Several McDonald's restaurants in Indonesia had to shut over virus fears as the chain's new BTS Meal offering triggered frenzied buying from K-pop fanatics in the country, BBC reported Friday.
Jakarta and several other cities ordered an immediate shutdown of at least 13 McDonald's swarmed with online food-delivery drivers picking up a meal set named after the popular South Korean boy band.
The BTS Meal, which included chicken nuggets, a soft drink, fries and two dipping sauces, was launched in 50 countries. It went on sale in Jakarta Friday.
The meal's new sweet chili and Cajun sauces are limited-time offers chosen by BTS and inspired by McDonald's South Korea, according to NME News.
Fears over another potential virus-spreading event caused local government officials to intervene. Around 30 outlets were slapped with a 24-hour closure sticker to disperse food delivery drivers, who were unable to observe proper social distancing because of the size of the crowd.
"We temporarily closed four of six McDonald's outlets here in Semarang for a couple of days," Agence France-Presse quoted Fajar Purwoto, the city's public order agency chief, as saying.
"I don't want Semarang to be in the Covid-19 red zone again," Purwoto said.
Indonesia has reported one of the highest number of Covid-19 cases in Southeast Asia, and local health officials have warned against crowding.
Meanwhile, Sutji Lantyka, a representative for McDonald's Indonesia, encouraged BTS fans to stay calm. The meal will be available for all of June, according to Jakarta Globe.
Formed in 2013, the South Korean supergroup BTS continues to challenge the West's long-standing dominance in the music industry.
Their latest single "Butter" is the biggest No. 1 hit in the history of the Billboard Global 200 chart, ABS-CBN Entertainment reported.
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