Jakarta Corona Frustration – And The Poor People Of Paris!

Watching the news this afternoon, that old song came to mind.

It was in the juke-box in Comley’s store near my old school in Stratford, Ont., and I always used to wonder what had befallen those Parisians, to evoke such an expression of sympathy!

Only much later did I get that it was an ode to happy paupers!

But while I feel sorry for Parisians, now subject to fines if they fancy a walk around the block…

….and while I admire those singing Italians, my message today is NOT to do what the Jakartan authorities have done, viz,

…a restriction on the operational hours of public transportation to contain the virus’ spread…

But of course..

…the policy appears to have backfired with large crowds and long queues at Transjakarta and MRT Jakarta stations throughout the capital.

https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/03/16/covid-19-city-wide-transport-restrictions-cause-buildup-at-transjakarta-mrt-stations.html

I fell victim to their policy yesterday, being a rebellious fellow who had things to do downtown ( delivering a volume of Sherlock Holmes stories…

.

…to an Indonesian secretary who’s a huge fan of Conan Doyle’s famous detective) and nobody had told me that Transjakarta buses had suspended service on all but 13 of its 248 routes!

So I got as far as Harmoni..

.

.

..a very old picture of Harmoni junction..

..

….took my usual connection to Monas, only to be told by a staffer there that the 6A was ‘not running, maybe 2 weeks!’

He offered no explanation, so I assumed it was due to the major construction work on Rasuna Said.

So I went south, eventually reaching Senayan…

The Youth Statue, aka ‘Hot-Hands Harry,’ at Senayan

…

…where again my planned alternative, the Blok M – Manggarai service, was out of action!

By this time, I was suspicious, and questioned another staffer, who broke down under interrogation and confessed – a corona panic measure!

Well, the gal did eventually get her book ( purchased for $3 in a New South Wales charity shop!) and I eventually got home, my outing today a brief shopping trip to Superindo, stocking up on bread and potatoes to eat with the Aussie bacon I also brought back!

I do hope there’s a bus re-think.

As the Jakarta Post reported, ‘long lines that stretched onto streets and sidewalks formed at bus shelters, while the shelters became filled with waiting passengers.’

But with almost nobody else up for a night out, it’s not going to affect me.

Home, but not, happily, always alone, I am only bored sometimes, and then I blog to pass the time