Friday, April 24
Get comfortable: All flights & ferries in Indonesia are cancelled untl June 1 + PLN sets up WhatsApp payments for post-paid accounts + Gianyar's GDP contracts 1.2% in Q1 + "Covid-19 Kills Kuta" + more
Good morning! Welcome to the COVID-19 Update for Bali for Friday, April 24. If you find this information useful, please subscribe and share it with others in the foreigner community on the island.
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Status Update
Country-wide Numbers:
Source:
Indonesia National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB Indonesia): @BNPB_Indonesia
Official updates are available from the Indonesian Government here.
Bali Numbers:
Confirmed Cases Distribution:
Key: Red = Infected | Green = Recovered | Black = Died
Trends:
Sources:
Infographic comes from Bali Provincial Government COVID-19 Task Force (link).
The geographic breakdown comes from the Bali Provincial Government's data collection department (link).
Charts have been compiled using their data.
More detailed information on the locations of positive cases within each Regency, as well as the number of suspected cases ("ODP") and people under observation ("PDP"), can be found in infographics on the official websites of each Regency's COVID-19 Task Force:
Badung | Bangli* | Buleleng | Denpasar City | Gianyar* | Jembrana* | Karangasem | Klungkung* | Tabanan
*Does not yet have a dedicated Covid-19 info page. Detailed information can be found by reading official government news alerts.
The Big News
"Government Bans All Passenger Flights Until June 1" from The Seminyak Times: The Indonesian government has decided to temporarily stop commercial passenger flights from today, 24 April, 2020 to 1 June, 2020. The Director General of Civil Aviation at the Ministry of Transportation, Novie Riyanto, told the press on Thursday evening, "There will be a ban on domestic and foreign travel, both scheduled and charter flights from April 24-June 1, 2020."... However, Novie said there would be exceptions for government leaders, as well as state representatives and international organizations. "In addition to this, the repatriation of Indonesian citizens and foreigners, and law enforcement and emergency services can still be possible with the permission of the minister." Exceptions also apply to the transportation of medical and logistical services, including cargo. "Air navigation remains 100% open and the airports also operate as usual," said Novie.
Pelni Suspends Ferry Service from April 24-June 8" from Antara (Indonesian): State-owned PT Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia (Pelni) will comply with the government's ban on all inter-island passenger travel from April 24 to June 8. Pelni's Head Secretariat, Yahya Kuncoro, said that management had decided not to sell new tickets to customers until June 8... "Based on these rules, we will temporarily prepare all of our passenger ships to carry logistical cargo. Management will coordinate with the Ministry of Transportation as the to regulate route patterns to run optimally," Yahya said in his official statement in Jakarta on Thursday.
"To Simplify Service, PLN Prepares WhatsApp for Mandiri Meter Report" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): In an effort to prevent the spread of Covid-19, PLN has temporarily suspended the process of recording and checking stand meters for postpaid customers. Instead, for the May 2020 billing period, PLN has set up a centralized service through WhatsApp for customers who want to report booth numbers and kWh meter photos... "This is part of the physical distancing that we do, reducing direct interaction between officers and customers as an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus," said Senior Executive Vice President of PLN Business & Customer Service, Yuddy Setyo Wicaksono.
Other Headlines
"Number Of Balinese Employees Laid Off Increased to 1,315, with 55,409 furloughed" from The Bali Tribune (Indonesian): The Bali Province Manpower and ESDM Office continues to update data on the number of Balinese workers laid off or furloughed. Until Thursday, the number of Balinese workers who were laid off hit 1,315 people, with 55,409 having their work suspended without pay. Head of the Bali Province Manpower and Energy Agency, Ida Bagus Ngurah Arda, explained that the data only represent are those who work in the formal sector in Bali... Data on the informal sector in Bali was recorded by the Bali Province Office of Cooperatives and SMEs. According them, the number of informal entrepreneurs whose business have been "killed" as a result of Covid-19 in Bali as many as 17,296. "The total number of informal businesses in Bali is 50,000. Now those who have been affected by the impact of Covid-19 are 17,296 people," said Head of the Bali Cooperative and SME Office, I Wayan Mardiana.
"Provincial Government Plans to Add 1 More Lab for PCR Tests" from The Bali Post (Indonesian): The Bali Provincial Government plans to add more laboratories to carry out swab specimen testing using the PCR method. Currently, testing can only be done in the Sanglah Hospital laboratory... Currently, PTN University Udayana Hospital is 95% ready for the PCR test. "In addition, in an effort to accelerate the examination of swab specimens, we also plan to add laboratories, namely the Warmadewa University Medical School laboratory," said Bali Province Task Force Chief Dewa Made Indra in a press statement Thursday.
"With Hits to Agriculture and Maritime Sectors, Gianyar's Economic Growth Rate Decreases 1.2%" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): Due to the agriculture and marine sector in Gianyar Regency not being exploited optimally, the economic growth rate (GDP) of Gianyar Regency fell by 1.2% in the first quarter of 2020. This was revealed by the PDI Gianyar Faction after the 2019 LKPJ Special Committee report on Thursday... The Chairperson of the PDI-P DPRD Gianyar faction, I Ketut Sudarsana, said that the rate of economic growth in Gianyar Regency during the last five quarters was in the range of 6.03%, while at the beginning of 2020 the rate of economic growth was 5.69%.
"Covid-19 Pandemic Kills Kuta, Atmosphere Similar to 1970s" from The Bali Tribune (Indonesian): The coronavirus is having profound changes on the usually-frenetic "golden area" of the Island of the Gods, namely Kuta. While before the outbreak it was a bustling tourist hub, today it is quiet, like an uninhabited area... The Kuta Beach area looks and feels like it did back in the 1970s, said one local resident who chatted with me while sipping a glass of coffee on the edge of Jalan Pantai, Kuta. 80% of hospitality venues, restaurants, and shops are closed, with the remining trying to maintain operations to survive the pandemic, although it is very quiet.
"Bali Receives N95 Mask Assistance from the Chinese Government" from The IDN Times (Indonesian): The Provincial Government of Bali has said that they are able to meet the logistical needs for handling COVID-19 in Bali. Chair of the Task Force for the Acceleration of Handling COVID-19, Dewa Made Indra, said that PPE needs in Bali Province were still in the sufficient category for the next few days. Likewise for rapid testing, of which is the stock is still more than 15,000. "Our stock is still very sufficient for the next few days," he said... Yet the Thousand Pura Island has also received N95 mask assistance from the Chinese Government. The availability of masks for medical workers who treat patients positive for COVID-19 is also said to be sufficient. While Bali is also awaiting the completion of the customs administration of N95 mask assistance from China, which is now still in Jakarta. "We also get help from the Government of China (China) for N95 masks that will be used by these medical officers in the amount of more than 50,000. Reportedly arrived in Jakarta," he explained.
"Parking Violations In the Tourist Village of Ubud Declining" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): Since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak, the number of parking violations in the Sub-district of Ubud has dropped dramatically. Usually, the crowded streets in Ubud are filled with two-wheeled vehicles and four-wheeled vehicles parked arbitrarily but now it is quiet... Kasatlantas Gianyar Regional Police AKP Laksmi Trisna Dewi Wieryawan said that indeed the parking violation in Ubud was 180 degrees reversed from the usual days. "Indeed there is a decrease in parking violations in the Ubud District area, this is because the community and guests in Ubud rarely do activities outside," he said.
The View from Outside
"LA Influencer Who Moved to Bali and Amassed 236K Followers By Posting About Her Idyllic Lifestyle Is Forced to Abandon Her Dreams and Move In With Her Parents Amid COVID-19 Pandemic" from The Daily Mail: Kendall Fuhrman, 24, moved to Bali at the beginning of the year, after leaving behind her Los Angeles apartment and her full-time job. She began posting videos and photos from her idyllic sun-filled life, and quickly racked up a huge following online. Former marketing director Kendall now boasts more than 80,500 followers on Instagram, and 236,000 followers on TikTok. However just a few months after moving to Bali, she was forced to return home to her parents' house in California when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. She is now waiting to return to her travels, and in the meantime has had to drastically change the content she is posting.
Resources
Important information for foreigners who are staying on the island, such as designated COVID-19 hospitals and emergency contact numbers, can be found by following this link.
The government has cancelled its visa-on-arrival process and rolled out enhanced entry requirements for people traveling to Indonesia; they have also granted automatic extensions to most foreigners who are still in the country on temporary stay visas. You can see a (translated) list of all of the relevant regulations on the Directorate General of Immigration & Ministry of Law and Human Rights' website here.
If you are trying to plan travel anywhere, here are two of the best up-to-date resources that can help you:
IATA Travel Center Update - The International Air Transport Association is the global lobbying body for the aviation industry. Their alerts feed into airlines' reservation systems, so it is the most reliable database of flight restrictions around.
Al Jazeera Travel Restriction & Border Shutdown Tracker - A companion list that includes less technical summaries of each country's travel restrictions, beyond just flights and airport access.
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