KUALA LUMPUR ― Indonesian police officials in Jakarta and several other cities were forced to issue temporary closure notices to various McDonald’s outlets after the fast food chain’s popular BTS meal caused a frenzy.

Several stores were ordered to temporarily halt operations for violating health safety protocols amid the Covid-19 pandemic after K-pop fans sent droves of food delivery riders, known as ojol in the republic, to order the special edition meal, Coconuts Jakarta reported.

The BTS and McDonald’s meal was launched in Indonesia on Wednesday (June 9) and just like Malaysia, not even a raging pandemic could hold fans back from getting their hands on the set.

The fast food giant has since apologised but authorities are keen for the special edition meal to be withdrawn from the menu for now in the name of public safety to prevent Covid-19 from spreading.

“We suggested (to the McDonald’s management) that the BTS Meal promo be discontinued for now.

“We can’t have crowds like this anymore,” Jakarta Metro Police spokesman Yusri Yunus told Indonesian newspaper Kompas on Thursday.

Indonesia reported a record 8,892 new Covid-19 infections that day, the republic’s highest figure since February 23.

Indonesia’s Public Order Agency temporarily closed more than a dozen McDonald’s outlets on Wednesday to respond to the flood of drivers that gathered to place orders for customers.

The agency also had to disperse delivery riders who had been queueing for hours to order the BTS Meal.

The coveted limited edition set was initially available only through drive-thru and selected delivery platforms to stop customers from overcrowding McDonald’s outlets in Indonesia but the preventive measure backfired.

In Jakarta alone, 20 McDonald’s outlets were ordered to close temporarily while a dozen others were slapped with written warnings.

“To anticipate the (queues of Drive-thru and delivery purchases), we are implementing open-close orders on the order platforms,” McDonald’s Indonesia’s spokesperson Sutji Lantyka said.

“If we’re swamped with orders, we’ll close (the outlets on the food delivery platforms) and we’ll open them again once the orders dwindle down,” Ms Sutji said on Wednesday.

Despite being urged by the police to discontinue the BTS Meal, McDonald’s Indonesia has yet to indicate if it would continue selling the meal.

However, Coconuts Jakarta reported that the meals weren’t available on food delivery apps.

The BTS Meal comes with nine pieces of Chicken McNuggets, medium fries, one Coke and two sauces, Sweet Chili and Cajun, specially picked by the boyband.

In Indonesia, the meal is sold for 51,000 Indonesian rupiah (S$4.80) and will be available until July 7. MALAY MAIL