Friday, March 12
ATMs, street lights, toll roads & more shutting down for Nyepi + Almost 13k people cited for violating health codes in 1 week; over 350 foreigners in Badung caught since Jan. 11 + more!
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NYEPI REMINDER: The annual Hindu holiday will be observed this coming weekend, on Sunday, March 14. All travel and commerce will be paused, and people are expected to observe a “Silent Day” from 06:00 local time on Sunday until 06:00 local time on Monday. During that period, all broadcast TV, radio, and data (cellular 4G) services are scheduled to be stopped. Home internet + some public wifi service is set to continue as normal. Traditional Melasti processions will be allowed in the days running up to the holiday so long as participation is limited to 50 people, but regular Sunday services for Christians will be held virtually. You can find more information on Nyepi and the regulations surrounding it here. Kerobokan will see major road closures begin this morning that will last through part of Saturday. See a map of the affected area here.
NOTE: The Bali Beat’s morning news edition will not publish on Monday, March 15 in observance of the holiday, but the evening Covid-19 update will publish as normal.
Weather & Waves
Today’s Weather for Southern Bali
Today’s Tides
Surf Outlook
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: The sharp drop in new cases yesterday could be from reduced testing as many people begin pre-Nyepi events. Unfortunately, testing data is rarely disclosed, so we can not know for sure. Recoveries also dropped, which caused the number of Active Cases to increase for the second day in a row- the first time this has happened since Jan. 29. Fatalities ticked down from yesterday, but it was enough to push the the island to the grim milestone of 1,000 total confirmed deaths since the start of the pandemic.
Click here to see the national numbers infographic and a Regency-by-Regency breakdown of yesterday’s local numbers.
The Big News
"367 Foreign Residents in [Badung] Violate the Covid-19 Health Care Program" from Republika (Indonesian): Head of Satpol PP Badung I Gusti Agung Suryanegara said that as many as 367 foreign nationals (WNA) and 44 Indonesian citizens were caught violating health protocols in Badung Regency, Bali. They are subject to a fine of Rp 100,000 for the violation. "Foreigners are still dominant in violating because they do not believe in Covid-19, and according to them the use of masks is only for those who are affected or sick," he said. He said data on foreign and Indonesian violators were mostly obtained from North Kuta District with a total of 933 people, then Mengwi 434 people, Kuta 415 people, South Kuta 228 people, Abiansemal 181 people and Petang 49 violators.
Nyepi Updates
"Regarding Nyepi Day 2021, Transactions with ATM Machines in Bali will be Deactivated since Saturday Afternoon" from Tribune Bali (Indonesian)
"Anticipating the Need for Nyepi Holiday Cash, BRI Prepares IDR 164 Billion" from Bali Express (Indonesian)
"These Are Bank Indonesia Bali Rules for Banking Operations During Nyepi" from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
"18,187 Public Street Lights Extinguished During Nyepi" from Bali Express (Indonesian)
"During Nyepi, Bali Mandara Toll Road Operations Close For 32 Hours" from Bali Prawara (Indonesian)
"Kuta Beach Becomes the Center for Balinese Hindu Melasti Procession, Participants are Restricted" from iNews Bali (Indonesian)
"Police Tighten Security of Bali Tourism Areas During Nyepi" from Republika (Indonesian)
"Nyepi, Sanglah Hospital Denpasar Prepares 165 Health Workers" from Bali Express (Indonesian)
"Indonesia Bus Carrying School Children Plunges Into Ravine, Killing 27" from CNN: A bus carrying school children and parents returning from an excursion plunged into a ravine on the Indonesian island of Java on Wednesday night, killing 27 people, the country's transportation ministry said. The search and rescue agency said in a statement on Thursday that the driver of the bus lost control shortly before the crash in an area near the city of Sumedang, in West Java province. The ministry said the bus was carrying junior high school students and some parents. There were 39 survivors.
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Other Headlines
"Micro-Restrictions Bring Marked Decline in Covid-19 Cases" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): After struggling to contain the coronavirus pandemic over the last one year, Indonesia finally managed to bring down the number of daily infections to 5,633 cases on March 11, 2021, a significant decline compared to 14,518 cases recorded on January 30, 2021. Airlangga Hartarto, chief of the Covid-19 Handling and National Economic Recovery Committee (KPC-PEN), confirmed that PPKMs have been effective in thwarting virus transmission in February, 2021. "When it (PPKM strategy) took effect, 25 out of the 128 districts and cities in Java and Bali were at a high risk (of Covid-19 transmission). Until its enforcement on February 28 (2021), the number of red zones declined to 10," the minister revealed.
Health Protocols (Prokes) & Patrols
Island:"12,832 Prokes Violators, Some Cannot Get Administrative Services"from Radar Bali(Indonesian)
Badung: "Breaking the Prokes, Denpasar Yustisi Team Arranged Two Cafes on Jalan Tukad Badung" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
Bangli: "Four Residents Without Masks Subjected to Raids by the Joint Team in Tembuku District" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
Gianyar: "Make Sure There Are No Ogoh-ogoh Wine, the Police Threaten to Disperse Those Who Are Desperate" from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
Jembrana: "Melasti in Jembrana Remains with the Prokes" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
Vaccination Update
"If Vaccines Are Available, Covid Vaccination in Bali Will Be Completed in 4 Months" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): Since the kick off of the vaccination on January 14, 2021, or nearly two months, the number of people who have been vaccinated has only tens of thousands. Based on the relatively abundant number of vaccinators in Bali, vaccination in Bali should have been completed in just four months. This could happen if the current number of vaccines for Bali was available... Head of the Bali Provincial Health Office, Dr. Ketut Suarjaya, said that according to data, the total number of vaccinators in Bali is 1,612 people. "Yes, this is the total. Most are in Badung," he said. In detail, the number of vaccinators in Jembrana is 76, Tabanan 61, Badung 358, Gianyar 87, Klungkung 58, Bangli 224, Karangasem 314, Buleleng 147, Denpasar 119 and Bali Province there are 177.
Island: "Bali DPRD Asks Bali Must Priority Get Vaccines" from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
Island: "Speed Up Vaccination, Bali Cooperates with Tourism Actors" from Republika (Indonesian)
Jembrana: "4,592 Doses of Covid-19 Vaccine Injected in Jembrana Bali" from Tribune Bali (Indonesian)
Tabanan: "Tourism Actors Are Included in the Second Group Vaccination Target" from Bali Express (Indonesian)
"Long Holiday, Ketapang Harbor Is Crowded With Travelers From Bali" from iNews Bali (Indonesian): A number of immigrant residents in Bali have started to return to their hometowns to Java Island, taking advantage of the long holiday ahead of Nyepi Day. From iNews' observation, the volume of passengers on the ferry from Gilimanuk Port , Jembrana, Bali who arrived on Thursday at noon looked solid. GM PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry Ketapang, Eddy Hermawan said the movement of passengers in Ketapang was relatively quiet compared to before the pandemic. This is also due to the government's appeal to reduce traveling outside the home. "On average, only 10% of the usual. For vehicles 40%," he said.
"As Chili Prices Soar, Farmers Spend More Capital for Maintenance" from The Bali Post(Indonesian): The high price of bird's eye chilies in the market, which reached IDR 120,000 per kilogram, is not really enjoyed by farmers. The reason is, bad weather causes many of the farmers' chilies to rot and crop failure. In the rainy season, like now, farmers also have to spend more capital to care for their chili plants. Kintamani I Wayan Paris, a chili farmer in Bayung Gede Village, said the impact of bad weather caused the farmers' chilies to be damaged due to being attacked by fungi and pests. The yields also decreased.
"Hotspots Flare Up as Indonesia Expects Drier Dry Season" from The Jakarta Post (Paywall): Land and forest fires have started to flare up in several regions in the country during the peak of the La Nina-affected rainy season, signaling a return of the fires even though the dry season has yet to start. Several provinces have reported instances of fires since January, most notably Riau and West Kalimantan. Riau Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) recorded on Monday forest fires covering up to 650 hectares of land in 10 out of 12 regencies and cities in the province, Antara reported. These include fires burning 100 ha of forest inside the UNESCO-recognized Giam Siak Kecil-Bukit Batu biosphere, according to kompas.com. Overall, authorities have reported 173 instances of land and forest fires in Riau, Aceh, North Sumatra, Jambi, South Sumatra, Central Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, North Sulawesi and Papua in January alone.
Of Interest
"Bus Plunge Kills Two Dozen Pilgrims in West Java" from Agence France-Presse
"LAPAN: Rainy Season in Indonesia Still Lasts until May 2021" from Suara Bali (Indonesian)
"Parents, Experts Urge Govt to Reconsider 'Rushed' School Reopenings in July" from The Jakarta Post (Paywall)
"Two Boys and Their Caregivers Dragged by the Waves, One Entered the Hospital" from Bali Express (Indonesian)
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 TheBaliBeat@outlanders.global.
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