January 21, 2022
Bali’s Covid cases jump as Work From Home is debated + Two G20 events transferred to Jakarta due to fears of Omicron in Bali + Bali’s beaches are hostile to turtles + Weekend reads + more
Good morning!
Welcome to The Bali Beat for Friday, January 21. If you’re not a subscriber, please sign up here to have this newsletter emailed to your inbox every weekday morning, along with a Sunday evening summary of the past week’s Covid-19 and vaccination data. If you’re already a subscriber, thank you!
Please be sure to share The Bali Beat with your friends, family and anyone else in the community by clicking the button below. If you’re on Twitter, you can follow us there @thebalibeat.
*A paid subscription is NOT required to access this newsletter.* If you would like to support our news gathering efforts, please consider making a donation of US$5/month by becoming a contributing subscriber via the link above. If you’d prefer to make a one-time donation — of any amount — please click here.
Weather & Tides
Today’s Weather for Southern Bali
Today’s Tides
Meteorology, Climatology & Geophysics Council (Link)
Tide table from Tide-forecast.com.
Daily Covid Update
National Figures
Local Figures
The Big News
“Some Advise Bali Not to Implement WFH Immediately” from Bali Post (Indonesian): The increasing number of Covid-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant has made the government again ask the public to remain vigilant. To reduce the rate of transmission of the Omicron variant, the public is asked to reduce mobility, avoid crowded centers, and for those who can work from home to re-implement work from home (WFH). In response to the request, Chairman of Commission III DPRD Bali Province, AA Ngurah Adhi Ardhana, suggested that the Bali Provincial Government should not immediately follow the directions of the Central Government. “For Bali, it is better to adjust the situation considering the level of discipline in Bali which looks quite good regarding masks and hygiene. Economic activity will be affected if a full WFH pattern is carried out, such as last July-October 2021. Bali currently is still very low. Yesterday there were only 23 positive people, hopefully it can be maintained like that," he said.
Context: Yesterday Bali counted 43 new cases, including five football players (Indonesian), almost double the 23 cited by the Chairman from the previous day. While the story infers Omicron has been found in Bali, as of yesterday the Deputy Governor said that was not the case (Indonesian). Covid-19 cases nationwide have jumped nearly fivefold over the past three weeks.
“Two G20 Agendas Canceled in Bali and Moved to Jakarta Due to Omicron” from CNN Indonesia (Indonesian): The Ministry of Finance moved the two agendas of the G20 meeting on the financial track from Bali to Jakarta. This is due to the spread of covid-19, especially the Omicron variant. The agenda that was moved to Jakarta was the 2nd Finance and Central Bank Deputies Meetings or the meeting of deputies & 1st Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meetings which was planned to be held in Nusa Dua on 15-18 February. "Considering the development of COVID-19 at the global and national levels, especially from the Omicron variant with a very high level of spread and considering the results of the G20 delegates' in person survey, it is hereby notified that the 2nd FCBD & 1st FMCBG will be moved from Bali to Jakarta," read the letter from Thursday.
“Bali’s Beaches Hostile to Sea Turtles Laying Eggs” from Indonesia Expat: Beaches in Bali are considered hostile for sea turtles wanting to lay eggs due to human interventions at the beaches. “There are some human interventions causing sea turtles that previously laid eggs to not lay eggs anymore. The easiest example we can see here is a breakwater,” said Head of Bali’s Centre for Natural Resources Conservation Raden Agus Budi Sentosa on Thursday. Aside from the existence of breakwaters, the use of beaches for tourism such as beach clubs also causes sea turtles to be reluctant to lay eggs. Beach clubs usually use spotlights towards the sea which puts them off. “If there were floodlights towards the sea, the sea turtles will not lay eggs. Then there are loud noises until the evening. Remember, sea turtles lay eggs at night,” Sentosa said. Sentosa has asked Bali’s local government to make special rules regarding the use of beaches on the island so that sea turtles can lay eggs comfortably.
Context: In related news, a batch of turtles were released from Sanur Beach yesterday.
>> Classifieds <<
Do you invest in Stocks, Crypto, Real Estate & other asset classes? Logging into multiple accounts & apps just to check performance and balances? You can now manage all of your investment accounts from 1 simple dashboard + unlock more than $2,000 free to invest in Bitcoin, stocks, fine art, startups and more. Sign up for MoneyMade now to activate.
Morning Brew covers the latest business news in a fun and engaging way. Long gone are the days of dry and dense traditional business news; with Morning Brew you can stay informed and entertained, Monday-Sunday. The best part? It’s absolutely free. Sign up here.
Founded after the 2017 Mount Agung eruptions, Yayasan Team Action Amed works with village leaders to provide aid to those in need. Check out their Instagram and Facebook pages, donate via their GoGetFunding page or PayPal, or visit their website for other options & to learn more.
Want to share your message with the most engaged members of the foreigner community in Bali? Click here to learn how to place a classified ad.
Other Headlines
“Sports Ministry May 'Adjust' Covid Quarantine to Suit MotoGP Event” from Tempo: The Sports and Youth Minister Zainudin Amali, after a meeting with Indonesian Olympics Committee Raja Sapta Oktohari on Wednesday, said that the ministry aims to adjust the country's Covid-19 quarantine regulation to better suit the MotoGP event. He is eyeing to propose a special discretion for international athletes entering Indonesia. This comes after the CEO of Dorna Sports, Carmelo Ezpeleta, suggested he would arbitrarily cancel a racing event if the host country imposed a lengthy quarantine period for international travelers. "We propose the quarantine discretion of sports players. It is impossible when international competitions, athletes, officials, and foreign committees are subjected to a long quarantine. There must be a solution, we can use the bubble system," said Raja Sapta Oktohari.
Context: This follows on from news earlier with Minister Uno stating Indonesia would not alter quarantine conditions to meet the desires of the MotoGP organisers (Indonesian), then news yesterday that inferred the issue had become a non-issue (Indonesian). Elsewhere the Minister has said travel bubbles will be required (Indonesian).
Vaccination Update
“Govt Works to Ensure Boosters Won't Outpace Primary Doses” from The Jakarta Post (Metered Paywall): The government has promised to continue accelerating the primary COVID-19 vaccination among the country's target population of 234 million, despite having started rolling out booster shots to the general public last week. Health authorities are seeking to complete the two-dose inoculation program for both adults and children by midyear, while ensuring that Indonesia has enough supply for primary and booster vaccinations. "With our current vaccination rate of around 1.3 million doses a day, we could finish primary inoculation for adults and teenagers [aged 12 and above] by April and by June for [younger] children," Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said on Tuesday.
More...
Nation: “Some 301 Million Covid-19 Vaccine Doses Administered in Indonesia” from Antara
Nation: “Indonesia Receives Astrazeneca Vaccine Doses Donated by Japan” from Antara
Nation: “Need to Focus on Expediting Booster Vaccinations: Epidemiologist” from Antara
Health Protocols (Prokes) & Health Services
“Travelers From Saudi Arabia Constitute Bulk of Indonesia's 882 Cases” from Antara: The Indonesian Health Ministry reported that confirmed cases of Omicron in Indonesia had totalled 882 as of Thursday morning, largely constituting foreign travelers coming from Saudi Arabia. "Some 882 cases of Omicron were reported today. The patients comprised 710 foreign travelers, 161 cases of local transmission, and 11 cases that have not been identified," Director of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control of the Ministry of Health Siti Nadia Tarmizi said on Thursday. In terms of foreign travelers, the figure is dominated by travelers from Saudi Arabia, with 128 cases. "After Saudi Arabia, there were 109 cases from Turkey, 81 cases from the United States, 66 cases of Malaysian travelers, and 54 cases of visitors from the UAE," Tarmizi said. She noted that nearly 80% of the Omicron patients had received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, so they did not exhibit severe symptoms.
More...
Nation: “Wisma Atlet Hospital Logs 517 Omicron Patients” from Antara
Province: “The Denpasar Judiciary Team Nets 20 Prokes Violators” from Antara Bali (Indonesian)
Klungkung: “Klungkung Regency Becomes Bali’s Only Covid-19 Green Zone” from Tribun Bali (Indonesian)
Economy & Infrastructure
“5G Will Not Disrupt Aviation in Indonesia: Ministry” from The Jakarta Post (Metered Paywall): The rollout of 5G mobile telecommunication networks will not disrupt aircraft operations in Indonesia, according to the Communications and Information Ministry. Communications ministry spokesman Dedy Permadi said on Thursday that Indonesia faced no problem as its 5G frequency spectrum was further apart from that used for altimeters. In Indonesia, 5G runs on the 3.4 to 3.6 gigahertz frequency band, while radio altimeters run on 4.2 to 4.4 GHz, as prescribed by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). This leaves Indonesia with a 600 MHz guard band as a buffer.
More...
Nation: “Police to Investigate Bank Indonesia's Alleged Data Leak” from Tempo
Nation: “Leaked Covid-19 Patients' Data Not From Pedulilindungi: BSSN” from Antara
Nation: “Indonesia’s Digital Literacy Remains Low” from The Jakarta Post (Metered Paywall)
Nation: “Ministry sees fisheries investment growing 4-5% in 2022” from Antara
Nation: “Energy Ministry Encouraging Large Vehicles to Switch to Gas” from Antara
Nation: “G20 Could Create 33,000 Jobs, Generate Rp1.7tn in Consumption” from Tempo
Province: “Beautification of Bali's Infrastructure to Be Completed by February” from Antara
Bali Reopening
“FPTI proposes Bali-Manado to host the 2022 Rock Climbing World Cup” from Antara Bali (Indonesian): The Central Board of the Indonesian Rock Climbing Federation is considering Bali and Manado to host one of the 2022 World Cup series scheduled for September. General Chairperson of PP FPTI Yenny Wahid said that their party still had to review the physical preparations at the two locations before deciding which city was suitable for holding the event. "Between Bali and Manado. We will update again next week because we have to see their physical readiness," Yenny said on Thursday. Yenny also hopes that the government can provide discretion or relaxation during the quarantine period so that Indonesia will no longer lose the opportunity to host various international championships. The 2022 Rock Climbing World Cup is an important event as one of the roads leading to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Weekend Reads
“Indonesia Graveyard Community Seeks History Through Old Cemeteries” from CNA
“Rijksmuseum Accused of ‘Woke’ Rewriting of History as It Drops Colonial Term From Indonesia Exhibition” from The Sunday Times (Metered Paywall)
“Indonesia’s Railway Renaissance” from The Diplomat
Of Interest
“Indonesia’s Capital City Is in Bali, According to Australian News Outlet” from Coconuts Bali
“Cryptocurrency Is Haram, Indonesia’s Muhammadiyah Rules” from Coconuts Jakarta
“Hit by Erosion, Petitenget Beach Icon Almost Collapsed” from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
The Bali Beat welcomes submissions from any group or venue based on the island! For information on how you can include your event in this list, click here.
How You Can Help Bali
Due to the collapse of the tourism sector in Bali, tens of thousands of families have found themselves with a greatly reduced income—if any. If you’d like to support organizations working to help those in need, you can see a list of some here.
*This newsletter is a product of Outlanders. To learn more about our editorial policies, click here. For any questions, comments or tips, please contact us at TheBaliBeat@outlanders.global.