Friday, October 9
Online visa system down until Monday to prep for overseas visas + Country sets record for new cases + Thousands clash w/police over jobs bill; cruisers drive into crowds & tear gas deployed + more!
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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: Click here to see the national numbers infographic and a Regency-by-Regency breakdown of yesterday’s local numbers.
The Big News
IMMIGRATION ALERT: Imigrasi's online visa application system will be down from today through October 12. This will allow the agency to prepare their systems for the new offshore visa application system that was confirmed on Monday (here, here, & here). No information was given on when the new regulations will be in effect, or when the system will be available for use. You can see Imigrasi’s announcement on their Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter pages... A reminder that you can find information about the current online application system on Imigarasi's website here.
"Police Cars Rush Towards Masses of Omnibus Law Demonstrations in Bali, Enraging Crowd" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): Thousands of protesters to reject the Omnibus Law on the Job Creation Bill were protesting in front of the Bali Provincial DPRD office Thursday afternoon, with several protesters clashing with police officers. Police officers on guard to the north of the DPRD office fired tear gas towards the future in front of the Bali DPRD office. Not only that, the masses also threw stones at the police. Stones were thrown at the police guarding the Bali DPRD office, as well as at the police guarding the north side of the Bali DPRD office.
(Ed. Note: Police responded to the crowds using tear gas. After the crowds around the DPRD complex dissipated, most moved over to Jalan Sudirman near the Udayana University campus and lit fires which blocked several lanes of traffic. There were no reports of injuries and no arrests were made. Since no labor groups participated in the protests due to a huge number of workers having been laid off already, the Chief of Police blamed outside anarchists and agitators from the violence, saying that he wants to “maintain a Balinese spirit” at the protests. Some media are drawing comparisons between the black-clad demonstrators in Bali who threw rocks and bottles at police with similarly-dressed protesters in other regions. As in Bali, the protests that sprung up across the country yesterday were larger than those held on Wednesday. Jakarta saw particularly violent clashes between demonstrators and police.)
"Indonesia Sees New High in Daily Number of Covid-19 Cases" from The Jakarta Globe: Indonesia reported the highest single-day rise of confirmed coronavirus cases on Thursday with 4,850 new cases to take the country’s total to 320,564, as more provinces reported three-digit daily numbers. The previous record was 4,823 cases on Sept. 25. The country also reported 108 more Covid-19 deaths, bringing the total death toll to 11,580. At least 840 Covid-19 patients have died in the last eight days.
"RSU Negara-Jembrana Guarantees That There Are No Fictitious COVID-19 Patients" from Antara (Indonesian): "We are following a developing issue, even at the national level, as if someone from the hospital entered fictitious COVID-19 patient data. We guarantee that there is no such thing in Jembrana Regency," said Director of the State Hospital Dr. I Gusti Ketut Oka Parwatha. He said that the announcement of the increase in the number of COVID-19 patients was based on applicable standards, so that it was impossible for him to falsify patient data... In handling Covid-19, his party works according to guidelines including a code of ethics, and tries hard to cure patients. With this growing issue, he admitted, it made it difficult for medical officers, including the Covid-19 Handling Task Force to handle patients. "If there are patients whose swab results are positive but refuse isolation, because they consider COVID-19 as medical engineering, it is dangerous. This perception can make it difficult for us to handle patients," he said.
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Other Headlines
"COVID-19 Surveillance Remains Lacking in Indonesia' from The Jakarta Post: Indonesia is in a race against time to contain the COVID-19 outbreak as patients overrun health facilities and medical workers are overwhelmed, but primary efforts to break the chain of transmission are still far from expected, epidemiologists say. On Oct. 7, a total of 44,212 specimens from 32,167 people were tested, according to the Health Ministry. On the same day, the ministry recorded 142,213 suspected cases. No data is available on the number of probable cases. Indonesia currently has 376 laboratories with a combined testing capacity of around 40,000 specimens in a day... “Having no conclusive diagnostic status is a big problem. But if the capacity of labs remains limited, [health authorities] should make priorities on who to be tested -- preferably probable and suspected cases with severe symptoms and they should get the lab results within 24 hours,” Masdalina Pane of the Indonesian Epidemiologists Association said.
"House Compound to Remain Open After 18 Lawmakers Test positive for COVID-19" from The Jakarta Post: The House of Representatives compound in Senayan, Central Jakarta, will remain open despite more than 40 staff members having tested positive for COVID-19, 18 of whom are lawmakers. House secretary-general Indra Iskandar said on Wednesday that in addition to the 40 listed cases, some lawmakers with the virus had asked not to be included on the list. On Wednesday, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan demanded that House legislators stop working at the compound for three days following the cluster of diagnoses in accordance with the capital's large-scale social restrictions (PSBB). He noted that Jakarta City Hall had closed down for three days last month after several administration officials tested positive for COVID-19.
"400 Participants Enjoy Trip with CHSE Protocol" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): The "We Love Bali" program started on Wednesday. A total of 400 participants are participating in the program, which consists of 10 groups of 40 people are visiting tourist attractions (DTW), doing tourist activities, enjoying the uniqueness and uniqueness of each DTW and staying overnight. In addition they will see and publicize each location's application of the Cleanliness, Health, Safety, and Environment (CHSE) protocols... "This is a good moment to be able to give an image that Bali is safe and ready to be visited," said Putu Winastra from Undisan Eco Village, Undisan Village, Tembuku District, Bangli. A total of 4,400 participants are targeted to take part in the program which will take place from October - November 2020.
"Impact of the Jakarta PSBB Sees Passengers to Bali in September via Ngurah Rai Airport Decrease" from The Bali Tribune (Indonesian): General Manager of PT Angkasa Pura I (Persero) International Airport I Gusti Ngurah Rai Bali, Herry AY Sikado said that of the total passengers on domestic routes served last September, the majority were passengers on the Jakarta route. Of the 177,088 passengers on domestic routes in September 2020, 76,291 people or 43 percent of them were route passengers from / to Jakarta. That number is down sharply from August, where as many as 89,612 passengers passed from Jakarta to Bali, a drop of 14.9%. Meanwhile, the number of passengers on domestic routes other than routes from / to Jakarta in September actually experienced growth when compared to August, jumping by 22.2%.
"Two Turkish Citizens Suspected of Raping Female Student Reported to Bali Police" from iNews Bali (Indonesian): A student at a university in Jakarta with the initials TN (24) reported a case of rape to the Bali Police. The alleged perpetrators of the rape are two Turkish citizens (WN). The alleged rape took place in a bungalow in the Ubud area, Gianyar. After meeting about a potential video project. the perpetrator claimed to be a journalist in Istanbul. The conversation between the two then continued to the bungalow where the perpetrator was staying. While in the bungalow, the victim says that she was fed with alcohol, a type of wine the perpetrator had brought that made her unconscious. The next day when she regained consciousness, the victim was naked. When trying to escape, the victim was raped alternately by the two perpetrators. Deputy Director for Criminal Investigation of the Bali Police, AKBP Suratno who confirmed this report. He said the report was still being investigated by the police.
"Two Bali Ferries Rescued After Engine Failure Near Gilimanuk Port" from The Bal Sun: Two ferries headed for Bali had to be rescued after they were dragged away by the current when their engines failed. The KMP Dharma Rucitra and KMP Agung Willis were dragged 1.5 miles away to the south from Gilimanuk Port in Bali on Wednesday morning... The first Ferry, KMP Dharma Rucitra, reported that its gear box wasn’t functioning. Due to the strong current, the ferry that was carrying 20 passengers, 8 trucks, 3 cars and 3 motorbikes was dragged away from Gilimanuk Port. Meanwhile another ferry, the KMP Agung Willis that was carrying 17 passengers, 4 trucks, 3 cars and 5 motorbikes had to be rescued as it approached the Gilimanuk Port at 09.40 am. The captain reported engine failure and that the ship was being dragged to the south by the strong current.
"Gojek Helped Boost Local Economy in Denpasar, Survey Shows" from Coconuts: I Dewa Gede Karma Wisana, who heads the Faculty of Economics and Business at Universitas Indonesia (UI), said that a recent survey conducted by his faculty’s Institution of Demographics (LD FEB UI) showed that small and medium enterprises in Denpasar have managed to survive during the pandemic thanks to Gojek. “[Many] small and medium businesses who partnered with or used Gojek’s services felt supported in their struggle to survive during the pandemic with the technology offered [by the platform,” Dewa said.
"Total Renovation, Mengwi Terminal is Designed to Equal Ngurah Rai Airport" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): The terminal design design is similar to Ngurah Rai Airport. The barrier uses glass. So that not just anyone can enter. "Passengers will later show tickets, so they can enter. For those who deliver and pick up, there is already a flow,” explained Mengwi Terminal Type A Coordinator I Putu Bagus Mudita... Work on the initial stages, namely lobbying, AKAP section, parking and building exits at the terminal. Especially for the AKAP part, it will be made with a modern twist. Thus, besides being more modern, it also looks cleaner and makes it easier to observe passenger movements. Building rehabilitation works will be carried out for the next two years.
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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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 try to polish the excerpt and/or write a short summary in proper English to help clarify the details.
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