Friday, May 15
Denpasar's lockdown-that-definitely-isn't-a-lockdown starts today + Govt tells people that no mask = no public services + Fraudulent health certificate scheme in Gilimanuk + more!
Good morning! Welcome to the COVID-19 Update for Bali for Friday, May 15. Please subscribe and share it with others in the foreigner community on the island. I happily put this daily newsletter together as a public service, and it will be free so long as the current emergency lasts. *A paid subscription is NOT required to access this content.* When signing up, select the "None" option and you'll get it delivered to your Inbox each day. But if you would like to support my work, please consider taking up a voluntary subscription at US$5/month. Thanks!
Status Update
National Numbers:
Bali Numbers:
Key: Red = Infected | Green = Recovered | Black = Died | Blue = In Treatment
Regency Numbers
Total Confirmed Cases Distribution:
Key: Red = Infected | Green = Recovered | Black = Died
Bali 30-Day Trends:
Additional details on the locations of positive cases within each Regency, as well as the number of suspected cases ("ODP") and people under in-patient observation hospital ("PDP"), can be found in charts & infographics on the websites of each Regency's COVID-19 Task Force:
Badung | Bangli | Buleleng | Denpasar City | Gianyar | Jembrana | Karangasem | Klungkung | Tabanan
Sources:
The national update comes from the Indonesia National Disaster Management Agency: @BNPB_Indonesia
The Bali Numbers infographic comes from the Bali Provincial Government’s COVID-19 Task Force (link).
The Total Confirmed Cases Distribution map & Regency Numbers figures come from the Bali Provincial Government's data collection department (link).
The Regency Numbers table and 30-day trend charts have been compiled using daily government data.
How You Can Help
Each weekday we'll let you know about an organization or a person who is trying to make a difference for the people of Bali in these difficult times, and how you can pitch in.
Giving Back to Bali: Started by local entrepreneur Kara Forsyth, owner of Daizy Nimbin, along with local partners, this group buys food, assembles it into grocery packs, and delivers them to people, communities, and organizations in need. Their work has already benefited groups such as the families of garbage collectors in Denpasar, the Bali Deaf Community, and the Blind Community of Badung. You can follow their efforts on their Facebook page here, and you can contribute to their fundraising efforts, also on Facebook, here.
Please visit this page to see a list of all of the efforts that we've featured so far. If you know anyone who is raising funds, delivering food, organizing volunteers, or otherwise trying to rally people to the cause of assisting our neighbors here in Bali, please let us know by sending an email to newsletter@migrationmedia.net.
The Big News
"Restrictions on Community Activities In Denpasar, These are the Location of 11 Guard Monitoring Posts" from iNews (Indonesian): The Government of the City of Denpasar, Bali will conduct a Community Activity Restriction (PKM) from Friday 15 May 2020. During PKM, supervision in and out of Denpasar City will be tightened. Guard posts have been established at 11 points which provide access to and from the capital of Bali Province... At each of these points, the joint team will inspect each monitoring post. If deemed necessary a rapid test will also be conducted. "Residents who will enter the city of Denpasar must bring a letter of destination to the city of Denpasar. So that with this system will limit the mobility of people who do not have clear objectives to Denpasar," said Head of Public Relations of Denpasar City Government, Dewa Gede Rai. He explained that at each post there would be officers from villages as well as military and police officers to conduct an inspection.
"Health Certificates for Sale In Gilimanuk" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): Confidence in the tight monitoring of passengers at the Gilimanuk Port has been tarnished with the discovery of a resident who allegedly sold a fake health certificate for between Rp 100,000 - Rp 300,000 so that passengers could cross from Gilimanuk Port to Ketapang Harbor, Banyuwangi... Gilimanuk police chief, Commissioner I Gusti Nyoman Sudarsana, said that had also heard information related to the alleged sale of the health certificates. However, Dirinyat claimed that he could not comment yet, and was still conducting further investigations. "We are still investigating. I have not dared to answer, is it true or not, because there is no evidence. But we will move to investigate that information," he said.
"No Mask, Public Service Delayed!" from The Bali Post (Indonesian): The Provincial Government has tightened the requirements for the use of masks in offices or public service facilities. Communities that do not enforce the use masks may see their public services be delayed or even refused... Bali Provincial Secretary Dewa Made Indra said that the use of masks is now tightened because there are still people who do not use it when doing activities outside the home. In fact, the public has been advised to use masks to keep the pace of COVID-19 from spreading.
Other Headlines
"Ferry Operators Begin to Prepare Homecoming Schemes" from IndonesiaInside (Indonesian): ASDP Ferry Indonesia began to open tickets for ship sales to transport travelers who were permitted by the Covid-19 task force or the Ministry of Transportation. ASDP has also sold tickets online. The Director of ASDP, Ira Puspadewi, said that he had made a scenario to keep abiding by government regulations. For example, keep your distance, avoid the crowd, and health checks for prospective passengers... The route routes to be monitored are Ajibata-Ambarita, Punggur-Tanjung Uban, Kelian-Tanjung Api Fire, Merak-Bakauheni, Kariangau-Panajam, Ketapang-Gilimanuk, Padangbai-sheets, Kayangan-Pototano, Bajoe-Kolaka, Bira- Tanjung Pamatata, Hunimua-Walpirit, and Bitung-Ternate. Ira underlined, ASDP had anticipated a surge in passengers. He guaranteed the crowd would not occur at the port. "Because the check-point for our health test will be outside the port. We also apply queues, and apply port sterilization so that those who are not interested, do not roam around the ticket window and waiting area," he said.
"PKM Is Not Lockdown, Market, Places to Eat In Denpasar Stay Open" from The IDN Times (Indonesian): Spokesman for the Denpasar City COVID-19 Task Force, Dewa Gede Rai, said that the Community Activity Restriction (PKM) policy that starts on Friday is not a lockdown, and that it will continue until the pandemic condition ends to improve. However, the implementation of each week will be evaluated, with a benchmark development of cases that occur in the city of Denpasar... Dewa Rai emphasized that the Denpasar City PKM policy should not be confused with lockdown . Only more stringent health protocol handling COVID-19 has been implemented. So those who are truly interested outside the home must implement this protocol without exception. "For basic needs. The market is still open, the shop is still open. Not closed. PKM to limit community activities that are not important to leave the house. So it's still open. The logistics market is still open. Still open. This is not a lockdown," he stressed again.
"Chicken Trader Tests Positive for Coronavirus, 74 People In Buleleng Village Receive Swab Tests" from iNews (Indonesian): A total of 74 people from two villages in Tejakula Sub-district, Buleleng Regency, Bali underwent a swab test on Thursday (5/14/2020). The swab test was carried out after a chicken trader in the area tested positive for the corona virus ( Covid-19 )... The corona positive chicken trader was in the village of Julah. In addition to the Village of Julah, a swab test was also carried out in Bondalem Village which is currently still quarantined due to an alarming local transmission case.
"11,000 PMI Enter Through the Airport" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): Airport Authority (Otban) Region IV noted that there were more than 11,000 Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) who have arrived at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport. Tens of thousands of PMI have been returned gradually since March 22, however, it is estimated that there are around 9,000 PMI still in the repatriation process.
"Without Lockdown, Bali Relies On Local Customs to Tackle COVID-19" from Coconuts: Bali, which has so far confirmed more than 300 cases of COVID-19 and recently recorded a spike in local transmissions, is insisting against implementing the central government’s Large-Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB) protocol. The governor has instead emphasized the role of local customs in tackling the outbreak... "We are not implementing regulations, but advisories and instructions. If we can ask people to remain disciplined without threat or regulations, then that’s something new," Bali Governor Wayan Koster said. "It’s about how to increase awareness among the people that what we are facing is something that would require discipline, order, and therefore I don’t think we need PSBB."
"Kemenparekraf Designs New Post-19 Tourism Recovery Pilot Project" from The Bali Tribune (Indonesian): In an effort to recover the tourism sector, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy (Kemenparekraf) has formulated a new Cleanliness, Health, Safety (CHS) program for the post-epidemic world... Secretary of Kemenparekraf, Ni Wayan Giri Adnyani, explained that Cleanliness includes the cleanliness of attractions and entrances.; then Health in the form of health checks for tourists; then Safety or security that includes the security of tourists and the community. "Now that we are entering a new normal world, all new habits that were not considered abnormal now are normal. For this reason, the implementation of CHS is very appropriate now," he said.
"Prospective Aircraft Passengers are Recommended to Apply Discipline In Public Spaces" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): Long queues appeared at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta as passengers rushed to take flights. Responding to this situation, Angkasa Pura II appealed to prospective passengers to arrive at the airport 3-4 hours before departure, accompanied by the required documents during the large-scale social restrictions (PSBB)... After the incident this morning, the authority of Angkasa Pura (AP) II immediately coordinated involving multi-parties who are members of the airport task force and airline operators. One of the points generated in the coordination is an appeal to prospective passengers to arrive 3-4 at the airport before departure in this PSBB situation.
"Bali Council Approves New Regulations on Standards and Organization of Bali Cultural Tourism" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): In addition to the implementation of standards for Digital Tourism, the new regulations recognize the "New Normal" by laying out strict, measurable and planned implementation of International Health Standards and Protocols covering health, sanitation (environmental health), and hygiene... These include methords for health screening, early detection, and Standard Operating Procedures, among others. The need for organizing tourism that prioritizes safety and comfort will be prioritized and hastened. Including the simplest things such as providing clean toilets, washing hands at DTW, Tourism Village, and so on.
The View from Outside
"How Bali Escaped Being a Virus Hot Spot With Village Traditions" from Bloomberg: Bali, the resort island popular with backpackers, was always seen as a fertile ground for the coronavirus as millions of foreign tourists flock to its beaches. But it is today being touted as a model by Indonesian authorities in tackling the pandemic... The success in curbing the virus has come with the help of about 1,500 traditional village committees with considerable sway over the majority Hindu residents, according to Governor Wayan Koster. The island with a population of 4.2 million has reported just four virus-related deaths and 337 confirmed cases for a fatality rate of 1.2%, far below the national average of 6.4%.
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.
The British Embassy in Jakarta has recently posted a great summary of the Indonesian government's travel restrictions on their Facebook page. You can read it here.
If you are trying to plan travel anywhere, here are some 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 Travel Information Manual Automatic (Timatic) database feeds into airlines' reservation systems, so it is the most reliable list of flight restrictions around.
Revolver Maps' Travel Restrictions Database - This list pulls directly from IATA's Timatic database and arranges the countries in lists that are easier to navigate and creates share-able links for every country. NOTE: This is a third-party service and they warn that the updates to their system can be delayed by several hours for certain countries.
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.
Common abbreviations to be familiar with:
PMI: Indonesian migrant worker
PSBB: Policy of extreme social distancing. Officially restricts forms of transportation and prohibits certain types of business from operating. Requires any permitted businesses to enforce strict social distancing guidelines.
OTG: Possible cases, with no symptoms.
ODP: Suspected cases, being monitored. People with fever or respiratory symptoms such as congestion, sore throat, cough, travel in countries or areas with local transmission, or contact with a confirmed case of Covid-19. Tracked and placed under out-patient observation.
PDP: Probable cases, under observation. People with acute respiratory illness with at least one symptom such as cough, sore throat, congestion, light or heavy pneumonia, and travel in countries or areas with local transmission, or contact with a confirmed case of Covid-19. Usually placed under observation in an isolation ward at a designated hospital pending swab testing results.
About This Newsletter
This newsletter is a product of Migration Media, the hub for stories from and about the international migrant experience.
Our standards
We only include news items from established media sources
We do not share rumors.
We do not include opinion pieces or forecasts.
For all stories marked "Indonesian" I have used Google Translate to convert it from Bahasa. In most cases I will polish the excerpt and/or write a short summary in proper English to help clarify the details.
For any questions, comments or tips, please contact us at newsletter@migrationmedia.net.