (KSGI) gathered at Taman Suropati, Menteng, Central Jakarta, Sunday (30/8/2020).

Crowds of people were seen on the pedestrian path of Taman Suropati public park in Menteng, Central Jakarta at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday. Many people still visited the park although they knew that it had yet to be reopened to the public.

Fajar Ramadhan Arif (43), an entrepreneur from Jatinegara, East Jakarta, continues to stops by the park every Sunday during the Covid-19 pandemic. He takes a break and enjoys the park after cycling from his home to the Hotel Indonesia (HI) traffic circle.

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Arif actually has the option of cycling to special areas for cyclists near his house, such as the East Canal route, Duren Sawit, East Jakarta. However, he chooses to go to the HI traffic circle because he wants to enjoy the fresh air at Taman Suropati on the way home.

"If you go to the HI traffic circle, you can stop by Taman Suropati. Just look at it, lots of shady trees. It is a nice place to rest,“ he said, sitting on the sidewalk of the park. Arif is not alone. Many other cyclists in groups sit on the sidewalk. Some people use the pedestrian path as a running track.

Every Sunday, we gather here, share experiences with each other.

There were also parents who took their children aged less than two years to walk around the park. Many children over two years old were also playing there. Of course, the kids wore masks. Some even used a face shield, in addition to masks. However, many adults wore masks in a wrong way.

About 10 meters from Arif\'s resting place, dozens of members of the Jakarta Regional Sugar Glider Community (KSGI) also gathered. The closure of the Taman Suropati park did not discourage them from socializing.

"Every Sunday, we gather here, share experiences with each other. Now, because the park is still closed, we just hang outside," said Yogi, 37, a member of the Jakarta Regional KSGI. Yogi hopes that all the parks in Jakarta will be reopened under health protocols, because, in addition to being a place for people to gather, parks are also a space for street traders to make a living.

Usually, the Jakarta Regional KSGI meet at Taman Suropati between 8 a.m. and 12 a.m. However, because the park was still closed, they only gathered until 10 a.m.

"Last week, the Satpol PP [public order] officers dispersed the crowds because too many people gathered in the park. We acknowledged there were a lot of our members yesterday because we were holding a competition," said Bentar, 20, an executive of the KSGI community.

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More than 200 people are registered as members of the Jakarta Regional KSGI. Not all members attend the meeting regularly. On Sunday, a dozen of the community’s members came.

If the park is reopened, visitors must be required to follow health protocols, he said. "Rather than movie theaters, it will be better to reopen the public parks,” he said.

Taman Suropati area is closed off. Even though gaps remain, no one dares to trespass as there are security personnel on standby.

KOMPAS/FAJAR RAMADHAN

Members of the Jakarta Regional Sugar Glider Community (KSGI) gathered at Taman Suropati, Menteng, Central Jakarta, Sunday (30/8/2020).

Closures are also still imposed at Taman Kodok and Taman Menteng parks. The two parks are surrounded by bamboo fencing to prevent the people from entering. It is difficult to break in, unless, people jump over the 1-meter high fence.

The closure is not only carried out in the park area, but also on the pedestrian path. Jalan Kediri and Jalan Sidoarjo, which are the main access roads to the park, are also closed. The two parks, conveniently located about 500 meters from Taman Suropati, are deserted. Around 9:15 a.m. on Sunday, no one was seen at the parks.

Health protocols

As part of the transitional period of the large-scale social restriction (PSBB), the Jakarta administration has reopened as many as 16 public parks in Jakarta since June 13. However, some restrictions are still imposed, such as temperature checks, limiting the number of visitors and prohibiting entry for the elderly and children to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

At Taman Tebet park, South Jakarta, visitors who want to enter are required to show their KTP (ID card) to the security officer for data collection. Visitors are only allowed to enter through the west entrance gate.

The east entrance gate is closed with a bamboo fence. Even so, several residents are often seen breaking through the barrier to enter the park.

I feel very fortunate because if I did not exercise, I felt stressed.

Rangga, 29, a resident of West Tebet, was running on the track in the park. To prevent the spread of Covid-19, the park had been closed for more than two months. "I feel very fortunate because if I did not exercise, I felt stressed. I could not run around here for almost three months,” he said, wiping his sweat.

Every weekend, Rangga takes the time to exercise at the Taman Tebet. Occasionally, he comes to the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium (GBK) area, Senayan. Due to the large number of visitors , Rangga had to wait in line for tens of minutes to enter the KBK stadium area. "I gave up going there. We planned to play sports but we had to wait in a long line, instead, as if we were waiting for sembako (staple food) aid,” said Rangga.

Kompas

Sumarno (28) takes his child for a walk in Taman Suropati, Menteng, Central Jakarta, Sunday (14/6/2020) afternoon. Even though this park has not yet been opened, some residents have used the side of the park to exercise during the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to Syahrizal Syarif of the Indonesian Public Health Expert Association, parks are not categorized as public places that have high risk for Covid-19 transmission. Even so, if the parks were reopened, strict health protocols must be implemented.

"Parks are places that can be used by people to have recreation and exercise. This is important so that the physical and mental conditions of the residents are well maintained during a pandemic,” he said.

Syahrizal said park managers can reduce the number of visitors, such as to between 50 percent and 60 percent of capacity. Residents must also be required to wear masks and keep physical distance.

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Like Syahrizal, landscape architect and activist for the Green City Partnership, Nirwono Joga, also said that parks are important to maintain the health of the residents during the Covid-19 pandemic. He suggested that residents to visit parks which are located near their residential areas.

"If possible, they can go to the park on foot or by bicycle from home," said Nirwono.

Park visitors must also obey health protocols, such as maintaining physical distancing, always washing their hands with soap or hand sanitizer, wearing masks, and bringing spare masks if necessary.

Enjoying a public park in the midst of this pandemic is a good thing as long as health protocols are strictly implemented.