Friday, September 11
Swab test rate just 15% of WHO guidelines + Badung giving warnings instead of fines for mask violations (for now) + Deputy Guv blames family clusters & village ceremonies for rise in cases + more!
Good morning! Welcome to The Bali Beat for Friday, September 11. If you’re not a subscriber, sign up here to get this update delivered directly to your Inbox every Monday-Saturday morning, along with each evening’s Covid-19 update. If you are already a subscriber, thank you! Please be sure to share it with others in the foreigner community on the island by clicking the button below.
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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 complete breakdown of yesterday’s numbers + trendlines in our evening update.
The Big News
"The Number of PCR Swab Tests in Bali is Far From Ideal" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): According to the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of tests by PCR per day should be 1,000 to 1 million people. Or 1 test for 1000 inhabitants. based on data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the population in Bali in 2020 is estimated to reach 4.38 million people. If the PCR test is 1: 1,000 as standardized by WHO, then in Bali there should be a PCR test of 4,380 specimens per day... The head of the Bali Provincial Health Office, Dr. Ketut Suarjaya, has disclosed rates of Covid 19 specimen examination tests carried out in Bali every day. The final week of March saw only 42 samples per day, then April increased to 92 samples per day, and May reached 269 samples per day. In June, the number of samples examined increased along with the addition of PCR laboratories, to 634 samples were examined per day. Then in July it slightly increased, namely reaching an average of 844 samples per day. However, it experienced a decline in August, where the data showed an average of 660 samples per day. So far in September, the average has inched up to 666 samples per day, just 15% of the ideal figure.
"Fines for Not Wearing Masks Triggers Protests, Regent Giri Chooses Public Education" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): When it comes to the new mask regulations in Badung, Regent I Nyoman Giri says that administrative fines are a last resort, if guidance and warning are also not heeded... The Regent emphasized that education on prokes discipline is not about removing administrative sanctions. Sanctions will be imposed if the development stages are not heeded. "Even if in the future the offender is one person, say three times to commit the violation, maybe we will commit acts of tipiring," he concluded.
(Ed. Note: While fines may not be issued on a first - or even second - offense in Badung, media reports from across the island, including Badung, indicate that foreigners who do not wear masks and who refuse to wear one and/or do not pay the fine are being reported to Imigrasi. This story does not reference any easing up on this process.)
"Bali: Rise in Corona Cases Linked to Neighborhood Clusters, Ceremonies" from Antara: Bali's Deputy Governor Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati has attributed the recent spike in positive COVID-19 cases in the province to local transmission within neighborhoods, families, and during traditional ceremonies. “When we look at it (spike in infections) in detail and based on the reports of our colleagues from the districts and cities, most (of the cases) were caused by local neighborhood transmissions and ceremonies,” he said... The reopening of leisure spots, he continued, prompted much of the young population to go out, after having to stay home in isolation for a few months. “This then led to asymptomatic cases. As they are young, they remained healthy and they came home, and they became carriers of COVID-19, and then infected their parents, grandparents, whose immune systems are not as strong anymore. Recovery time for them (older patients) is relatively longer and they face a higher risk of death,” he explained.
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Other Headlines
"Transportation Ministry Says Rapid and Swab Tests Still Required for Travel" from Coconuts: Transportation Ministry’s spokesperson Adita Irawati said on Tuesday that current travel requirements still follow a circular issued by Indonesia’s COVID-19 Task Force earlier this year, which states that travelers must carry a health document that shows their non-reactive result from a rapid test, or a negative swab test result, which are valid for 14 days... The clarification comes only days after the Health Ministry issued a decree scrapping the controversial rapid test requirement, which was preceded by a recent statement from the Indonesian office of the World Health Organization (WHO) warning that the test’s low accuracy level could provide “a false sense of security” for travelers.
"Already 99% Filled, Denpasar City Government Adds 11 Isolation Rooms at Wangaya Hospital" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): Initially, Wangaya Hospital provided 12 isolation rooms. After converting the hospital's VIP rooms into isolation rooms, the total increased to 41 isolation rooms. However, just like before, the rooms are nearly full. Due to this, the Denpasar City Government added 11 more isolation rooms at the hospital... According Dewa Rai, Spokesperson fro Denpasar's Covid-19 Task Force, not all of those who were treated at the Wangaya Hospital were positive for Covid-19, but only those who had severe symptoms. Those with mild symptoms are advised to isolate them in several open houses that have been provided in Bapelkes, Pering, Wisma Bima. However, even these halfway houses are getting full. Therefore, several positive patients with mild symptoms of Covid-19 are self-isolating in their respective homes.
"Civil Servants to Work From Home As Jakarta Reimposes PSBB" from The Jakarta Post: “With the implementation of PSBB, the government's agencies must enact a full working from home policy,” Administration and Bureaucracy Reform Minister Tjahjo Kumolo said. Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan announced on Wednesday that the capital would reimpose PSBB measures starting Monday after weeks of easing restrictions contributed to a rising number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the city. All non-essential sectors in Jakarta must work from home, dine-in will not be allowed in restaurants, tourist destinations will be closed and large gatherings are banned. (Ed. Note: You can read more about Jakarta's new lockdown and what measures are being put in place by clicking here.)
"Digital Nomads Push for A New Visa to Work in Bali" from Lonely Planet: "We created a petition for a digital nomad visa to be presented to Joko Widodo, the Indonesian president," explains Olúmidé Gbenro, the founder of a social media marketing agency run remotely from Bali. The petition has now been signed by 2000+ digital nomads and has had enough traction to be accepted for review by the Ministry of State Secretariat of Indonesia. "We've been hard at work with a think tank that includes both public and private partners," Olúmidé Gbenro tells Lonely Planet. "The main focus is pushing the petition to reach 10k signatures. Social chatter tends to move the needle more than anything in Indonesia."
"Bali Police Officers Punished With Push Ups for Not Wearing Masks" from The Bali Sun: Karangasem's Police Chief is ensuring her officers are following protocols by dishing out push-ups for those who are not wearing a mask. The Chief believes her officers need to set an example for the public before they start enforcing the rules to citizens. When an officer is found not following protocols Suartini will punish them with push-ups in front of their office for the public to watch. “Discipline starts from ourselves, before we discipline others”, Suartini continued.
"Indonesia's Retail Sales, Consumer Survey Point to Bleak Economic Recovery" from The Jakarta Post: Retail sales in Southeast Asia’s largest economy fell 12.3% from a year earlier, a smaller drop than the previous month's 17.1% contraction, a central bank survey found on Wednesday. The BI survey predicted retail sales in August to fall 10.1% from the same month last year... Indonesian consumers remained pessimistic in July and August as the coronavirus-induced layoffs earlier this year eroded people’s confidence in the economy, according to a consumer confidence index (IKK) survey by BI. The index improved to 86.9 in August from 86.2 in July. An IKK value above 100 reflects general hopefulness, while a value below 100 signifies pessimism.
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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