McDonald’s in Indonesia temporarily shut after special BTS Meal leads to crowding, COVID-19 safety norms violation

Many outlets of McDonald’s in Indonesia were temporarily shut after a special BTS Meal gathered crowds of delivery drivers that violated COVID-19 safe distancing norms. The meal, named after the Korean boyband BTS, drew crowds to such a height that long traffic snarls and scores of delivery drivers were seen waiting outside the stores for hours to get the orders. Recently, the international fast-food chain joined hands with the K-Pop band and came up with a special meal. The limited-edition meal was launched on 26 May, days ahead of the group’s eighth anniversary. The much-talked-about meal, consisting of 10 chicken nuggets, chips, a coke, and two sauces (sweet chilli and Cajun), has been announced in 50 countries around the world. According to a New York Times report, the first day of the limited-edition meal was made available on Wednesday, 9 June and most of the orders were made online because of the ongoing pandemic. That resulted in large groups of motorcycle delivery drivers showing up at outlets across Indonesia. With such large orders being placed, most of the restaurants were unprepared and the situation became difficult to manage. By mid of the day, videos and photos flooded social media showing anything related to BTS provokes a frenzy. Meanwhile, in Jakarta, the capital city, the police had to temporarily close 32 McDonald’s outlets saying “they were found to have violated health protocols”. The police further stated that authorities found stores violating health protocols amid the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown. Post this big outrage, McDonald’s Indonesia quickly reminded fans that the BTS meal will be available till next month. While many fans complained on social media that they could not even place the order. Indonesia has seen a surge of infections in recent weeks where daily cases have risen 26 percent, and only 4 percent of the population is fully vaccinated, New York Times further reports. Looking into other cities, the meal’s rollout in Singapore was delayed after the government tightened distancing rules.