Many McDonald's outlets have been temporarily closed in Indonesia for fear of spreading COVID-19 as a result of a boom in orders for a new meal called the well-known Korean group BTS.
Jakarta and several other cities have closed at least 13 McDonald's outlets, which have been "occupied" by a large number of drivers distributing food. This as the number of online orders for BTS food became unaffordable.
The meal includes two special sauces selected by the group members, 10 chicken wings, chips and a cola.
"We temporarily closed 4 of McDonald's 6 stores here in Semarang for a few days," said Fajar Purwoto, head of the Jakarta public order agency. "We do not want Semarang to be in the COVID-19 red zone again"
BTS food became available in Indonesia yesterday, but has been available in dozens of countries since May. Some people have even sold BTS meal packages online for hundreds of dollars.
McDonald's communications director in Indonesia Sutji Lantyka said the meals would be available by next month, so fans did not have to rush.
"The temporary closure is to avoid crowds and queues for messages. We apologize for the inconvenience," she said.
Jakarta Deputy Governor Ahmad Riza Patria said outlets could be fined for violating health protocols. The fine in this case is 50 million rupees [$ 4,500).
The BTS band is very popular in Indonesia, but the reaction of the fans was unexpected for everyone. Some fans, even, had saved to buy food.
