Christmas Celebration Improves People’s Collaboration

A number of parties have been involved in preparing for this year's Christmas celebration. The health protocols should be maintained even though a number of churches have increased the sizes of congregations.

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

Hundreds of congregations attended Christmas Eve Mass at the Mother Mary Parish Church, Cirebon City, West Java, Saturday (24/12/2022).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The declining trend in Covid-19 has encouraged a number of churches to increase the capacity of congregations attending Mass or Christmas services but they should still implement health protocols. Many parties have taken part in making sure this year's Christmas celebrations run smoothly, comfortably and safely.

Ahead of Christmas and the 2023 New Year, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo checked the prices of a number of food commodities at the Cigombong Market, Bogor Regency, West Java. The President believes that inflation is still under control.

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Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan also visited a number of markets in Bogor on Friday (23/12/2022). "Prices of all basic commodities are still within the levels set by the government," said Zulkifli after monitoring prices at a supermarket in Bogor.

Meanwhile, to anticipate the surge in passengers and vehicles at Merak Port, Banten, and Bakauheni Port, Lampung, during the Christmas and New Year holidays, Ciwandan Port in Cilegon and Panjang Port and Bandar Bakau Jaya Port in Lampung have been prepared as alternative ports.

Limited Increase

The Jakarta Cathedral will increase the number of people who can attend Christmas Mass this year. However, the attendance will be limited to about a half of the total seat capacity or around 2,180 seats.

“Maybe later there will be a tolerance of up to 2,300 or 2,500 seats. In total, this is still about a half of the number before the pandemic," said the senior priest at the Jakarta Cathedral, Father Hani Rudi Hartoko, SJ at the Jakarta Cathedral on Friday (23/12).

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the Jakarta Cathedral could accommodate up to around 5,000 people at one Mass. The Jakarta Cathedral also only accepts people who are registered on the Bela Rasa website. The site is specifically used for members of the Jakarta Archdiocese to register for Mass.

ADRYAN YOGA PARAMADWYA

Thousands of congregations took part in a candle lighting session accompanied by the song "Holy Night" during the Christmas Eve service at GPIB Immanuel Jakarta, Saturday (24/12/2022).

People who will celebrate Christmas at the Jakarta Cathedral are advised to continue to implement health protocols. In addition, they are also asked not to carry big bags and to dress simply and without flashy accessories.

To ensure the smooth running of the Christmas Mass at the Jakarta Cathedral, the Istiqlal Mosque Management Agency is ready to provide a parking area for hundreds of cars.

According to the people in charge of managing the daily activities at Istiqlal Mosque, First Adm. (ret.) Asep Saipudin, the basement parking area at the mosque can accommodate up to 800 small cars.

“The Istiqlal Mosque is open from 4 a.m. until 10 p.m. The priority [parking] is given to people celebrating Christmas," said Asep.

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Meanwhile, the Surabaya city government in East Java expects the managers of places of worship to apply multiple layers of security during the Christmas celebrations.

Surabaya Mayor Eri Cahyadi appealed to all administrators of places of worship to increase the number of security officers and to increase supervision of places of worship as well as their surrounding areas. "Church administrators are expected to put up a barrier, with a safe distance from the entrance to the place of worship," said Eri.

Church administrators are expected to put up a barrier, with a safe distance from the entrance to the place of worship.

The mayor's circular letter regarding the security of places of worship ahead of the Christmas holiday, which was issued on Wednesday, was not only sent to church officials, but also to youth organizations to assist in securing Christmas.

If there is any disturbance to the peace, order and security of places of worship, they are asked to immediately report this to the sub-district head, village head and the local District Leadership Communication Forum (Forkopimcam), or also call the 112 call center.

Increase

The number of passengers and vehicles from Java to Sumatra or vice versa at the ports of Merak and Bakauheni has begun to increase.

Referring to the port data, the number of passengers passing through Merak Port to Sumatra from 8 a.m. on 22 December to the same hour on December 23 reached a total of 38,310 people. This was an increase of 9 percent from the 35,088 people in the same period last year.

KOMPAS/PRIYOMBODO

Aerial photo of the Trans Sumatra toll road section with the background of the Bakauheni ferry port, Lampung, Saturday (24/12/2022). Ferry activity at the Merak-Bakauheni port has increased during the peak of the 2023 Christmas and New Year holidays.

Meanwhile, based on Bakauheni Port data, for the same period, the number of passengers who crossed over to Java totaled 32,507 people. The figure rose by 24 percent from 26,152 people in the same period last year.

To anticipate the increase in the passenger density, Ciwandan Port in Cilegon and Panjang Port and Bandar Bakau Jaya Port in Lampung have been prepared as alternative ports. "If the mobility of passengers and vehicles is at an unusual level, we will operate alternative ports in a number of these locations," said the president director of state owned ASDP ferry service operator, Ira Puspade.

According to data recorded by the Ministry of Transportation, the number of flights ahead of the 2022 Christmas holiday has increased sharply. At Soekarno-Hatta Aiport, Tangerang, the number of flights reached 1,000 on 22-23 December 2022.

Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said the number of daily flights at Soekarno-Hatta Airport was close to the level before the Covid-19 pandemic, namely 1,200 flights. The figure indicates a sign of the revival of the Indonesian aviation industry.

The pandemic has eased during the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Based on predictions of global, regional and probability models, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) predicts the potential for moderate to heavy rain over the coming week in a number of areas.

In addition to increased rains, the BMKG has also issued warnings of high waves that have the potential to occur in several coastal areas on 23-34 Dec. 2022.

Separately, Vice President Ma'ruf Amin appealed to all tourism businesses to prepare as best as possible for this year-end holiday so they can provide the best service to holidaymakers.

“The pandemic has eased during the Christmas and New Year holidays. Of course, they haven’t been on holiday for a long time, right? Therefore, tourist spots must prepare themselves early, so they can provide information on convenient places to visit," said Vice President Amin. (Z17/Z01/Z03/Z15/ETA/ AIK/WKM/INA/Z11/IKI/KOR)

This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi.