McDonald's BTS meal frenzy sparks COVID-19 closures in Indonesia
Food delivery riders queue up at a McDonald’s outlet in Bogor, Indonesia, on Jun 9, 2021, to buy the new BTS meal for hungry fans in the K-pop mad country, causing more than a dozen McDonald's outlets to be temporarily shuttered over COVID-19 fears. (Photo: AFP/Aditya Aji)
JAKARTA: More than a dozen Indonesian McDonald's outlets were temporarily shuttered on Wednesday (Jun 9) over COVID-19 fears as the chain's new BTS meal deal sparked frenzied buying from fans in the K-pop mad country.
Jakarta and several other cities slapped closure stickers on at least 13 outlets that were deluged with online food delivery drivers picking up a meal set named after the hugely popular Korean boy band.
READ: Indonesia reports highest rise in COVID-19 cases in more than 3 months
"We temporarily closed four of six McDonald's stores here in Semarang for a couple of days," said Fajar Purwoto, the city's public order agency head.
"I don't want Semarang to be in the COVID-19 red zone again".
Indonesia is one of the hardest-hit nations in Asia.
Jakarta authorities did not respond to requests for comment, but local media said that five stores in the capital were shut over BTS meal orders.
The meal set of chicken nuggets, fries and a drink, first made available in Indonesia on Wednesday, has been on offer in dozens of countries since May.
BTS have become global superstars with millions of fans around the world since their debut in 2013.
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