July 2, 2021
Not waiting for July 3, 7 Bali regions apply emergency PPKM immediately + Govt. postpones reopening of international tourism + Foreigners violating prokes during PPKM to be immediately deported + more
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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.
Local Covid Numbers
*Note: With 311 new cases recorded yesterday - which included 79 domestic travelers, 1 Indonesian returning from overseas, and 1 foreigner - it was the first time Bali's daily total has passed 300 since March 18. 9 deaths were recorded, the highest daily total since May 19. The 7-day average is now 228, the highest since March 2 (232). Interestingly, unlike in previous months, In June there was not a big difference between the number of cases recorded on weekdays compared to weekends (9.4%). At the end of last May, for example, the difference was almost 30%.
Click here to see the national numbers infographic and a Regency-by-Regency breakdown of yesterday’s local numbers.
The Big News
"Seven Regions in Bali Immediately Implement Emergency PPKM" from Bisnis Bali (Indonesian): The head of the Bali Civil Service Police Unit, Dewa Nyoman Rai Dharmadi, said the Emergency Enforcement of Restrictions on Public Activities (PPKM Darurat) will be implemented in Bali from today [Thursday]. "We don't wait for the 3rd, we will start today.” The districts/cities that are included [in PPKM Darurat] are Denpasar City, Jembrana Regency, Buleleng, Badung, Gianyar, Klungkung, and Bangli. Even though Tabanan and Karangasem regencies are not included, the Governor of Bali still hopes that all regencies/cities can apply emergency PPKM, so that all regions are strict in monitoring health protocols. "This is expected to reduce the risk of the spread of Covid-19 in every Regency/City in the Province of Bali," he added.
Context: The president announced that the emergency measures for Java and Bali will be applied from July 3-20, so it's not clear why Bali officials decided to implement Emergency PPKM immediately. The province's regencies are classed as Level 3, as opposed to Level 4, however, from information provided by the central government so far, there is no difference between restrictions in Level 3 and 4 zones. All of the cities and regencies that make up Jabodetabek (The Greater Jakarta Metropolitan Area) are in the Level 4 zones, with the exception of Tangerang regency, which has been categorized as Level 3. Coconuts has published a list of the major points of the restrictions. Bali’s regional secretary and head of the local task force said on Wednesday that Bali would not be implementing Emergency PPKM, but yesterday announced the province would comply.
"Government Postpones Reopening of Bali Tourism" from Antara Bali: Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, has hinted that the government will likely delay opening Bali to foreign tourists following the recent spike in COVID-19 cases. "When it comes to Bali, I think you can answer it yourself. It is impossible to reopen it (in the near future), given the (presence of the) Delta (variant of COVID-19 in the country)," he said. The Indonesian government is currently focusing on handling the COVID-19 pandemic, he said. "So we are not thinking of it (reopening Bali) anymore. At this moment, we are thinking of how to lower (COVID-19 cases) by inoculating as many people as possible and (ensure people are) following the health protocols. That is what we are doing now," the minister informed.
Context: Minister Luhut discussed this topic in response to a question from a journalist representing the Australian Financial Review. Once Luhut answered, the journalist, clearly unsatisfied which his explanation, responded with "So, it has been formally delayed Pak Menko?" Luhut replied, "That's the answer."
"This is an Emergency, Sanction of Rp1 Million Doesn't Apply, Foreigners Who Violate Prokes Deported Immediately" from Kompas (Indonesian): During the implementation of the Emergency Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM), Bali Immigration removed sanctions in the form of a fine of Rp1 million for foreign nationals (WNA) who violated the health protocols (prokes). Instead, foreigners who violate the health protocols will be immediately deported to their country of origin. "The Rp1 million sanction does not apply, this is an emergency, immediately deported," said the Head of the Bali Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Jamaruli Manihuruk. This step is considered to be in accordance with the direction of the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan and the Governor of Bali Wayan Koster. "Previously, we were still taking quite soft actions, but this time we emphasize that we are not thinking about being soft again because this is an emergency." Jamaruli said that the regulation will take effect from July 1. So this needs to be known by all foreign nationals who are in Bali," he said.
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Other Headlines
"Emergency PPKM, Sandiaga Uno Postpones Work From Bali Program" from Tempo (Indonesian): Minister of Tourism and Economy Sandiaga Uno postponed the Work From Bali program due to the implementation of restrictions on community activities or the Java-Bali Emergency PPKM. "The handling of Covid-19 must be fully supported," said Sandiaga in his statement, Thursday, July 1, 2021. In addition to work from Bali, Sandiaga has suspended various tourism sector recovery programs. Such as the opening of Bali for foreign tourists, vaccination tour packages, and travel corridor arrangements (TCA). The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, said Sadiaga, will adjust policies to the situation and regulations set by the Covid-19 Handling Committee and National Economic Recovery. The government has determined the implementation of the Java-Bali emergency community activity restrictions (PPKM) from 3 to 20 July 2021. As long as the policy is in effect, all tourist attractions are closed.
Vaccination Update
"Changes in Bali After Covid-19 Vaccination Drive" from Bisnis Bali (Indonesian): The Bali Provincial Health Office assessed that the positive symptoms of Covid-19 on the Island of the Gods were lighter after the vaccination. The head of the Bali Health Service, I Ketut Suarjaya, said that after the vaccination, Covid-19 cases in Bali were dominated by people with mild symptoms. So there is no need to undergo treatment at a referral hospital, and it is enough to do self-isolation or centralized isolation provided by the local government. According to him, of the 1,599 people who were positive for Covid-19, only 400 people were hospitalized, 76 people were isolated centrally, and 1,000 people were self-isolating. Because most of the Covid-19 cases in Bali are People Without Symptoms (OTG), he added, it also affects the availability of the Bed Occupation Rate (BOR). Currently, the BOR of isolation rooms at referral hospitals reaches 39% when the average positive patient per day is in the triple digits. Whereas before the vaccination was distributed, in the same condition the BOR had reached 90%.
More...
Nation: "Health Ministry Issues Guidelines on Vaccination of Children" from Antara
Nation: "Latest Sinovac Shipment to Add 85 Million Doses to Indonesia's Vaccine Supply" from The Jakarta Post
Nation: "Indonesia Thanks Japan, Australia, US for Vaccine Assistance" from Antara
Nation: "Indonesia to Get 3 Million Covid Vaccines From the Netherlands" from Antara
Gianyar: "Gianyar Completes 79.84 Percent of First Stage Vaccination" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
Health Protocols (Prokes) & Patrols
"Bali Deputy Governor Cok Ace Confirmed Positive for Covid-19" from Bali Prawara (Indonesian): The Deputy Governor of Bali, Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati or who is familiarly called Cok Ace, has tested positive for Covid-19. Head of the Bali Provincial Health Office, dr. Ketut Suarjaya, confirmed this. In his statement, Dr. Suarjaya said Cok Ace had been in self-isolation for a week since he was said to be positive for Covid-19. However, he said he did not know for sure where Deputy Governor Cok Ace was exposed. He suspected that Cok Ace was exposed because of local transmission. "His activities are full of local transmission possibilities," he added.
More...
Nation: "Covid-19: Govt to Test 324,283 People Daily During Emergency PPKM" from Antara
Nation: "Govt Assures of Social Aid Disbursal During Emergency PPKM" from Antara
Province: "Added 311 Ahead of Emergency PPKM, Covid-19 Cases in Bali Soared Again" from iNews Bali (Indonesian)
Province: "Passenger Arrival at Ngurah Rai Airport Drops Drastically After New Restrictions Fully Enforced" from Bali Prawara (Indonesian)
Province: "Air Passengers Must Show Corona Vaccine Letter, Airport Managers in Bali Wait For Circular" from Tribun Bali (Indonesian)
Badung: "Passengers Overload PCR Tests at Ngurah Rai Airport Arrival Terminal, Evaluation to be Conducted" from Tribun Bali (Indonesian)
Badung: "Foreigner Village Inspection, Dozens of Prokes Violators Netted" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian)
Bangli: "Bangli Hospital Finally Has a PCR Lab" from Bali Express (Indonesian)
Economy & Infrastructure
Nation: "Factory Activity Slows as Indonesia Deals With Rising Cases, Deaths" from The Jakarta Post (Metered Paywall)
Nation: "Indonesian Exchange to Revamp Listing Rules to Attract More Tech IPOs" from Tech in Asia
Province: "Bali's Export Value in May 2021 Increases Sharply" from Bisnis Bali (Indonesian)
Province: "Denpasar and Singaraja Deflation June 2021" from Bisnis Bali (Indonesian)
Province: "Serving Medical Tourism in Bali, Here's a List of Hospitals" from Suara Bali (Indonesian)
Province: "Farmer's Exchange Rate Index Rises 0.49%, Balinese Farmers Still Lose Out" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian)
Denpasar: "Community Urges Denpasar City Disability Committee to be Formed Immediately" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian)
Bali Reopening
"Balinese People Are Getting Upset, Plans to Open International Borders Always Cancelled" from Bali Prawara (Indonesian): According to I GAN Rai Surya Wijaya as part of the Expert Group in the field of Bali Tourism development, Bali has experienced this condition several times. First, he said, in September 2020, the plan was to open the international border. But before it opened, Covid suddenly increased. Then he continued, in December 2020, the same condition happened again. All of a sudden, the number of Covid cases increased again. "How come every time we plan to open the border for international tourism, the Covid-19 always goes up. Even though we see the Balinese people are very obedient. More than 90% of the people obey the prokes," said Rai. Finally, the difference in air transportation requiring PCR swabs compared to sea transportation using antigen swabs seems to be discrimination. If possible, the tourism industry wants to be equated with the Antigen test. His party hopes that if it is possible to use an antigen swab but with a barcode, making it difficult to fake. Bearing in mind that at this time, after the regulation was in place, domestic tourist visits (wisdom) immediately plummeted. “Previously the average was 7000-9000 people per day, now it is 3000 people per day. This means that as much as 50% of the domestic market is lost."
"18 of 76 KMP Yunicee Ferry Passengers Not Yet Found" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): A joint team from various institutions continues to search for victims of the KMP Yunicee ferry sinking in the Bali Strait, including collecting passenger data which concluded there were 76 passengers, but 18 of them have not been found. Director of the Bali Police Water Police Kombes Toni Ariadi Effendi said there was a total of 76 people were in KMP Yunicee, consisting of crew, passengers who entered the manifest, and non-manifest passengers. Of the 76 people, 51 people survived, and 18 are still being searched for, including two children under five. Seven have been found dead. "A total of five passengers who survived and seven crew members of KMP Yunicee have been asked for evidence. We are also conducting other investigations, to find out the cause of the sinking of the ship," he added.
Context: The Indonesian navy has found the location of the ferry at a depth of 72-78 meters, 1.6 kilometers from Gilimanuk. Divers and underwater robots have been deployed to search for the missing passengers. Previous reports put the ferry's combined passenger and crew total at 57; this total did not include the undocumented passengers.
"PeduliLindungi Application Strengthens Covid-19 Tracking and Contact Tracing" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): The Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) together with the Bali Provincial Government and the Bali Provincial Health Office launched a QR Code for the Peduli Lindungi application to help increase community participation in reporting locations and travel history during the pandemic. "The participation of the community, especially their willingness to independently report their location and travel history during the pandemic, really helps strengthen the 3T (Test, Tracing, and Treatment) run by the government," said Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Indonesian Minister of Health. The Minister of Health said that the QR Code PeduliLindung application really helps the government and the community in reducing the risk of spreading the virus. First, through the QR scan feature at each location entrance, the location manager can manage the density of visitors. This application is also used to check the completeness of travel documents. Second, the PeduliLindung application is integrated with data from the Covid-19 examination test results and national vaccination data. If someone undergoes a Covid-19 test with a positive result, this application will automatically notify people who have been identified as close contacts for the last 14 days and direct close contacts to immediately carry out a Covid-19 test.
"11 Accused of Plotting Suicide Bombings Flown to Jakarta" from Antara: Ten men and one woman, who were arrested in May this year for allegedly plotting suicide bombings at several churches in Merauke district, were flown to Jakarta on a chartered aircraft on Thursday morning, said police. The case involving the suspects, who were apprehended on May 28, 2021, will be handled by the National Police's counterterrorism squad, Densus 88. Two of the suspects, identified as AP and IK, are married and their six-month-old baby was flown with them to Jakarta. Earlier Fakhiri had said that Densus 88 had confiscated several goods from the suspects, including sharp weapons and firearms. Police have accused them of plotting suicide bombings at several churches in the sub-districts of Merauke, Jagebob, Kurik, Semangga, and Tanah Tinggi. The suspects were apprehended before they could carry out their plans, said police adding, they had frequently visited Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi province. Several of them may have links with the Makassar suicide bombing case, Fakhiri said. Indonesia has been a target of terrorist attacks since 2000, and the spread of radicalism and terrorism has continued to pose a threat to the nation.
Of Interest
"Pandemic Pretext for Police Repression: Kontras" from The Jakarta Post (Metered Paywall)
"Busking Against the System: Street Musicians Fight for Respect, Legality" from The Jakarta Post
"Getting to Know Bali's Culture of Ancestral Heritage" from Suara Bali (Indonesian)
Weekend Reads
"The Rise of Local News on Instagram and What It Means for Indonesia’s Democracy" from Remotivi: TIME Magazine once stated that Covid19 is “ravaging local newspapers, making it easier for misinformation to spread.” But, even before Covid, we have seen the declining trend of local news. This is particularly worrying in Indonesia where the media landscape is dominated by large Jakarta-based digital conglomerates who predominantly broadcast national news from the capital. Regardless of the decline, the pandemic shows how local news is more important than ever for the communities. It is in this context that local “news sites” are mushrooming on the Instagram scene in Indonesia. Amid the rise of these local news accounts, Indonesia's potential as a growth area for Instagram as local news requires further attention.
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 TheBaliBeat@outlanders.global.
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