Thousands flock to GBK sports complex as Jakartans miss exercise and selfies

Jakartans exercising at the Gelora Bung Karno sports complex pre-Covid-19. Photo: Coconuts Media
Jakartans exercising at the Gelora Bung Karno sports complex pre-Covid-19. Photo: Coconuts Media

Jakarta’s most popular sports complex reopened over the weekend, opening the figurative floodgates to fitness enthusiasts, selfie takers, and everyone in between.

The Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) sports complex opened on Friday for the first time since Large-Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB) were implemented in the capital two months ago. As Jakarta enters a transitional phase to a “new normal,” extra hygiene and health measures were enforced at GBK, such as requiring visitors to wash their hands and be subject to temperature checks before entry.

On Saturday, some 1,000 people reportedly turned up to exercise at GBK throughout the day, most of them going for a run around the stadium’s outer circumference. On Sunday, the numbers picked up drastically, with Detik reporting that more than 28,000 people entered the complex by noon.

“I usually go to CFD [Car Free Day] every Sunday morning, but since CFS hasn’t reopened, I’m exercising at GBK,” one visitor told Tempo, referring to the weekly event in which Central Jakarta’s main thoroughfare is shut to motorized vehicles to allow citizens to exercise in the morning.

Others said they missed the selfies at GBK.

“[I went] for social media presence,” another visitor said.

Jakarta this month entered a transitional phase of its partial lockdown policy in which some public facilities, like GBK, began reopening with added precautions and limited capacities. Some restaurants, shopping centers, and offices are also beginning to reopen during this period, which is set to last until officials deem it safe to reopen everything.



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