Jakartans return to their routines<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta's social and business routines began to
\nreturn to normal on Monday as heavy traffic was observed
\nthroughout the city and offices have been swarmed by returning
\nemployees.<\/p>\n
Crowds of students, who have just resumed school after a 40-
\nday Ramadhan and Idul Fitri hiatus, have been seen again in the
\ncity's streets and shopping centers.<\/p>\n
Traffic was busy especially along the streets where schools
\nwere located, including along Central Jakarta's Jl. Gereja
\nTheresia and Jl. Menteng Raya.<\/p>\n
Traffic jams were also observed along Jl. Agus Salim in
\nCentral Jakarta, popularly known as Jl. Sabang, home to dozens of
\nrestaurants. Vehicles queued in long lines where the streets were
\nobstructed by parked vehicles during lunch time.<\/p>\n
Similar conditions were found at the city's other mayoralties,
\nincluding along Jl. Bumi, Jl. Ciputat Raya and Jl. Arteri Pondok
\nIndah in South Jakarta; Jl. Salemba Raya, Jl. Matraman Raya and
\nJl. Bekasi Raya in East Jakarta; and North Jakarta's Jl. Yos
\nSudarso and Jl. Enggano.<\/p>\n
Several private companies and government offices also resumed
\ntheir full operations on Monday.<\/p>\n
An employee at a cosmetics company in the Pulo Gadung
\nIndustrial zone in East Jakarta, who spoke under conditions of
\nanonymity, said the company actually granted its employees a
\nfive-day holiday for Idul Fitri.<\/p>\n
\"Employees were supposed to come to the office on Friday, but
\nsome of my colleagues continued their holidays until Sunday,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Operations resumed throughout's the city's government offices,
\nincluding the Menteng district office in Central Jakarta. A staff
\nperson at the office, Syachroni, said all employees were in on
\nMonday.<\/p>\n
\"People also started today to look for our public services,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the owner of a restaurant on Jl. Sabang, Wiryadi,
\nsaid he could only resume business on Sunday after all of his
\nemployees returned from their holidays.<\/p>\n
\"Two of my five employees are newcomers. They will replace
\ntheir colleagues who are getting married soon.<\/p>\n
\"I ask my employees to provide their own replacements for
\nafter their marriage,\" he said.<\/p>\n
It has become common that newcomers, mostly of low income
\ngroups, flock to the capital after the Idul Fitri celebrations.<\/p>\n
Although they realize that life in the city is no longer easy,
\nespecially after the prolonged economic crisis, the newcomers
\nstill have big hopes that life will be better here.<\/p>\n
The exact number of newcomers this year has not yet been
\nrecorded, but the city administration predicts that it will be
\naround 200,000. The number of people leaving the city in the Idul
\nFitri exodus was estimated at about two million.<\/p>\n
On Monday, the city was colored by uniformed students as
\nseveral schools had fully resumed their activities.<\/p>\n
Several students of SMPN 12 junior high school in South
\nJakarta were sitting together at the Blok M park during school
\nhours.<\/p>\n
\"We want to just walk around here because the class has been
\nover before the official school hour at 5:15 p.m.,\" a student,
\nAndrian Rahmat, said. (ind)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jakartans-return-to-their-routines-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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