August 4, 2021
Denpasar's 9 central isolation points 80% full + Buleleng Hospital overwhelmed, Covid patients treated in hallway + Vaccination not required for access to public places yet says health ministry + more
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Weather & Tides
Today’s Weather for Southern Bali
Today’s Tides
Meteorology, Climatology & Geophysics Council (Link)
Tide table from Tide-forecast.com.
Local Covid Numbers
*Note: Bali recorded its second-highest daily case total (1,411) and third-highest daily death toll (38) yesterday. Denpasar recorded 633 cases, the city's highest daily total. The 7-day average is now 1,260.
Click here to see the national numbers infographic and a Regency-by-Regency breakdown of yesterday’s local numbers.
The Big News
"Nine Denpasar Central Isolation Facilities 80% Filled" from Bali Post (Indonesian): The increasing number of positive cases in Denpasar has become a serious concern for the local government. The Denpasar City Government now has nine centralized isolation points spread across several locations, in the form of hotels, training centers, and government-owned boarding schools. Spokesperson for the Denpasar City Covid-19 Task Force, I Dewa Gede Rai, revealed that the policy to add more centralized isolation places continues to be encouraged. Of the nine centralized isolation places, Denpasar has a bed capacity of 973, of which 775 have been filled, or almost 80%. This number is dynamic, meaning that if someone has recovered, then the bed is empty again. The Mayor of Denpasar also asked traditional villages to create a centralized isolation place to serve its residents. "This pattern has been approved by several traditional villages that already have a place for centralized isolation," he said.
"Buleleng Hospital Overwhelmed, Covid-19 Patients Treated in Hallway" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): Medical personnel at Buleleng Hospital are starting to be overwhelmed by treating patients who are confirmed positive for Covid-19. Patients even had to be treated in the hallway of the treatment room. Dozens of others had to queue at the Emergency Room. Since Monday night, the atmosphere in the ER Buleleng Hospital has suddenly changed. In just one night, 38 patients confirmed positive for COVID-19 were admitted to the ER. The medical team on duty was shocked because the treatment room is full. "Since last night the condition is crowded. We have put some into the room, even if only with a folding bed. We are still evaluating a dozen others,” said the Director of the Buleleng Hospital, dr. Putu Arya Nugraha.
Context: The Buleleng Hospital director has asked private hospitals in the region to add treatment rooms to help ease Covid patient numbers.
"Vaccine Card Not for Access to Public Places Yet: Ministry" from Antara: The Ministry of Health has yet to hold discussions on the agenda pertaining to the use of COVID-19 vaccine cards as an administrative requirement for people to access public places. The Ministry of Health's COVID-19 Vaccination spokesperson, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, clarified that the vaccine card, as an access tool, was only a policy by some market managers in Jakarta that have started to make it mandatory for people to have the card to enter public places. The policy applies in the Tanah Abang Market, Central Jakarta, and several shopping centers in the local areas. She emphasized that the policy only applied in Jakarta as part of the regional autonomy. "It is a local policy from the regional government," she affirmed. Head of Health Handling of the COVID-19 Task Force Alexander K. Ginting assured that the vaccine card policy in Jakarta is not valid nationally. However, when queried if the government had a similar plan in the future, Ginting called for further assessment of the decision. "It is still a process," he said.
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Other Headlines
"House in Karangasem Hit by Landslide, Toddler Dies in Rubble" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): The heavy rain that has occurred in Banjar Dinas Pejeng, Menanga Village, Rendang District, Karangasem, Bali since Monday (2/8) has been a disaster for the family of I Wayan Putu Merta Nadi, 33. Due to heavy rains, he not only lost his house due to being buried by the landslide, but also his youngest son, I Komang Putra Adnyana. When he was about to put on his clothes, at around 06.00, he was shocked to hear the rumbling and falling of the walls of his room. Next, hearing a roar, he immediately rushed to save his wife and three children in the room where they were asleep. “My thoughts went straight to my wife and children. I tried to save them,” said Merta Nadi. His wife and two of their children managed to survive despite suffering minor abrasions and dislocated hands. Rendang Police Chief, Commissioner I Made Sudartawan, said, "It's been raining for the past three days. Because of the rain, the ground became unstable and a landslide occurred. We urge the public to remain vigilant because the current weather conditions are unpredictable."
Vaccination Update
Karangasem: "Vaccination Achievement Reaches 92.34%, Karangasem Ready to Become Green Zone" from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
Jembrana: "Vaccine Raid in Market Nets Dozens of Visitors and Traders" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
Health Protocols (Prokes) & Health Services
"9 Residents Confirmed for Covid-19 Forcibly Picked Up by Covid-19 Task Force" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): The Covid-19 Task Force, assisted by the Abiansemal Police, Bhabinkamtibmas, Mambal, Punggul, and Sangeh Villages, Badung, forced 9 residents exposed to Covid-19 to carry out Isoter (centralized isolation). This forced pick-up was carried out in various locations. The Covid-19 task force picked up two positive residents in Banjar Gumasih, Mambal Village. Then 3 positive people in Sangeh Village and four in Punggul Village, Abiansemal. The exposed residents will carry out Isoter to the Bakung Sari Hotel, Kuta. Abiansemal Police Chief Kompol Ruli Agus Susanto, SH, MH said this is done so that family and neighbors can avoid the transmission of the Covid-19 outbreak, especially the new Delta variant.
More...
Nation: "Three Regions Outside Java-Bali See Spike in Covid Cases" from Antara
Province: "Oxygen Demand Soars Due to Covid-19, TNI in Bali Receives Concentrators" from Tribun Bali (Indonesian)
Badung: "9 Residents Confirmed for Covid-19 Forcibly Picked Up by the Covid-19 Task Force" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
Badung: "Preventing Prokes Violations, Mengwi Police Activates PPKM Command Posts in Market" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
Buleleng: "Oxygen Stock in Buleleng Getting Low Again" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
Economy & Infrastructure
"Five Ways to Turn Bali Into a 'Zoom Island' for Global Remote Workers" from The Conversation: More than a year living with the pandemic has changed the way we think about work. A LinkedIn Workforce Confidence survey found about half (50%) of respondents say flexibility of hours or locations has become more important to them. Companies are starting to adapt to this new reality. Big tech companies like Facebook and Twitter have made remote work long-term. Under this remote working trend caused by COVID-19, “Zoom towns” are popping up. Some are taking advantage of this phenomenon, including Bali. Bali has the facilities and is well-positioned to take advantage of the changing world of work. It is already a popular destination for a tribe of digital nomads – those whose jobs are not location-bound. In 2019, Bali had almost 5,000 digital nomads, the highest number in Southeast Asia. Other regions such as Yogyakarta are also expressing interest in capturing part of this digital nomad market.
More...
Nation: "Govt Halts New Business Licensing as Updated OSS Launch Glitches for Third Time" from The Jakarta Post (Metered Paywall)
Nation: "53 Tons West Kalimantan Durians Sent to China Every Two Months" from Antara
Nation: "Furniture and Craft Exports Increased by 35.41% Amid Pandemic" from Antara
Nation: "Pertamina Finds Place on 2021 Fortune Global 500 List" from Antara
Nation: "Industry Ministry Seeking to Build Gaming Industry Ecosystem" from Antara
Badung: "Ngurah Rai Airport Serves 84,115 Passengers During July 2021" from Bali Prawara (Indonesian)
Buleleng: "Large Harvest for Buleleng Coffee Farmers, Many Buyers Delay Dry Coffee Purchases" from Bali Post (Indonesian)
Tabanan: "Southern Tabanan Will Be Designated as Tourist Area" from Suara Bali (Indonesian)
Bali Reopening
"Jokowi Asked to Open Bali Tourism on August 17th" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): The central government through the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment (Marvest), Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, gave a signal that economic activity would be opened in stages in September 2021. Tourism actors in Bali have welcomed this. However, the gradual opening in September was considered too long. "Let alone September, even today if tourism destinations are opened, we in Bali, especially in Samigita (Seminyak, Legian, Kuta) are ready to open," said I Wayan Puspa Negara, observer and practitioner of Bali tourism. "We propose to President Jokowi that economic activities in Bali can be opened on August 17, as a gift for independence day," he said. The former member of the Badung DPRD emphasized that tourism destinations in Bali are ready to open because they have carried out CHSE verification and certification. Head of the Bali Provincial Tourism Office, I Putu Astawa, also stated that Bali is very ready if Bali opens in September. "If there are no obstacles, the second dose of vaccination for 3 million people or 70% of herd immunity, will be achieved in September. We are very supportive, if the central government allows Bali to open," he said.
"Minister Uno to Ease Aid Distribution for Tourism Enterprises" from Antara: Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno is working to streamline the aid distribution process, specifically its data collection and mechanism aspects, for tourism and creative economy entrepreneurs. One of the steps taken by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy is preparing the data collection application. "This application is designed to support data collection and aid distribution from the government," Uno noted. The minister remarked that beyond supporting data collection of potential aid recipients, the data collection application is also designed so that the productive aid for micro-enterprises (BPUM), social aid, and productive aid for tourism enterprises are accurate and accountable. The government has prepared aid for the National Economic Recovery (PEN) Program, with a budget ceiling of Rp2.4 trillion, to be distributed for the tourism and creative economy sectors within several programs. The aid is aimed at enterprises in the tourism and creative economy sectors to prevent work termination. The aid is also directed at super priority tourism destinations and not just Java and Bali.
"Covid Brought to Surface Fundamental Issues Facing Nation: DPD Chief" from Antara: Regional Representative Council (DPD) chief A. A. La Nyalla Mahmud Mattalitti has said, "The biggest lesson to take away from COVID-19 is that it has highlighted fundamental issues that we have not yet seriously thought out across numerous sectors that have all been closed all this time." The first fundamental issue is how vulnerable and fragile Indonesia's health sector is. Everyone has seen how Indonesia's health facilities almost collapsed due to the spike in COVID-19 cases, he said. The second fundamental issue concerns the resiliency of the social sector, saying the government is facing difficulty in promptly distributing social aid to citizens impacted by COVID-19. The next problem concerns the resiliency of Indonesia's education sector. Supporting infrastructure for learning activities, which have been shifted online, has been found wanting, he explained. "The quality of the learning activity reflects how unprepared Indonesia is and how unable they are to adhere to a standard. This is a major task for us citizens who will celebrate the 76th anniversary of our independence on August 17 later."
"UNESCO Calls on Indonesian Gov’t to Halt Tourism Projects in Komodo National Park" from Coconuts Bali: UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee has urged the Indonesian government to halt infrastructure projects for tourism at the Komodo National Park in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), citing concerns over potential impacts on the environment. The latest update was recently brought up by a collective known online as @KawanBaikKomodo. They have actively campaigned for natural conservation and sustainable development in NTT, particularly with regards to the national park, which was declared a World Heritage Site in 1991. In a publicly available document from a session held just last month, the World Heritage Committee raised their concerns over various projects undertaken and planned around the park, further urging the Indonesian government to “halt all tourism infrastructure projects” and to submit an environmental impact assessment for review to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In response to the news from UNESCO, Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno said yesterday that his office will work with the Ministry of Environment and Forestry with regard to the environmental impact assessment.
Context: You can access the UNESCO World Heritage Committee's document on concerns surrounding the Komodo National Park tourism developments here.
Of Interest
"Indonesia Celebrates Olympic Gold Offering the Winners Five Cows, a Meatball Soup Restaurant, and a New House" from ABC News
"List of Traditional Balinese Musical Instruments You Need to Know" from Kumpuran (Indonesian)
"Presidential Plane’s Paint Job Panned as Pointless Pandemic Outlay" from Coconuts Jakarta
"Police Hunting Stranger Who Gave Razor Blade and Staples-ladened Chocolate Wafers to Children" from Coconuts Jakarta
"Cool as She Likes It: Orangutan in Indonesian Zoo Tries on Sunglasses in Viral TikTok Video" from Coconuts Jakarta
"VIDEO: Hundreds of Australians Still Stranded in Bali" from ABC News
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 with Bali Solidarity. 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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