December 8, 2021
Conflicting reports over cancellation of Christmas & New Year’s + Badung flood victims to receive aid + Extreme weather triggers flooding in Lombok + 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.
Daily Covid Update
National Figures
Local Figures
The Big News
“The Government Cancels Implementing PPKM Level 3 Equally but Enforces Tightening” from Antara Bali (Indonesian): The government has decided not to cancel PPKM level 3 in the Christmas and New Year periods equally in all regions, but to impose a number of restrictions. Thus, the implementation of the PPKM level during Christmas and New Year will follow the assessment of the pandemic situation as applicable, but with some tightening. "Travel conditions will continue to be tightened, especially at the border for passengers from abroad. However, the PPKM policy during the Christmas and New Year period will be made more balanced, accompanied by testing and tracing activities that continue to be intensified," said the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment. Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan on Monday.
Context: The situation is unclear with many contrasting news stories on the topic. Details of what this cancellation will mean are yet to be revealed, though it appears the underlying health protocols will remain in place and fireworks remain banned (Indonesian). While the spokesperson for Badung regency said they were awaiting clarification (Indonesian) and the Deputy Governor came out in support of the revocation (Indonesian).
“Residents Affected by Flood Disasters in Badung Will Receive Aid” from Radar Bali (Indonesian): Residents who live around the Tukad Mati Legian river basin and were flooded on Tuesday will receive assistance. Head of the Badung Social Service I Ketut Sudarsana said that the flood victims would receive assistance. “Since Monday night our staff has been out in the field. We have also coordinated with Legian Village for the data collection process," said Sudarsana on Wednesday. He said the amount of assistance that would be provided was unlimited, though only basic needs can be provided such as food, food utensils, and bedding. "Because it is a disaster, we will make sure to provide assistance, but still according to the corridors and applicable rules. Moreover, there are babies who are also affected. Later, the assistance we will provide is for basic needs such as basic necessities,” he said.
Context: As of this morning, some areas of Legian remain inundated (Indonesian).
“Extreme Weather Triggers Floods in Lombok” from Republika (Indonesian): As many as 404 families were affected by the flood disaster in West Lombok Regency on Monday morning, and the day before, floods hit East Lombok. "Extreme weather triggered heavy rains that flushed the West Lombok area. Thus, this caused flooding in Ranjok Village, Gunung Sari District," said Acting Head of the Disaster Data, Information and Communication Center of the National Disaster Management Agency, Abdul Muhari said on Monday. Currently, he added, water is still flooding the village with water levels ranging from 50 to 100 centimeters. In some areas, especially in Keruan District, inundation is also caused by rising tides so that tidal flooding cannot be avoided. He quoted the BPBD of East Lombok Regency as saying that not only heavy rainfall and high tides, but also drainage clogged with garbage and unable to accommodate water discharge. Luckily, there were no reports of casualties or residents who were displaced due to the flood.
Context: Other media reports have flooding levels in areas of Lombok at 1.5 metres (Indonesian), some requiring food aid (Indonesian) and rice fields being damaged (Indonesian). Losses on Lombok have been estimated to exceed IDR 100 million (Indonesian).
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Other Headlines
“Bad Environmental Management is the Cause of Floods in Bali” from Detik (Indonesian): Several areas in Bali have been hit by floods in recent days. The Indonesian Forum for the Environment Bali assessed that extreme weather could not be used as a reason for triggering floods. "Extreme weather cannot be used as an argument for flooding, but rather poor environmental management," said Walhi Bali Executive Director I Made Juli Untung Pratama on Tuesday. According to Juli, the existence of green open space in Bali is currently less than 30%. In addition, the massive land use change is considered the main cause of flooding. "(This condition) worsens the environmental conditions for managing and distributing irrigation canals, because the number of subaks that have the function of maintaining waterways is decreasing day by day," he said.
Context: The above story also mentions the Denpasar to Gilimanuk Highway project. Mongabay published a comprehensive look at the possible environmental impact of the project in mid-November.
Vaccination Update
“Task Force Says Vaccination in Regions is Still Low Due to Lack of Vaccinators” from CNN Indonesia (Indonesian): The Covid-19 Handling Task Force said the low achievement of coronavirus vaccinations in several regions of Indonesia was due to the limited number of vaccinators. Spokesperson for the Covid-19 Task Force, Wiku Adisasmito, said that logistical access to the Covid-19 vaccine to rural areas was still a special challenge. "A number of vaccination challenges are related to logistical problems for the Covid-19 vaccine and also vaccinators in a number of vaccinator areas that are still limited," said Wiku on Tuesday.
Context: The lack of vaccinators comment contrasts with news from Monday suggesting over-sized demand for Sinovac required the brakes being put on the nation’s vaccination drive. Also see this Lombok MotoGP story (also listed below) which quotes the Task Force as saying there is plenty of vaccination supply.
More...
Nation: “Indonesia Receives 1.5 Million Moderna Vaccines From US” from Antara
Nation: “Indonesia’s Teen Vaccination Rate Surpasses 75%” from The Jakarta Globe
Nation: “Gov't Targets Second-dose Vaccination to Reach 41.8% by End of 2021” from Antara
Health Protocols (Prokes) & Health Services
“Bali Health Office Urges Residents to Be Aware of Dengue Fever” from Radar Bali (Indonesian): Although positive confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Bali continue to decline, the number of cases of Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever has increased. According to data from the Bali Provincial Health Office, in September 2021 yesterday, there were 47 cases of dengue fever. Furthermore, in October it increased to 64 cases and in November to 120 cases. When totaled from January to November 2021, there were 2,426 cases of dengue fever with the number of deaths reaching 5 people. The head of the Bali Provincial Health Office, Dr. Ketut Suarjaya, on Tuesday appealed to residents to be aware of the rainy season, the density of mosquitoes would increase.
More...
Nation: “PCR Devices Installed at Six International Entry Points Amid Omicron Threat” from Antara
Economy & Infrastructure
“Fish Exports Reached IDR 218 Billion in November 2021” from Bali Express (Indonesian): The Denpasar Fish Quarantine, Quality Control and Fishery Products Safety Center recorded the value of fishery exports in November 2021 of IDR 218.75 billion. This figure has increased by 12.58% compared to the value of exports in 2020 in the same period reaching IDR 194.31 billion. This was conveyed by the Head of BKIPM Denpasar, Anwar. Anwar detailed that the export value of live fish in November 2021 was IDR 12.28 billion. It decreased by 35.61% compared to 2020 in the same period, the export value of live fish reached 19.08 billion rupiah. The top five live fish commodities exported in November were coral, marine ornamental fish, milkfish fry, grouper, and shrimp. Meanwhile, the top five non-living fish commodities exported in November were tuna, squid, pearls, snapper, and marlin.
More...
Province: “Bali's Economic Direction, Balance Tourism with Other Sectors” from Bali Bisnis (Indonesian)
Karangasem: “Governor Koster Ready to Facilitate Salt Farmers in Bali” from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
Education
“School Holidays in Bali Postponed to Early January 2022” from iNews Bali (Indonesian): The Bali Province Education and Sports Agency issued new rules regarding the distribution of student report cards and school holidays at the end of the semester, with both being postponed to January 2022. The Head of Bali's Sports and Sports Agency, Ketut Ngurah Boy Jayawibawa, said that he had issued a circular regarding this matter. "It contains the distribution of report cards on December 18, 2020 and the end of the semester holiday is postponed to early January," Boy said on Monday. Boy said the decision followed the instructions from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology regarding the implementation of learning ahead of the Christmas and New Year holidays. According to him, the postponement of the distribution of report cards and school holidays is to prevent mobility from 24 December 2021 to 2 January 2022.
Bali Reopening
“Sandiaga Uno Lauds Domestic Tourist Mobility as Tourism's Savior” from Tempo: The Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno on Monday said the number of international tourist visitations this year slumped 75% due to Covid-19 restrictions but has seen domestic tourists keep the local tourism afloat. “There is good news. That tourism is now kept alive by domestic tourists and has become our savior,” said the Minister on Monday. However, despite his enthusiasm in lauding local tourist mobility, he did not reveal the exact numbers. The Minister said he is eyeing on attracting up to 2 million international tourists in 2022 which is an official goal presented to House legislators.
Context: In a related development, the chairman of the Denpasar PHRI refuted comments by the Vice President yesterday (Indonesian) saying hotels were overbooked, stating occupancy is around 20% (Indonesian).
“Bali Governor Asks Tourism Actors to Reopen With Prudence” from Antara
“Bali Deserves an Exception to the Travel Restriction Rules” from Suara Bali (Indonesian)
“Sandiaga Uno Says Six Tourist Destinations in Bali Will Be Visited by G20 Delegates” from Tribun Bali (Indonesian)
“Second Dose of Vaccination Intensified to Support Mandalika MotoGP” from Republika (Indonesian): Central Lombok Police together with the TNI and local government have held a consolidation meeting for the acceleration of the Covid-19 vaccination second dose. The acceleration of the second dose vaccination is to support the MotoGP event at the Mandalika Circuit in 2022. "The achievement of the second dose of vaccination in Pujut District, which is the location for the motorbike race, is still below 50%, which is 39,510 doses, so it is important to increase vaccinations to increase the immunity of residents," said Central Lombok Police Chief, AKBP Hery Indra Cahyono on Tuesday. "There is still a lot of vaccine stock available, all parties must play their maximum role to ensure that dose two vaccination runs optimally and the vaccination target can be achieved 100%," he said.
Context: As of yesterday, according to official government data for Central Lombok (where the MotoGP will be held), the first dose vaccination level is 73% and the second dose is 47%.
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Of Interest
“Kato Lampo Waterfall Has Reopened” from Nusa Bali (Indonesian)
Christmas Markets at Deus: Support Mission Paws’ible and the dogs of Bali! Saturday, from 11am-6pm. Dec. 11 (Link)
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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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