April 23, 2021
Submarine missing in Bali waters only has oxygen until Saturday + Travel testing requirements tightened before & after mudik ban + Authorities confirm viral porn video was taken on Mount Batur + 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: There was a drop in new Covid-19 cases in Bali yesterday (168) after Wednesday's 196. The 7-day average edged up to 170. Recoveries jumped to 220 after Wednesday's 152. Total fatalities increased slightly, with 9 deaths.
Click here to see the national numbers infographic and a Regency-by-Regency breakdown of yesterday’s local numbers.
The Big News
"Indonesian Leader Orders All-out Effort to Find Submarine as Oxygen Runs Low" from Reuters: [The search effort] to find a submarine [that lost contact north of Bali at 4:30 am on Wednesday] is in a race against time to save the 53 crew, whose oxygen supply defense chiefs said would last only until Saturday. Yudo Margono, the navy chief of staff, said authorities had found an item with "high magnetic force" floating at a depth of 50 to 100 metres. The waters in the area are shallower than in other parts of the archipelago but can still reach depths of more than 1,500 metres. The navy said a blackout may have occurred during static diving, causing a loss of control and preventing emergency procedures from being carried out if the vessel falls to a depth of 600-700 metres.
Context: A submarine rescue expert has said that this particular vessel was only designed to dive to a depth of less than half the 600-700 meter depth. Countries around the world are offering to assist in the search; rescue ships from Malaysia and Singapore are due to arrive in the region sometime between Saturday and Monday; Australia said it would help “in any way we can;” while the United States, France, Germany, Russia, Turkey, and South Korea, have also offered aid to the Indonesian military. Click here for a chronology of the loss of Submarine KRI Nanggala-402.
"Homecoming Ban Expanded; New Rules Detailed Here" from Indonesian Expat: The COVID-19 Handling Task Force has issued an addendum to the circular letter [that prohibits the homecoming at the end of Eid Al-Fitr] to control the spread of COVID-19. “The purpose of the addendum is to anticipate an increase in the flow of people that has the potential to increase the transmission of cases between regions in the period before and after the homecoming ban period,” said chairperson of the COVID-19 Task Force, Doni Monardo. Therefore, the requirements for domestic travellers are tightened during 14 days prior the ban, covering 22nd April–5th May 2021, and for seven days following the travel ban, namely 18-24th May 2021. The previously issued rules on travel restrictions that cover 6-17th May 2021 will go ahead as planned.
"Authorities Confirm Viral Porn Video Was Taken on Bali’s Mount Batur" from Coconuts Bali: Authorities are working to identify the foreigners [in the film]. A short and censored clip taken from the original video started circulating widely online after it was shared by popular community accounts in Bali. Netizens were quick to point out that the video was taken on Mount Batur, which is considered one of the most sacred spots in Bali. “Our officer found the location, specifically along the hiking trail of Mount Batur, a bit above Pasar Agung Temple,” Bangli precinct chief I Gusti Agung Dhana Aryawan said. “We are coordinating with immigration to find out whether or not the people concerned are still in Bali.”
Context: Customary leaders at Batur Traditional Village said they will hold a “Guru Piduka” ceremony this Sunday to apologize to the gods and spiritually cleanse the area. The video has raised concern among religious leaders at Pasar Agung Temple who do not want similar videos to be made in the sacred area of nearby Mount Agung. The temple's public relations spokesperson said they would immediately coordinate with local guides to regulate climbing activities on Bali’s tallest and most sacred mountain.
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Other Headlines
"Authorities Seize Passport, Mull Possible Deportation of 2 Influencers Over Face Paint Mask Prank in Bali" from Coconuts Bali: I Putu Surya Dharma, a spokesman from the regional office for the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, explained that Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) officers will question the foreigners on Friday afternoon. The woman has been identified as a Russian national, while the man is a Taiwanese national. Separately, the head of Satpol PP Bali I Dewa Nyoman Rai Dharmadi said that the agency will issue a recommendation letter for Immigration to deport the two foreigners. “They are not only violating, but deliberately provoking in public, so it’s only proper to sanction them more severely, not just with a fine but also deportation.”
Vaccination Update
"In Three Months, Vaccinations in Bali Have Reached 650,000 First Injections, 170,000 Second Injections" from Tribun Bali (Indonesian): Head of the Bali Provincial Health Office, Dr. Ketut Suarjaya, said “[the second dose] is not finished yet because one day our target is 30,000 people, so it depends on the availability of the vaccine. He also stated that the AstraZeneca vaccine is only intended for the green zone which includes the Nusa Dua, Sanur and Ubud areas. "We ask that this district accelerates [vaccination] in accordance with the supply and hopefully the [next delivery of] vaccines will arrive soon."
Context: The article does not clarify why the AstraZeneca vaccine is only intended for the green zones.
More...
Nation: "Japan, UNICEF to Help Strengthen Indonesia's Vaccine Cold Chain" from Antara
Buleleng: "Vaccination in Buleleng Reaches 41.87%" from Nusa Bali
Denpasar: "The Denpasar City Government is Intensely Vaccinating the Elderly" from Antara Bali
Health Protocols (Prokes) & Patrols
Badung: "Disobedient, Prokes Hunting Team Take Action on 13 Residents" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
Denpasar: "Yustisi Team Again Nets 15 Prokes Violators" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
Economy & Infrastructure
"Indonesia's First-quarter Budget Deficit at 0.82% of GDP" from Antara
"The Price of Grain in Bali Begins to Improve" from Bali Express (Indonesian)
"Tabanan Working on Sustainable Food Agriculture" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian)
"Fermented Cocoa Exports from Bali Are Not As Strong as Farmers' Production" from Bisnis Bali (Indonesian)
"Government Targets Two Million Electric Vehicles Nationwide for 2025" from Antara
"Kemenparekraf Revises the Target of Tourist Visits" from Bali Post (Indonesian): The target of foreign and domestic tourist arrivals set out in the 2016-2021 Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJM) has been revised. Deputy for Marketing of the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Nia Niscaya, said this year's RPJM for foreign tourists has been adjusted to 4 million movements from the initial 19 million. The foreign exchange value is US$4.8 billion and for the creative economy it is US$17.45 billion. For domestic tourists, from 320 million the movements have been adjusted to 180 million.
"The Deputy Governor Describes Bali's Readiness to Open Tourism for Foreign Tourists" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): Deputy Governor of Bali, Tjokorda Oka Artha Arda Sukawati (Cok Ace), said tourism actors have been ready since last year. "Currently, the industry has issued around 1,800 CHSE certificates for hotels, restaurants and tourism destinations in Bali. Our infrastructure is sufficient, and the government continues to improve hospital services and additional inpatient rooms as well." He emphasized that the specimen testing laboratory for Covid-19 could test up to 3,000 samples per day.
Of Interest
"Intending to Catch Fish, Jembrana Fishermen Get Piles of Plastic Waste" from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
"President's Spokesperson Confirms No Talks Yet on Cabinet Reshuffle" from Antara
"Husband Who Pushed Wife Off Cliff During [Bali] Honeymoon is Jailed for 18 Years" from Newsweek
Weekend Reads
"'White Privilege' and the Pros and Cons of Health Protocols in Bali" from Voice of America
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.
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