VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

A plane of Garuda Indonesia at the Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport in Makassar. (ANTARA/Suriani Mappong/sw)

 The COVID-19 pandemic has left Garuda Indonesia, the state-owned airline, with no choice but to ground 70 percent of its aircraft while also conducting checks and maintenance of planes to ensure their airworthiness.

"During this outbreak period, we have grounded several of our aircraft since the cut in flight traffic. Thus, the operation of flights has been paused," Technical Director of Garuda Indonesia Rahmat Hanafi stated in an official Instagram post @garuda.indonesia on Monday.

Several technicians from GMF AeroAsia are working hard to ensure the planes’ airworthiness by adhering to a prolonged inspection mechanism, including covering the aircraft’s inlet and exhaust to prevent the entry of particles into the machines, Hanafi expounded.

In-cabin maintenance processes include cabin and lavatory cleaning, as well as disinfecting the seats and cushions, in addition to taking off the seat covers. The entire process regularly takes some 14 days to conduct.

It will be conducted two to three days before its operations.

"Thus, the aircraft will not encounter any snag, and comfort, safety, and health aspects are maintained during flights," he noted.

Garuda Indonesia owns 142 aircraft, comprising Boeing 777-300ER, Boeing 737-800NG, Airbus A330-200, Airbus A330-300, Airbus A330-900neo, CRJ1000 NextGen, and ATR 72-600, with lifespan averaging 6.62 years. (ANTARA)

The Yogyakarta administration will apply “new normal” health protocols starting in July, including in the tourism industry. Kadarmanta Baskara Aji, the administration secretary, that one of the regulations would limit the number of visitors to tourist destinations to 100 people. Along with tourist destinations, hotels, shopping malls and traditional markets will also have to comply with the protocols. Hotels, for instance, must provide hand sanitizer and handwashing stations. The number of guests per room will also be limited. For shopping malls and markets, organizers will have to be prepared for large crowds and make sure that visitors wear face masks. Regarding why the protocols were to be applied in July, Aji said one of the factors was that social assistance funds would end in June. Afterward, the public would be expected to resume their activities and businesses while adhering to health protocols//JP

The Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in San Francisco used the momentum of Eid to organize the Eid Culinary Virtual Bazaar.The virtual bazaar was held via the Zoom application platform and was broadcast live on the Youtube channel, according to a written statement from the Indonesian Consulate General in San Francisco which was received in Jakarta on Sunday. As many as 285 Indonesians reportedly participated in the virtual bazaar with enthusiasm.They are Indonesian citizens living in the working area of the Indonesian Consulate General in San Francisco, which includes Northern California, Washington State, Oregon, Alaska, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and northern Nevada and from various other regions, such as Los Angeles and New York. Indonesian Consul General in San Francisco Simon D.I Soekarno said this activity was carried out in the context of welcoming Eid. Through the Virtual Bazaar, it is expected to be a platform to bring together Indonesian culinary entrepreneurs with buyers. According to him, the virtual bazaar aims to support the Indonesian culinary business in the United States//ANT/trans:PTR

Several Ethiopian universities are keen to establish cooperation with their Indonesian counterparts in the field of research and exchange of teaching staff and students. Indonesian Ambassador to Ethiopia, Djibouti and African Union Al Busyra Basnur said representatives of Bahir Dar University and Hawassa, University of Ethiopia visited several universities in Indonesia in 2016 and 2018 as part of effort to explore the cooperation. In 2016, Bahir Dar University and Sebelas Maret University in Surakarta, Central Java, signed the first memorandum of understanding between institutes of higher learning in the two countries. The Indonesian Embassy in Addis Ababa had originally planned to organize several activities involving institutes of higher learning in Indonesia and Ethiopia in the first semester of 2020 however, the activities were postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Another Indonesian university that is also keen to cooperate with Ethiopian university is Budi Luhur University in Jakarta. He expressed hope that a delegation of the university will visit Ethiopia soon after the COVID-19 pandemic is under control//ANT