December 9, 2021
Venues can open late for New Year’s, but no parties + 1000s of Covid-19 positive cases walking Indonesia’s streets + Frequent rule changes lead to many cancelled events + more
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Weather & Tides
Today’s Weather for Southern Bali
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Daily Covid Update
National Figures
Local Figures
The Big News
“Bali Entertainment Venues Can Open till 1am on New Year’s, but No Parties” from Detik (Indonesian): The Provincial Government has limited the operating hours of night entertainment venues to 1am during Christmas and New Year's 2022. Venues are prohibited from holding parties. "We ask that the operational hours are closed at around 1, because in Bali they only open at 9 at night clubs," said Head of the Bali Province Civil Service Police Unit I Dewa Nyoman Rai Darmadi on Wednesday. Venue visitors are also limited in accordance with applicable regulations, and venues are required to control the number of visitors by implementing the PeduliLindungi application. "There can't be fireworks and there can't be special parties," Dewa said.
Context: In response, Bali entertainment venues have proposed parties be allowed within strict guidelines (Indonesian).
“Thousands of 'Black Status' Covid-19 Cases Roaming in Public” from CNN Indonesia (Indonesian): The Ministry of Communication and Information noted that at least 8,789 Indonesian citizens with positive Covid-19 status or close contacts were still desperate to travel in public places. Menkominfo Johnny G. Plate said that the findings were obtained through the PeduliLindung application. He said the status of positive citizens of Covid-19 will automatically turn black. "There were 8,789 people who were found to be black because they were positive and had close contacts. Imagine if PeduliLindung is not used, more than 8,000 will be infected and circulate freely in public places," Johnny said on Wednesday. He also revealed that currently the PeduliLindungi application has been used by 77,329,648 users in Indonesia.
Context: The Minister did not clarify if the 77 million figure refers to those who have downloaded the Pedulilindungi application or those who are active users. The story goes on to note that PeduliLindungi scanners are installed in 4,556 restaurants and 2,929 hotels ... nationwide. Bali alone was estimated to have around 4,500 hotels in 2018 (Indonesian).
“Changes in Rules Are the Reason Why Many Events Have Been Cancelled in Bali” from Radar Bali (Indonesian): Bali Tourism Board has received information about many events in Bali to be canceled ahead of the end of the year. This is inseparable from the government's lack of clarity in implementing the rules. Such as the implementation of PPKM level 3, which was later canceled and later changed its name to Restrictions on Community Activities in the Christmas and New Year Period. "The information I get is that many events have been canceled. Small events, but if you multiply them by many, they are also detrimental. It could be thousands of events," said Bali Tourism Board Chairman Ida Bagus Agung Partha Adnyana on Wednesday.
Context: Other media continue to report that New Year’s fireworks remain banned (Indonesian) and that prokes regulations are to be enforced (Indonesian). Klungkung Regency has asked residents to celebrate New Year’s at home (Indonesian).
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Other Headlines
“Indonesia Scraps Year-End Covid Curbs as Vaccination Rate Improves” from Bloomberg: Indonesia canceled its planned restrictions for the year-end period as its Covid-19 vaccination coverage and testing capacity have improved. The government won’t impose the second-highest level of restrictions, or level 3, across the country and will instead order varied curbs depending on the local situation, Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Affairs Luhut Panjaitan, who’s overseeing the pandemic response, said. Travel is limited to those who are fully vaccinated. Indonesia had ordered the restrictions as previous holiday seasons have led to spikes in Covid-19 cases.
Context: The above story is following on from local media reports of yesterday, however the situation regarding “local curbs” remains the subject of conflicting reports for both Bali (see the Big News section above) and nationwide.
Vaccination Update
“Vaccination for Covid-19 in Remote Areas to Be Intensified, Faces Challenges” from Kompas (Indonesian): Spokesperson for Covid-19 Vaccination from the Ministry of Health Siti Nadia Tarmizi said that currently the government is intensifying Covid-19 vaccinations for the outermost and remote areas. "Currently, the government is trying to increase vaccinations for the outermost and remote areas, which have their own challenges to reach them," said Nadia on Thursday. "The spread and even distribution of vaccinations is important so that Indonesia can be better protected from the threat of Covid-19, which still exists today," she continued. Therefore, the safety of vaccine stocks in Indonesia is very important so that distribution can be carried out quickly.
Context: Through this week, governmental statements have suggested first that an overwhelming demand for Sinovac had stymied supply, then that there was plentiful supply (Indonesian), then yesterday, that there was a shortage of vaccinators (Indonesian).
More...
Nation: “Over 100 Million Indonesians Receive Full Vaccination Dosage” from Antara
Health Protocols (Prokes) & Health Services
“Jakarta Vows to Look Into Report on Omicron Infections” from Antara: Jakarta Vice Governor Ahmad Riza Patria has said he will check the veracity of a recent report about four Jakarta residents being exposed to the Omicron variant of COVID-19. “So, we will check and study the information. The health office has also followed up on it and we will make public the result later on,” he said here on Wednesday. Earlier, chief of the Bekasi District Health Office, Sri Enny Mainiarti, had said that four Jakarta residents had been exposed to the Omicron variant of COVID-19. It is believed they were exposed to the new variant of COVID-19 while traveling abroad, Mainiarti said. However, COVID-19 vaccination spokesperson for the Health Ministry Siti Nadia Tarmizi said the report on Omicron variant cases in Bekasi, West Java, was unfounded. “That is not true. No Omicron variant case has been found in Indonesia so far,” she said on Wednesday.
More...
Nation: “UGM Epidemiologist: There Needs To Be Mobility Restrictions” from Kompas (Indonesian)
Province: “More Traffic Violators Than Prokes Violators” from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
Badung: “Police Supervise Sanur Beach to Tighten Prokes” from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
Badung: “Ngurah Rai Airport Provides a Special Route For G20 Delegation” from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
Denpasar: “Judiciary Team Finds 36 Prokes Violators in Denpasar” from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
Economy & Infrastructure
“Workers Threaten Nationwide Strike if Demands Unfulfilled” from Antara: The Confederation of Indonesian Labor Unions has threatened to call a nationwide strike if the government does not meet workers' demands. Their demands include the government revising gubernatorial decisions fixing the provincial minimum wage for 2021, revoking a regulation on wages, and implementing the Constitutional Court’s decree declaring the Job Creation Law unconstitutional. “We can order two million workers to stop production. All will suffer losses and the economy will be paralyzed. We will not do that if the government seriously implements the Constitutional Court’s decree and the gubernatorial decisions,” KSPI President Said Iqbal said on Wednesday.
More...
Province: “Maintain Supply Chain and Logistics for Bali's Economic Revival” from Tribun Bali (Indonesian)
Province: “Cooking Oil Prices Skyrockets, Up 70%” from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
Bali Reopening
“Bali Bangkit Forum Threatens Protests Over No Foreign Tourists” from Tribun Bali (Indonesian): The Bali Bangkit Forum is still waiting for the central government to respond to an open letter that was sent last Friday. IB Agung Partha Adnyana as Chairman of the Bali Tourism Board said that until now there has been no response. Currently, his party is coordinating with all tourism stakeholders in Bali and he will wait to see the effectiveness of this open letter until late December 2021. If nothing changes, he says he will take a demonstration to the streets. Meanwhile, I Wayan Puspanegara as Chairman of APPMB (Alliance of Bali Marginal Tourism Actors) said this was a concrete step that could save the economic condition of the people in popular destinations. If it is not until the end of December that the central government gives a decision, they will take action to take to the streets.
Context: Other reports have again highlighted the current visa regulations as being problematic for foreign tourists (Indonesian).
More...
“Bali Is Very Ready to Accept Foreign Tourists With Prokes” from Antara Bali (Indonesian)
“Tourists to Bali Increase, Koster Asks for Additional Flights” from iNews Bali (Indonesian)
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Of Interest
“President Vows to Rebuild After Eruption, Death Toll Rises to 34” from The Guardian
“Fish Songs Raise Hopes for Coral Reef Recovery” from The Guardian
“JRX Lawyers Deliver Shocking Statements” from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
“Drug Evidence Worth IDR 3.5 Billion Destroyed by Badung Prosecutor” from Kumparan (Indonesian)
“Indonesian Court Sentences Bomb-maker to Life in Prison” from Benar News
“New Documentary Shows Impact of Deforestation” from The Jakarta Post (Metered Paywall)
“Two Turkish Foreigners Sentenced to 2.5 Years for ATM Skimming” from iNews Bali (Indonesian)
“Bali Dog to Fly NZ to Australia by Private Jet Charter” from ABC Australia
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