Jakarta. As many as 13 workers from roadside cafes along Siman–Jetis Street, in Demangan Village, Siman District, Ponorogo Regency, East Java, have tested positive for HIV. 

Health checks were conducted on 29 individuals working in several cafes in the area. Following the discovery, more than a dozen of these establishments were forcibly shut down by local residents and a joint task force on Monday.

The closure was directly carried out by the Demangan Village Consultative Body, together with dozens of residents, supported by the Civil Service Police Unit of Ponorogo.

On the site, residents put up various warning posters and stickers, explicitly banning operations of the establishments suspected of facilitating prostitution.

Ihsan Muttaqin, a member of the Demangan Village Consultative Body, said these cafes had been subject to prior enforcement actions. However, the owners persistently reopened their businesses. Finally, at the end of April, a health screening of 29 workers found that 13 had tested positive for HIV.

"After conducting tracking, 13 out of 29 workers were confirmed HIV positive," he said.

These cafes were found to be covertly operating prostitution services under the guise of coffee stalls or street food vendors.

"Since it has been clearly proven that they are being used for prostitution, we decided to seal them off," he added.

This led to residents and authorities taking firm action. The closure aims to protect the public from the spread of infectious diseases and address the growing concern over illegal businesses violating social norms.

Hendra Asmara, Head of Regional Regulation Enforcement at the Ponorogo Civil Service Police Unit, stressed that the shutdown of these cafes should serve as a warning to other illegal businesses in the region.

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