Social Distancing Protocols Ineffective in Traditional Markets

A survey conducted by the Sinergi Mahadata Team at Universitas Indonesia (UI) shows that crowding remains prevalent in traditional markets during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. 29.6% of respondents reported seeing everyone crowding in traditional markets in the past two weeks. This indicates that social distancing protocols have not been effective in traditional markets.

The percentage of respondents observing crowding in traditional markets is significantly higher than in other public facilities, such as supermarkets, malls, public transportation, places of worship, offices, and healthcare facilities.

Meanwhile, 29% of respondents saw most people crowding in traditional markets. 13.4% of respondents saw a small number of people crowding in traditional markets.

7.4% of respondents saw no crowding in traditional markets. Furthermore, 1.8% of respondents reported never visiting such places.

The UI Sinergi Mahadata Team conducted an online survey of 2,125 respondents in collaboration with YouGov. The survey was conducted from November 2-4, 2020, using systematic random sampling.

The government continues to urge the public to adopt the 3M movement (maintaining distance from crowds, washing hands with soap, and wearing masks) to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.