April 30, 2021
Agriculture becomes province's leading sector during pandemic + Kuta competes to join Sanur, Ubud and Nusa Dua as Green Zone + 480 students return to Bali by bus for Eid + 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 (132) after Wednesday's 166, bringing the 7-day average down to 126. On the 29th of last month, it was 40 cases higher, at 166. Fatalities decreased to 6 yesterday.
Click here to see the national numbers infographic and a Regency-by-Regency breakdown of yesterday’s local numbers.
The Big News
"During the Covid-19 Pandemic, Agriculture Becomes the Leading Sector in Bali" from Bisnis Bali (Indonesian): The Head of Policy Analysis for the Bali Bachelor of Economics Association (ISEI) I Gusti Wayan Murjana Yasa said a number of areas in Bali have experienced a shift in their leading sectors. In Jembrana, tourism is no longer a leading sector during the pandemic, and was replaced by agriculture, forestry and fisheries as well as the transportation and warehousing sectors. The same happened in Tabanan, where the leading sectors during the Covid-19 pandemic are agriculture, forestry and fisheries as well as the government administration sector. The agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors are still among the leading sectors in Bangli and Karangasem. Meanwhile, Badung continues to have the food, drink and accommodation sector as a leading sector in the midst of the pandemic. However, some sectors continued to increase, such as the information and communication sector and construction.
"Hundreds of Students From Bali Returned Through the Mengwi-Badung Terminal" from Antara Bali (Indonesian): The Coordinator of the Type A Satpel Terminal in Mengwi, Badung, Achmad Erwin Rahadi, said that as many as 480 students from Bali had been sent home using five tourist buses. The 480 students are from the Darassalam Islamic Boarding School Foundation in Surabaya. The students are required to carry a negative antigen test result. He said the students had returned to celebrate Eid with their families in Bali, and that each of the students had brought a lot of items. The families who picked them up were not allowed to enter the terminal lobby to minimize the spread of Covid-19. “There are only five buses for the time being. However, it is possible that there will be other groups.”
"Kuta is Not a Green Zone, This is How it Will Try to Become One" from Bali Post (Indonesian): The status of the COVID-19 Green Zones in Bali is only held by Nusa Dua, Sanur and Ubud. Kuta is not included in the Green Zones, even though it is a famous destination in the world. Therefore, Head of the Kuta Police, Commissioner I Nyoman Gatra, made a creative breakthrough by designing a COVID-19 free competition at the village level towards the green zone. "Kuta must be embarrassed by this condition. Let us jointly carry out tourism recovery with the discipline of implementing prokes so that Kuta is clean from COVID-19. Hopefully when tourism opens, Kuta is ready."
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Other Headlines
"Indonesia Labels Papua Separatists as Terrorists" from the Jakarta Globe: The Indonesian government officially labeled an armed separatist group in the easternmost province of Papua as a terrorist organization on Thursday without citing the group's name. The decision, which immediately drew objection from the Papua governor, came after a series of attacks on security officials that killed two people since Sunday.
Context: Yesterday we included this story about the alleged killing of ten people in a gun battle in Papua over the weekend. The governor of Papua, Lukas Enembe, has asked the central government to re-assess the labeling of the armed group as terrorists. "We are of the opinion that the study must be comprehensive by taking into account the social impacts, economic impacts and legal impacts on Papuans in general," he said. In response to the terrorist label, the chair of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), Benny Wenda, said, "We know that this order will lead to more killings, torture and suffering for my people."
Health Protocols (Prokes) & Patrols
"Five Employees Become Suspects, Victims of Used Test Equipment Reach 30,000 People" from Kompas (Indonesian) (Metered Pawall): The North Sumatra Regional Police named 5 suspects using used antigen test kits at the Kimia Farma Laboratory at Kualanamu Airport. The crimes were committed since December 2020 with 30,000 victims and the five employees made a profit of Rp. 1.8 billion. "We are still investigating this case, including to see if the company is involved. We have to protect the community,” said the Head of North Sumatra Regional Police, Inspector General RZ Panca Putra Simanjuntak, in Medan, Thursday (29/4/2021).
More...
Nation: "Pakistan and the Philippines Arrivals Get 14-Day Quarantine" from Indonesia Expat
Nation: "Regarding Tourism Activities During Lebaran Holidays, This is the Explanation of the Central Covid-19 Task Force" from Bali Post (Indonesian)
Badung: "Prohibition of Going Home, Passenger Surge Has Not Yet Been Seen at Ngurah Rai Airport" from iNews Bali (Indonesian)
Denpasar: "Yustisi Team Again Nets 8 Prokes Violators" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian)
Lombok: "Lombok Airport Starts Using the GeNose C19 Test, Pay IDR 40,000 for One Test" from Bisnis Bali (Indonesian)
Economy & Infrastructure
"Tourism Grants To Continue This Year, Interested?" from Bisnis Bali (Indonesian): The Head of Bank Indonesia Representative Office for Bali Province, Trisno Nugroho, confirmed that the grant funds for Bali tourism recovery will continue to be distributed this year. Last year, Bali had received tourism grants worth IDR1.18 trillion, 30% of which or IDR354.91 billion was managed by the regional government and 70% or IDR825.1 billion as assistance to business actors. The highest amount of grant funds was channeled to Badung, amounting to IDR948 billion. Then following was Gianyar amounting to IDR135 billion, Denpasar IDR52 billion, Buleleng IDR13.4 billion, Karangasem IDR13.6 billion, Klungkung IDR9.7 billion, Tabanan IDR7.4 billion, Jembrana IDR1.7 billion, and the lowest was Bangli amounting to IDR991 million.
More...
Nation: "Ministry of Agriculture: Indonesia's Spice Exports Have Increased by Dozens of Percent" from Antara Bali (Indonesian)
Gianyar: "Gumicik Beach Is Fitted With an Abrasion-resistant Embankment" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian)
Karangasem: "Residents of Bukit Geruduk are Not Getting Water" from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
"Bali Will Form a Traditional Medicine Association" from Bisnis Bali (Indonesian): Bali plans to form an institution or association that connects farmers and traditional medicine entrepreneurs to support business development in the region. Deputy Governor of Bali, Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardana Sukawati, said that Bali is famous for its treatments that have been passed down from generation to generation. In an effort to support the development of traditional medicine or Usada Bali and avoid unhealthy competition, it is necessary to form an association to accommodate these traditional medicine entrepreneurs. In fact, in the future, if possible, he also hopes that a cooperative will be formed that can connect entrepreneurs with local farmers.
"In One Day, Two Fires Scorch Houses and Shophouses in Gianyar" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): The first incident was in Pering Village, Blahbatuh District, while the second incident occurred in Keliki Village, Tegalalang District. The fire was extinguished by firefighters (Damkar). According to the Head of the Gianyar Civil Service Police Unit (Satpol PP), Made Watha, who is in charge of the Damkar, the first incident occurred at house in Banjar Patolan, Pering Village, which was engulfed by flames. The home owner suffered a loss of up to Rp 5 million. At the second location, a fire broke out in a shophouse in Banjar Keliki Kawan, Keliki Village. I Wayan Kandra's 3x4 meter shophouse caught fire allegedly due to incense sprinkling. The fire was handled by Damkar in 25 minutes. As a result of this incident, the loss reached Rp. 100 million.
Of Interest
"Sad News, Legendary Balinese Pop Singer I Ketut Bimbo Passes Away in Banyuatis" from Tribun Bali (Indonesian)
"Sanur Tourism Community Lost Ida Pedanda Nabe Gede Dwija Ngenjung" from Antara Bali (Indonesian)
"Farming Pot Abroad: the Indonesians Living Overseas as Marijuana Farmers" from The Jakarta Post
"Influencer Runs Away With IDR20 Billion Arisan Money, Arrested After Flaunting Luxurious Bali Lifestyle" from Coconuts Bali
"Japan to Introduce 'Vaccine Passports' for International Travel" from Kyodo News
"Starting May 18, AirAsia Airline Baggage is No Longer Free, These are the Rates" from Kompas (Indonesian)
"The Boar Demon Hunt That Shook the Internet" from The Jakarta Post (Metered Paywall)
"Officials Defend Decision to Move Rescued Dolphins to Bali Exotic Marine Park Despite Criticism" from Coconuts Bali (Indonesian)
"Jet Ski Running Out of Petrol, Filipino Tourists and Guide Bobbing in the Bali Sea" from iNews Bali (Indonesian)
Weekend Reads
"Indonesia’s Last Chance to Save Domestic Garment Makers" from The Ken (Metered Paywall): Cheap products from overseas are pricing out Indonesian garment makers. Some complain that a wave of cheap imported products, discounted even further on e-commerce sites, is ruining their market. They’ve caught the government’s ear. Looking for culprits, it blames e-commerce. A new rule to stop e-commerce price-dumping is due in June. But the problem runs deeper. The textile sector has been in a decades-long decline. Low-end manufacturers are hit the hardest. What to do?
"From Public Temples to Sad Kahyangan, Get to Know the Categories of Temples in Bali" from Tribun Bali (Indonesian): When speaking of Bali, it cannot be separated from the title Island of a Thousand Temples. The reason is, Bali is home to many temples that are located in all directions from the coast, land, to the mountains and remote villages. Based on research around 1978, there are at least 12,502 temples throughout Bali. However, not many people know what the category of temples is in this Island of the Gods.
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
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