April 13, 2021
Island's Ministry of Law & Human Rights forms 57 Foreigner Monitoring Teams + Nearly 1,500 use GeNose test during first 3 days at Bali airport + Singapore-Riau Islands travel bubble delayed + more!
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PUBLICATION NOTICE: Due to Galungan there will be no morning edition tomorrow and Thursday, however the evening Covid-19 Updates will continue.
Weather & Waves
Today’s Weather for Southern Bali
*Note: The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has released a warning for potential extreme weather, namely heavy rain, lightning and strong winds, for West, North and Central Bali. Click here for more info.
Today’s Tides
Meteorology, Climatology & Geophysics Council (Link)
Tide table from Tide-forecast.com.
Local Covid Numbers
*Note: After a 7-day average of new Covid-19 cases above 200, Sunday’s total dropped to 115 (the lowest daily total since March 16). New cases climbed back up yesterday, to 169, as did the fatality rate; after Sunday's one death yesterday's total was 7.
Click here to see the national numbers infographic and a Regency-by-Regency breakdown of yesterday’s local numbers. And in case you missed it, check out Sunday’s update for a summary of last week’s overall totals, with perspective on how they stack up against previous weeks + detailed breakdowns of the virus’ spread on a Regency-by-Regency level.
The Big News
"To Supervise Foreigners Becoming Illegal Workers, Dozens of Foreigner Monitoring Teams Are Formed" from Bali Post (Indonesian): To monitor the whereabouts of foreigners who are still in Bali, apart from decisively carrying out deportations if there are problematic foreigners, the Bali Ministry of Law and Human Rights has formed 57 Foreigner Monitoring Teams (Timpora) at the sub-district level. The teams will collaborate with village officials to monitor the presence of foreigners in their respective neighborhoods. Head of the Regional Office of the Bali Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Jamaruli Manihuruk, said, "We also carry out good supervision, closed or openly. We also monitor foreigners administratively. Namely when they apply for an extension of the immigration residence permit."
Context: Yesterday we included a story about Immigration forming a Foreigner Supervision Team, which suggested that there would only be one team. Today’s coverage from the same media outlet includes far more comprehensive data and information.
"During 3 Days, 1,456 People Took Advantage of GeNose C-19 Services at Bali's Ngurah Rai Airport" from Tribun Bali (Indonesian): The domestically-made Covid-19 detection tool GeNose C-19 began to be used at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali on Friday, April 9. The enthusiasm of prospective aircraft passengers to take advantage of the GeNose C-19 service is quite high. Stakeholder Relations Manager of PT Angkasa Pura I (Persero) I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport Bali Branch Office, Taufan Yudhistira, said, "Maybe a lot of prospective passengers choose this GeNose because it is relatively more affordable and the sampling process does not hurt. It is not like the rapid antibody and antigen."
"Scheduled for April 21, the Opening of Two Destinations for International Tourism is Postponed" from Bali Post (Indonesian): The plan to open a travel bubble between Singapore and Lagoi in Bintan and Nongsa in Batam, Riau Islands, has been delayed. "The plan now is to open on May 7. It's being discussed," said Head of the Riau Islands Tourism Office, Buralimar. The number of Covid-19 transmissions in Riau Islands as a whole has begun to increase in recent times.
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Other Headlines
"This is the List of Contributing Countries for Homeless Foreigners in Bali from Pol PP" from Radar Bali: Head of the Badung Municipal Police, IGAK Surya Negara, said that many foreigners were stranded in Bali as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Most of them are foreigners from Russia, Italy, France, America, Britain and China. "Some are sleeping in the garden in front of the airport, wandering around in Kuta, Kedonganan, Seminyak, Pererenan, Mengwi, and other areas."
Vaccination Update
"Ten Million Indonesians Have Received Covid-19 Vaccine" from The Jakarta Globe: The country has administered 15.5 million doses of the vaccine, mostly supplied by China’s Sinovac Biotech, which collaborates with state-owned pharmaceutical company Bio Farma for local production under license. Of the 10.26 million citizens who have received the vaccine, 5.3 million have already got double doses. The current number of people with at least one shot of the vaccine represents 5.7% of the overall number of people targeted in the national inoculation drive. Indonesia also uses UK’s AstraZeneca vaccine, after receiving 1.1 million doses through UN-backed global supply scheme Covax on March 8.
More...
Nation: "The Ministry of Health Continues the Covid-19 Vaccination During the Fasting Month" from Antara Bali (Indonesian)
Buleleng: "137 Chinese Workers Cannot Get Vaccines" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian)
Gianyar: "Vaccination Targeting the Ubud Green Zone Buffer Area" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian)
Health Protocols (Prokes) & Patrols
Tabanan: "Galungan Celebration, Tabanan Task Force Supervises Tourism Objects" from Bali Post (Indonesian):
Economy
"Pork Prices in Bali Ahead of Galungan Soaring, Breeders: It's a Game of Middlemen" from Tribun Bali (Indonesian)
"People's Purchasing Power Decreased, Simple Penjor Decorations Are in Demand" from Bali Post (Indonesian)
Education
"Badung Will Open Schools in Petang District as PTM Pilots" from Suara Bali (Indonesian): Schools in Petang District will become pilots for the implementation of Face-to-Face Learning, because the area is considered to be still open and the population is not too high. "We will have a meeting, so we will determine when to start kick-off and all teachers must have been vaccinated and all teachers have become a priority," said Deputy Regent of Badung I Ketut Suiasa. "If this is successful, all green zones will be opened and it is possible that several yellow zones will also be opened."
More...
Denpasar: "All Schools are Checked for Prokes Readiness" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian)
Jembrana: "Disdik Jembrana Strives for Face-to-face Examinations at the End of the Year" from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
Karangasem: "Four Months of Incentives for Early Childhood Teachers Have Not Been Disbursed, Kadisdik: Please Be Patient" from Bali Express (Indonesian)
Tabanan: "18 Primary Schools in Tabanan are Being Regrouped" from Bali Post (Indonesian)
"Regent of Gianyar Plans to Build a Mall on the Ex Hardys Land" from Bali Express (Indonesian): Gianyar City is expected to be the center of economy and entertainment not only for the Gianyar community but also for the people of East Bali. Therefore, the Regent of Gianyar plans to build a mall to the west of Puri Gianyar, or on the former Hardys supermarket land. Regent of Gianyar I Made Mahayastra said that the construction of the mall is one of the developments that is ideal for the future, and that it will be no less luxurious than other malls in Denpasar.
"Indonesia to Host the G20 Summit in Bali" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): The G20 Summit will be held in 2022. During the series of summits, G20 EMPOWER will be held to identify challenges and support the advancement of women's leadership in the private sector. The Minister of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection, Bintang Puspayoga, said she welcomed the election of Indonesia as the host for the G20 Summit and that her party is ready to be actively involved. The membership of G20 EMPOWER comprises representatives from government, business organizations, and the business world.
Of Interest
"Bali Volunteers Distribute Australian Aid to Homes and Foundations During the Pandemic" from Antara Bali (Indonesian)
"Child Hawkers Are Rampant in Klungkung" from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
"Jembrana Is Ready to Build a Buffalo Racing Circuit for Tourists" from Antara Bali (Indonesian)
"Local Balinese Films Are Targeted to Reach National Cinemas" from Antara Bali (Indonesian)
"Strict Sanctions Apply for Those Who Go on Mudik, Denpasar Police Says"from Coconuts Bali
"Accelerating Digitization, BPD Bali Expands QRIS to Remote Villages" from Bisnis Bali (Indonesian)
"Minister Bintang Asks Regional Heads to Present Pro-Women Policies" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
"Govt Readying Roadmap for Making Indonesia 4.0: President" from Antara
"Should Grab and Gojek Drivers Be Considered Employees, Not Contractors?" from Tech in Asia (Paywall)
How You Can Help
In response to the collapse of the tourism sector in Bali and the resulting economic crisis, dozens of individuals and organizations have sprung into action, raising funds and distributing badly needed food and everyday essentials to the innumerable families who have suddenly found themselves without any source of income. We've been making an effort to document and raise awareness of these efforts. We will add information on projects in this space as we are able to confirm them. If you'd like to see a list of the efforts that we've featured so far and contribute to them with either time or money, visit our complete list here. You can also see a list of projects that have registered themselves at BaliSolidarity.org. If you know of an effort and would like to have them listed, please send their information to TheBaliBeat@outlanders.global.
About This Newsletter
This newsletter is a product of Migration Media, the hub for stories from and about the international migrant experience.
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We only include news items from established media sources
We do not share rumors.
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For all stories marked "Indonesian" we use Google Translate to convert the excerpt or headline from Indonesian to English, then correct any translation errors. To provide context for certain developing news stories, we include a short summary with links to relevant articles.
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