January 27, 2022
Covid-19 in Bali sees 139 new cases + Bali handicraft exports remain stagnant + Bali center-stage in crypto & NFT market + more
Good morning!
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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
Note: Bali’s count of 139 new cases is the highest since 21 September last year and the In Treatment total is the highest since August 5.
The Big News
“Covid-19 in Bali Increases Significantly With 139 New Cases” from JPNN: The surge in positive cases of Covid-19 in Bali is getting out of control with the increase in new cases soaring beyond triple digits in a day. On Wednesday there were 139 residents positive for Covid-19. Based on the official data of the Bali Province Covid-19 Task Force, four districts/cities are in the spotlight. They are Denpasar with 39 new cases, Badung Regency with 38, Buleleng Regency with 33 and Jembrana Regency with 14. The soaring number of exposures has triggered a self-help response from the community. Officials from Dangin Puri Kangin Village, West Denpasar, for example, immediately sprayed disinfectant at a number of points. The main targets were houses of villagers who were confirmed positive for Covid-19.
Context: In related news, Buleleng plans to reopen Isoter facilities (Indonesian), while the Head of Bali Provincial Head Office said there is no evidence of Omicron in Bali (Indonesian).
“Bali Handicraft Exports Still Stagnant” from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): Exports of Balinese handicraft products remain stagnant. This is because there are no buyers who come to Bali, due to the non-enactment of the visa on arrival policy. Chairman of the Regional Leadership Council of the Association of Indonesian Handicraft Exporters and Manufacturers Bali, I Ketut Darma Siadja said on Tuesday that no buyers have come to Indonesia, including Bali. "Perhaps it is considered a hassle, so they refuse to come," explained Darma Siadja. He said there was a movement in sales, especially exports of handicrafts, but the volume was small. According to export data from the Provincial Office of Trade and Industry, in January-November 2020, the export value of handicrafts was US$129m. This amount contributed 35.83% to Bali's total exports in the same period. Meanwhile, in January-November 2021, handicraft exports reached US$91m, a decline of almost 30%.
“Bali Center-stage in Thriving Crypto, NFT Market” from The Jakarta Post (Metered Paywall): Bali might soon also be known as the blockchain hub of the country, as the number of crypto investors soared last year and as non-fungible tokens have taken the island by storm. Crypto exchange Tokocrypto said Bali was its second-largest market, after the much larger Java Island. The number of Tokocrypto users in Bali skyrocketed to 28,000 people last year from only 900 in 2020. Tokocrypto CEO Pang Xue Kai said the high number of users in Bali had prompted the company to set up a crypto community space called T-Hub in the province.
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Other Headlines
“Tlusure App to Guide Tourists” from Antara: The Tlusure application will serve as a guide for tourists, Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno has said. The application will provide tourists with information regarding the condition of tourist destinations in the green or other zones, recommend tourist destinations to users, and related health protocols, the minister said. Among the factors for the declining number have been stricter travel regulations, which have affected the incomes of 34 million people whose livelihood depends on the tourism sector, he said. However, at the same time, there has a rapid increase in the value of the digital economy, Uno said. The value of the digital economy has soared by 49% year-on-year to reach US$70 billion, he said. The online travel sector has also experienced an increase of 29% to reach US$3.5 billion, he added. "This is an anomaly that we must welcome with innovation," the minister said.
Vaccination Update
“Indonesia Must Achieve 70% Vaccination Coverage Quickly” from Antara: Indonesia must step up efforts to achieve the 70% vaccination coverage target so that it is well-prepared for any potential wave caused by Omicron, a government official has said. "Our vaccination rate has been high enough, but we need to soon get the percentage of fully-vaccinated Indonesians recorded at 70%," head of the Finance Ministry's Fiscal Policy Division Febrio Kacaribu stated. The 70% target can hopefully be gained in a few months, he said on Tuesday. As of January 24, the number of first dose recipients in Indonesia has been recorded at 181.65 million, or 87.22% of the targeted population, he said. However, the number of second dose recipients, still stands at 124.63 million, or 59.85% of the targeted population, he said.
Context: While the nationwide figures quoted are correct, vaccine coverage remains uneven. Currently 11 provinces remain under 80% for the first vaccination (Papua is the lowest at 30%), and 12 provinces are under 50% for the second shot (with NTT at 45%). In related news, citizens have again been asked to not be picky when it comes to vaccine choice.
More...
Nation: “Expect Pandemic to Be Lesson for Vaccine Researchers” from Antara
Nation: “Booster Vaccination Is Government's Response to Omicron” from Antara
Health Protocols (Prokes) & Health Services
“Indonesia’s Omicron Tally Now at 1,766” from The Jakarta Globe: The Health Ministry revealed on Wednesday that it had identified 140 new Omicron infections, bringing Indonesia’s tally of the highly transmissible Covid-19 variant to 1,766. Siti Nadia Tarmizi, the ministry’s director for prevention and control of direct communicable diseases, said the Omicron-infected patients were mostly people who had returned from overseas. She said 1,066 out of the 1,766 Omicron cases are related to international travelers. “As many as 449 cases are locally transmitted and 251 remain under epidemiologic investigation,” Siti said. Indonesia’s Omicron tally on Jan. 22 stood at 1,369 cases. Of that number, 71.7% of the Omicron patients were fully vaccinated, while the vaccination status of 18.9% was unknown, the Health Ministry reported. Around 6.1% of the 1,369 Omicron patients were unvaccinated and 3.3% had been partially vaccinated.
Context: On Tuesday, Minister Luhut was quoted as saying (without noting the source of his information) that 44% of travelers were Covid-19 positive. Looking at the above numbers he may have been refering to the percentage of positive cases that had a history of travel. Meanwhile the Head of the BPJS has said almost half of the cases are not from international travel.
More...
Nation: “Two Bali G20 Agendas Were Moved to Jakarta Due to Capital’s Higher Vaccination Rate” from Tempo
Gianyar: “Indonesia Vs Timor Leste Match Held Without Spectators” from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
Economy & Infrastructure
“Mandalika MotoGP Spectators Increased From 65,000 to 100,000” from Suara Bali (Indonesian): President Joko Widodo has agreed to increase the number of spectators for the MotoGP event to 100,000 spectators. "There is an increase in the number of MotoGP spectators from 65,000 to 100,000," said Head of the Central Lombok Tourism Office, H Lendek Jayadi on Wednesday. For this reason, alternative lodging accommodations need to be added in order to support the implementation of the motor racing event. "We have also proposed alternative accommodation to the central government," he said. The proposed alternative accommodations include camping ground, the use of government building facilities and several schools as well as residents' houses that are suitable for lodging.
Context: There was considerable reporting on the infrastructure challenges, especially with regard to accommodation, when the crowd was pegged to 65,000. Past remedies have included commuting from Bali (Indonesian), camping (Indonesian) and staying on ferries and other passenger vessels (Indonesian). Lombok’s hotel capacity has been reported as being anything from 12,500 (Indonesian) to 16,000 (Indonesian) rooms.
More...
Nation: “Domestic Coal Utilization to Reach 166 Mln Tons in 2022” from Antara
Nation: “Halim Airport to be Renovated to Increase Flight Safety” from Antara
Nation: “BI Projects Economy to Grow at Swifter Pace in 2022” from Antara
Province: “Governor Koster Banned Bribery on G20 Infrastructure Development” from Antara Bali (Indonesian)
Province: “Jembrana Chocolate Enters World Market” from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
Education
“Online Learning at Kuta School Extended After Another Student Tests Positive” from Bali Prawara (Indonesian): Online learning at SMP Negeri 2 Kuta has been extended again for the next five days. The decision was taken by the school, after another grade VII student was confirmed to be Covid-19 positive. This was known after a team from the Badung District Health Office finished analyzing the PCR Swab, carried out on Tuesday. Two students at the school are confirmed to be Covid-19 positive. Head of Badung District Health Office, Dr. Nyoman Gunarta said that after a student tested positive for Covid-19, his party would trace several people who were in close contact. The tracing will of course target the students' families first. "We will carry out tracing, involving the Kuta II Health Center," he said.
Context: The above is one of a couple of reports overnight of students testing positive in Bali’s schools, with one report from Denpasar noting 15 students had tested positive (Indonesian).
More...
Nation: “90 Jakarta Schools Close Due to Covid-19 Transmissions” from Coconuts Jakarta
Nation: “Jakarta Deputy Governor: Full On-site Learning to Continue Despite Covid” from Tempo
Bali Reopening
“Bali Tourism Should be Opened, Rising Covid-19 Cases Not an Excuse” from Tribun Bali (Indonesian): The opening of Bali tourism is still being voiced by Bali tourism actors. In response to this, the Deputy Chair of the DPR RI BKSAP, Putu Supadma Rudana conveyed their aspirations to the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Panjaitan on Wednesday. He said that there was no longer any reason not to open Bali tourism for international flights, saying Bali is 100% ready to accept foreign tourists, thanks to its strict health protocols and the near-completion of vaccinations. "I have conveyed to the Menkomarves that Bali must be opened from international flights," he said. He also said Bali’s tourism industry was at the limit of its patience in waiting for the opening of tourism. When asked about the condition of the Covid-19 pandemic in Bali, which is increasing again with positive numbers, Supadma Rudana said that was not an excuse.
More...
“Tourists Using Travel Bubble Need Health Insurance Cover” from Antara
“BASAbali Wiki Invites Millennials to Contribute Ideas to Improve Bali Tourism” from Nusa Bali (Indonesian)
Of Interest
“Foreigner Fights With Police at Ngurah Rai Airport” from Tribun Bali (Indonesian)
“Why Indonesia Is Moving Its Capital City to an Island Jungle” from The Christian Science Monitor
“Indonesian Doctor Gets 6 Months for Ejaculating on Friends’ Food” from Coconuts Jakarta
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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.
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