December 20, 2021
Bali police prepare three prokes operations for over Christmas & New Year’s + Omicron thought to have entered Indonesia on Nov. 27 + Minister of Tourism reviews vaccinations for foreigners + more
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The Bali Beat will be taking a break over the Christmas and New Year’s period. The last edition of 2021 will be on Friday, December 24 and we’ll be back in your inbox on Monday, January 3, 2022.
Weather & Tides
Today’s Weather for Southern Bali
Today’s Tides
Meteorology, Climatology & Geophysics Council (Link)
Tide table from Tide-forecast.com.
Daily Covid Update
National Figures
Local Figures
Note: The running average of new cases is at the lowest level it has been since April 2020. Cases in treatment also dropped back below 100 over the weekend.
The Big News
“Bali Police Prepare Three Police Operations During Nataru” from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): Ahead of the 2022 Christmas and New Year celebrations, the Bali Police will carry out three integrated police operations. The implementation of this police operation will mobilize 1,497 Polri personnel. The deployment of thousands of troops ahead of Nataru was sparked when the Bali Police Chief, Inspector General Pol. Drs. Putu Jayaan Danu Putra, participated in the coordination meeting for the control of Covid-19 on the Nataru holiday on Sunday. “The Bali Police are currently carrying out Safe Operation Nusa Agung II which specifically handles Covid-19 control. To secure Christmas and New Year celebrations, such as reducing crime and traffic accidents and controlling Covid-19, the Bali Police will carry out the Great Candle Operation," he said.
Context: Similar stories noting a need for heightened vigilance, ran over the weekend from across Bali (Indonesian), including Tabanan (Indonesian), Jembrana (Indonesian), Klungkung (Indonesian), and the airport (Indonesian).
“Omicron Allegedly Entered Indonesia On Nov. 27” from Bali Post (Indonesian): The Ministry of Health has traced the origin of the entry of the Omicron variant from COVID-19 to Indonesia. It is suspected that Omicron first entered on November 27. According to an official statement from the Head of the Communication and Public Service Bureau of the Ministry of Health, Widyawati, the cleaning officer who was confirmed to be infected with the Omicron variant, had never traveled abroad. So that it can be concluded that it was infected by Indonesian citizens who came from abroad and were quarantined at the Athlete's House. After tracing the cases of Indonesian citizens who were positive for COVID-19 at Wisma Atlet for the past 14 days, it is most likely that the index case of Omicron was an Indonesian citizen who arrived from Nigeria on 27 November.
“Minister of Tourism Reviews Covid-19 Vaccination Centers for Foreigners in Bali” from Tribun Bali (Indonesian): The vaccination center for foreigners is currently taking place at The Royal Santrian Hotel. "Foreigners but do not have a NIK who have not been vaccinated the total number may be more than 3,000," said Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno on Saturday. A total of 1,300 foreigners have registered since the vaccination registration was opened.
Context: The story does not make clear if foreigners require a KITAS and NIK to receive a vaccination.
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Other Headlines
“3,000 People Enter Indonesia from Abroad Every Day” from CNN Indonesia (Indonesian): The Covid-19 Handling Task Force said that around 3,000 international travelers enter Indonesia every day, thus the duration of time and the availability of quarantine locations are a challenge. "The challenge is the long quarantine period," said Head of Behavior Change for the Covid-19 Handling Task Force Sonny B. Harmadi on Saturday. According to Sonny, the current health quarantine capacity in Indonesia is around 20,000 rooms. That number will not be sufficient if it has to accommodate the arrival of about 3,000 people every day.
Vaccination Update
“House Member Asks Govt to Use Halal Vaccines” from Antara: Deputy chairman of Commission IX of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Melkiades Laka Lena, has asked the Health Minister to formulate a policy for use of halal and clean COVID-19 vaccine boosters for Muslims. The booster vaccination program is planned to start in early January 2022. "Indonesian Muslims' rights must be fully protected. Moreover, there is currently a COVID-19 vaccine that already has a halal certificate," said Lena on Saturday. There are currently two vaccines—Sinovac and Zifivax—that have received a 100% halal and clean certificate from the MUI, Lena said.
More...
Nation: “Administrative Problems Persist in Vaccine Accessibility” from The Jakarta Post (Metered Paywall)
Nation: “106.02 Million Indonesians Fully Immunized Against Covid-19” from Antara
Nation: “Regions With Low Vaccination Rates to Face Sanctions” from Antara
Nation: “Indonesia Receives 2,288,520 Doses of Pfizer Vaccines” from Antara
Health Protocols (Prokes) & Health Services
“Health Ministry Again Detects Two New Omicron Cases in Indonesia” from Antara: The Indonesian Health Ministry has detected two more patients infected with the Omicron variant, thereby bringing the total case count until Friday to three, according to the ministry's official. "The two most recent patients are a male patient who traveled from South America and another male patient who traveled from England. Currently, both are undergoing quarantine at Wisma Atlet," spokesperson for COVID-19 Vaccination Siti Nadia Tarmizi said on Saturday. Tarmizi remarked that the two patients were detected following the results of an examination of samples from five likely Omicron cases wherein the sufferers had recently returned from abroad.
Context: Media reports late last week stated Indonesia had detected five probable cases of which these two appear to be a part of.
More...
Nation: “Indonesia to Stick to Current Curbs for Christmas, New Year’s” from The Jakarta Post (Metered Paywall)
Nation: “Govt Urged to Increase Surveillance at Airports” from Antara
Jembrana: “Rabies Cases Soar, Dog Population Control Intensified” from Nusa Bali (Indonesian)
Economy & Infrastructure
“North Bali International Airport MOU Signed” from Bali Post (Indonesian): A memorandum of understanding for North Bali International Airport development plan has been signed between PT Waskita Karya Tbk and PT BIBU Panji Sakti. The MoU is related to the construction of supporting facilities and infrastructure. Broadly speaking, the scope of cooperation between the two corporations includes runways, taxiways, aprons, passenger terminals, parking buildings, cargo, and administrative buildings. Other supporting work includes maintenance, repair and overhaul as well as access infrastructure work in the form of roads and others.
More...
Nation: “Omicron Discovery Could Delay Economic Recovery” from The Jakarta Post (Metered Paywall)
Nation: “Investors' Trust in Indonesia High Despite Omicron Emergence” from Antara
Nation: “Hotel Room Prices in Lombok Soar Ahead of MotoGP” from Bali Bisnis (Indonesian)
Denpasar: “Dozens of Farmers Receive Aid from Denpasar Government” from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
Education
More...
Bali Reopening
“Bali Vice Governor Asks For More Flights” from Radar Bali (Indonesian): Deputy Governor of Bali Prof. Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati emphasized that the Bali Provincial Government will continue to struggle to voice the aspirations of tourism actors, especially regarding criticism of a number of regulations that are considered to be hampering the revival of Bali’s tourism sector. According to him, from the government's monitoring, the arrival of domestic tourists is recognized to have increased. Even the latest data, said Cok Ace, the number of arrivals of wisdom has touched the figure of 13,000 per day. According to him, this condition needs to be immediately evaluated by the transportation authority so that passengers who want to go to Bali are not hampered.
Context: Other media reported the Directorate General of Civil Aviation at the Indonesian Ministry of Transportation has stated there will be no additional flights over the holiday period.
More...
“Some Southeast Asian Tourism Spots Reopen, but Arrivals Are Down From Millions to Dozens” from The New York Times (Metered Paywall)
“Visa Policy to Quarantine Foreign Tourists in Bali will be Evaluated” from Tribun Bali (Indonesian)
“Room Occupancy in Nusa Dua Over 50%” from Tribun Bali (Indonesian)
Of Interest
“Tornado Damages Dozen of Houses in Central Lombok” from Antara
“Foreigners in Bali Sleep on the Sidewalk, Allegedly Drunk” from Kompas (Indonesian)
“Security Guard Faces 20 Years Jail for Drug Trafficking” from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
“Because of Google Maps, Tourist Buses Get Stuck on Narrow Roads” from Suara Bali (Indonesian)
“Tank-like Object Found in Natuna Waters” from Berita Bali (Indonesian)
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How You Can Help Bali
Due to the collapse of the tourism sector in Bali, tens of thousands of families have found themselves with a greatly reduced income—if any. If you’d like to support organizations working to help those in need, you can see a list of some here.
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