April 21, 2021
Gianyar regent says power to reopen tourism is with central government + Deportation demanded for foreigners over mask prank + Privately-funded vaccination program to begin in May + more!
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Weather & Waves
Today’s Weather for Southern Bali
Today’s Tides
Meteorology, Climatology & Geophysics Council (Link)
Tide table from Tide-forecast.com.
Local Covid Numbers
*Note: Yesterday's new Covid-19 cases (207) jumped by 53 from Monday's total, suggesting the "Weekend Effect" and lower testing rates due to Galungan have worn off. The 7-day average rose to 155. Fatalities remained stable with 8 deaths.
Click here to see the national numbers infographic and a Regency-by-Regency breakdown of yesterday’s local numbers.
The Big News
"Regent of Gianyar Says the Authority to Open Tourism is With the Central Government" from Bali Express (Indonesian): I Made Mahayastra said that the Ubud area is prepared to welcome the reopening of tourist visits, however, the opening of tourism areas in Gianyar is no longer the authority of the regional head. The authority to open tourism doors to Bali is purely in the hands of the Central Government. Moreover, the opening of tourism is also related to cooperation between countries. "Even if tourism in Bali is opened, it is not certain that tourists will come when the pandemic situation is not yet over," said Mahayastra.
Context: It is not mentioned in this article what percentage of Ubud area residents have received both doses of the vaccine. Elsewhere it has been reported that the government is still waiting for the completion of the second phase of vaccination in Ubud to open tourism, and that this is targeted to be completed in May. On Sunday it was reported that of the 600,000 Balinese citizens who have been vaccinated, one-third have received both doses. Tourism and Creative Economy Minister, Sandiaga Uno, has assured that the June-July reopening is “still on schedule.”
"Face Paint Mask: Calls for Deportation Against Influencers Who Pulled a Mask Prank in Bali Supermarket" from Coconuts Bali: Two influencers have drawn flak online for a prank video they did in Bali, in which one of them painted on a face mask while visiting a local supermarket. Being maskless in public is in violation of the province’s mandatory mask rule. The mask prank video has made it onto Balinese designer and politician Niluh Djelantik’s radar, who posted screengrabs of it on her social media accounts and called on immigration authorities to arrest and deport the influencers, who both appear to be foreign nationals. Others have taken to expressing their outrage in the comments, with mounting calls for authorities to kick them out of the country.
"Kadin: Gotong Royong Vaccination Starting Third Week of May" from Antara: Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Rosan P. Roeslani, said the [privately backed] Mutual Cooperation Vaccination Program will use the Sinopharm, CanSino, and Sputnik vaccines. Kadin noted that 17,387 companies had registered [for the program] with 8.6 million vaccination targets. Sinopharm will send 15 million doses gradually. For the Sputnik V vaccine, around 20 million doses from Russia are planned to be imported. The CanSino vaccine is currently in process and 5 million doses have been committed.
Context: The government has regulated that privately-funded vaccination programs must use different vaccines to those used in government programs. This article explains the differences between the Mutual Cooperation Vaccination program and the government's program in terms of funding, distribution, and implementation.
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Business is tough in the best of times, but these days - Wow. Thankfully, there’s a supportive spirit among the people who remain in Bali; this newsletter is proof. If you’ve got a product or service that needs local support to succeed, let this community know about it here.
Other Headlines
"Want To Get Vaccinated, Foreign Guests Must Get Recommendation From Their Respective Embassies" from Bali Prawara (Indonesian): Badung Regent Giri Prasta said that foreign guests who want to get vaccinated in Badung must get a recommendation from their respective embassies to avoid unwanted issues in the future. “For the South Kuta and Kuta regions, vaccination is being encouraged because this area is the entrance for domestic and foreign guests via air transportation. So the vaccination of the people of Kuta must be clear so that it can become a green zone,” he said.
Vaccination Update
"Indonesia Secures Vaccine Sources Amid Fiercer Competition" from The Jakarta Post (Metered Paywall): Indonesia has secured enough buy-ins from its partners to provide a steady supply of COVID-19 vaccines for its procurement pipeline, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said. He assured that the country would have enough options to continue its vaccination drive even if global shortages get worse. “Thank God that Indonesia has four sources [to choose from]."
Context: So far, Indonesia has imported four types of Covid-19 vaccine for its government-funded vaccination program: Astrazeneca from the UK/India, Sinovac from China, Novavax from America/Canada and Pfizer from Germany.
More...
Nation: "President Slams Noisy Debate on Homegrown Covid Vaccine" from The Jakarta Globe
Buleleng: "Boosting the Tourism Green Zone, Mass Vaccination Held in Kalibukbuk Lovina" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian)
Klungkung: "Prone to Covid-19, Market Traders in Klungkung Vaccinated" from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
Health Protocols (Prokes) & Patrols
Denpasar: "The Yustisi Team of Denpasar City Still Finds Prokes Violators" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
Jembrana: "The Yustisi Jembrana Team Still Finds Residents Ignoring Prokes" from Bali Express (Indonesian)
Economy & Infrastructure
"Indonesia Banking on Solar Power to Boost Renewable Energy Generation" from Antara: Indonesia is targeting to increase the share of renewable energy in its energy mix to 23% by 2025 from the current 11.2%.. Strategies include halting imports of fossil fuels and liquified petroleum gas (LPG) by 2030 and expediting solar power projects. Energy and Mineral Resources Minister, Arifin Tasrif, said the government is targeting to have 24,000 MW of installed capacity of environmentally-friendly electricity by 2025, and increase it to 38,000 MW by 2035. "We are attempting to use solar as the backbone of our national energy source," he said.
More...
"BI Maintains Benchmark Interest Rate at 3.5%" from Antara
"BI: March 2021, Electronic Money Transactions Grew 42.46%" from Antara Bali (Indonesian)
"Quarter I, Ministry Spending in Bali Has Exceeded the Target" from Bali Post (Indonesian)
"Shrinking Cargoes, Dozens of Ships at Padangbai Port Change Routes" from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
"Productivity of Bali Cocoa and Coffee is Still Low" from Bisnis Bali (Indonesian)
"Pandemic Covid-19 Increases Interest in Aquaculture in Lake Batur" from Bali Post (Indonesian)
"Stages of the Gilimanuk-Mengwi Toll Road Megaproject Waiting for Planning Revision" from Tribun Bali (Indonesian)
"Trade Minister Calls for Expansion of Furniture Export Market" from Antara
"Tourism Actors Encourage Gilimanuk Port to Operate GeNose C19 Immediately" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): Plans to use GeNose C19 as a screening tool for travelers through Gilimanuk Port have been welcomed by tourism actors. The Head of the Jembrana Culture and Tourism Office, Nengah Alit, said that in principle his party supports the use of GeNose C19 because it has been regulated in the Task Force regulations. Tourist visits are also expected to increase if you use the GeNose C19 test as one of the requirements for entering Bali. "As long as it is safe and comfortable for tourists, we support it," explained Nengah Alit.
Context: Yesterday we included a story about fully-vaccinated travelers entering at Gilimanuk Port still being required to take an antigen test. One of the interview sources said that the rapid antigen test is more burdensome for the public and more expensive, so the GeNose test should be implemented at the port.
"Bali Ranks Among Best Places to Work Remotely" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): In the midst of the economic downturn in Bali, it turns out that it is still able to capture the world's attention. Recently, global travel website Big 7 Travel published a list of the 50 best cities to work remotely from in 2021. [Among cities in Asia], Bali is said to be number one, followed by Chiang Mai (Thailand), Singapore, Hanoi, Shanghai, Dubai, Tokyo, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok and Taipei. Bali ranked fourth overall.
Of Interest
"Spreading Kartini's Light" from The Jakarta Post
"Deputy Governor Calls for Bali to Be Exempted From Mudik Ban, Says Tourists Are Not the Same as Exodus Travelers" from Coconuts Bali
"Lombok Airport Does Not Serve Commercial Flights for the Prohibited Homecoming Period" from Bisnis (Indonesian)
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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