Friday, August 14
Minister calls domestic reopening a 'success' but says no foreign tourists allowed until 2021 + Swab tests no longer req'd for hospital discharges + WHO warns Indonesia against opening schools + more!
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Weather & Waves
Today’s Weather for Southern Bali
Today’s Tides
Surf Outlook (animation shows changes from 8:00am - 6:00pm)
Weather forecast from Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology & Geophysics Council (Link)
Tide table from Tide-forecast.com.
Surf outlook via Windy.com.
Local Covid Numbers
*NOTE: Click here to see the complete breakdown of yesterday’s numbers + trendlines in our evening update.
The Big News
"No PCR Tests: What You Need to Know About New Discharge Criteria" from The Jakarta Post: Asymptomatic Covid-19 patients and those with mild to moderate symptoms no longer need to take a follow-up polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test in order to be discharged from quarantine... A previous protocol had required that patients test negative twice consecutively before being discharged from isolation. The coronavirus that causes Covid-19 is an RNA virus and its genetic material can be detected by a real-time PCR -- widely known as the gold standard test. But as the country deals with the persistent problem of limited testing capacity, patients often have to wait for days and even weeks for their results to come back – meaning they occupy hospital beds or self-isolate for a long period despite no longer showing symptoms.
"School Reopening to Strain Indonesia's Hospitals Further: WHO" from The Jakarta Globe: The World Health Organization has warned that Indonesia may risk increasing local Covid-19 transmission and adding pressure to its already strained healthcare system as the country lets schools in regions with few Covid-19 cases to reopen. "The decision to allow students in yellow zones to return to school risks worsening local transmission, putting a heavier burden on the nation's limited healthcare facilities and workers and, in the long term, slowing down the economic recovery," WHO wrote in its latest situation report on Wednesday.
"Luhut Emphasizes that Country Will Not Receive Foreign Tourists Until the End of 2020" from CNN Indonesia (Indonesian): Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Panjaitan said Indonesia would not open the tourism sector to foreign tourists until the end of 2020. He said the government decided to optimize domestic tourists to restore the tourism industry that had collapsed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. "We want 70% of domestic tourists. The problem of foreign tourists, we will not accept it until the end of the year. Let us first consolidate," said Luhut. If this is implemented, it means that Bali Governor Wayan Koster's plan to reopen Bali to foreign tourists on September 11, 2020 will be canceled.
(Ed. Note: The Minister’s press conference touched on many topics and was widely covered by local media. One of the updates he gave was that the government is “formulating regulations… to facilitate foreigners to be able to work from Bali while on vacation." You can read more on that here.)
Other Headlines
"Minister Luhut: Tourism Reactivation Encourages Domestic Tourists" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said the reactivation of tourism in Banyuwangi and Bali had boosted the number of domestic tourists. "Since the reactivation of tourism in Banyuwangi and Bali, there has been an increase in the number of domestic tourists. This is a good trend. What's interesting is that there has also been a decrease in infected (exposed to Covid-19) in Bali and an increased rate of recovery," he said... Luhut admitted that he was worried that reactivation of tourism would have an impact on the increase in the number of infected cases. However, it turns out that the opposite is true. He also revealed that there was a change in the trend of travel from mass tourism to quality tourism. Domestic tourists also tend to visit buffer cities that have beautiful and clean natural panoramas.
"A Month Before New Normal, Only 49 Businesses in Badung Have Passed Verification" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): Of the many tourism businesses in Badung, only 49 have been verified. Plt Kadispar Badung, Cokorda Raka Darmawan, said that verified businesses consist of hotels, restaurants and attractions. "The businesses we verify are businesses that are ready to open. We also understand that we cannot force them to open because entrepreneurs also take into account that if they open profit or loss," he said. Currently there is still a fear of domestic tourists visiting Bali, especially Badung. This is because Badung is still in the red zone of Covid-19. (Ed. Note: This story was published before Minister Luhut made the declaration that no foreign tourists would be permitted entry to Bali until next year.)
"GoPay-Bluebird Provides Digital Payments in Taxis" from Antara (Indonesian): GoPay, a digital payment system from Gojek, is partnering with Bluebird to provide payments with the national QRIS QR code in taxi fleets. Bluebird will install a QRIS code in the taxi fleet, so users only need to open the Gojek application, then scan the code to pay with GoPay. "Digital payment options at Bluebird allow users to travel easily and safely," said GoPay Managing Director Budi Gandasoebrate. This latest collaboration is also to support the J3K initiative, namely maintaining health, hygiene and security which was launched last July.
"Airport Operator Adds Canopy For Pedestrians" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): Communication and Legal Manager of Angkasa Pura I Andanina Dyah Permata Megasari, said the installation of the canopy was a form of concern for all airport service users regardless of class. Drivers of four-wheeled vehicles can walk directly into the building. Meanwhile, passengers who use motorbikes have to walk along the roadside to get to the airport lobby. Now, with this installation, all service users are accommodated in terms of service. "The pedestrian canopy has been completed. It has recently been completed, so that service users, especially those using two-wheeled vehicles, are protected from heat or rain," said Andanina.
"As A Result of Being Attacked by an Epidemic, the Pig Population in Tabanan has Dropped Dramatically" from The IDN Times (Indonesian): An epidemic that attacks pigs that is suspected of being African Swine Fever (ASF), has made farmers in Tabanan Regency suffer losses because many of their livestock have died. Even though it has happened since the end of 2019, this outbreak has actually traumatized them and stopped them from raising pigs. As a result, the pig population in Tabanan has dropped dramatically, from 75,625 to 6,016.
"The Number of Passengers at Lombok Airport Soars" from Republika (Indonesian): Lombok Airport recorded a passenger growth of 188 percent in July 2020 compared to June 2020. General Manager of Lombok Airport Nugroho Jati in his statement, Thursday (13/8), said that as many as 49,861 passengers were served by the airport during July 2020. Meanwhile, in the previous month, only 17,314 passengers arrived and departed from Lombok Airport. Aircraft movements in July 2020 also increased. If in June 2020 there were only 333 movements, in July 2020 there were 777 aircraft movements or 133% growth.
The View from Outside
"Photos Reveal How Deserted Bali is Without Tourists" from News.com.au: Kuta is best known as the brash, bustling, beating heart of Bali — swarming with tourists, buzzing with energy, all year round. But now, it’s a ghost town. A photographer has captured the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the popular party town, since travel restrictions drove away tourists and many of the businesses that rely on them… Jon Gwyther’s photos, taken on Saturday, show eerily empty streets and shut-up shop fronts, months after Indonesia closed to international visitors and Australians — a usually constant presence in Bali — were banned from travelling abroad.
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 at BaliSolidarity.org. If you know of an effort and would like to have them listed, please send their information to newsletter@migrationmedia.net.
About This Newsletter
This newsletter is a product of Migration Media, the hub for stories from and about the international migrant experience.
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