July 28, 2021
No Level 3, Bali governor tells all regions to apply PPKM Level 4 + 28 Bali hotels designated for overseas traveler quarantine + Indonesia's daily Covid death toll passes 2,000 for first time + 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: Yesterday was the second time Bali recorded its highest one-day total of 33 deaths, bringing July's fatalities to 456, and cumulative deaths to 2,016. The new case total of 1,314 is Bali's second-highest, after 1,407 cases were recorded on Friday. It included 9 returned overseas travelers and 260 domestic travelers.
Click here to see the national numbers infographic and a Regency-by-Regency breakdown of yesterday’s local numbers.
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The Big News
"No Level 3, Koster Asks All Regions in Bali to Apply PPKM Level 4" from iNews Bali (Indonesian): Bali Governor Wayan Koster chose differently regarding the implementation of PPKM Level 3 and 4 in his region. All districts and cities must implement PPKM Level 4. Whereas in the Instruction of the Indonesian Minister of Home Affairs Number 24 of 2021, only six are included in Level 4, namely Denpasar City, Badung, Buleleng, Gianyar, Klungkung, and Tabanan. While the other three are at Level 3, namely Bangli, Jembrana, and Karangasem Regencies. "Governors and Regents/Mayors throughout Bali have agreed to jointly implement Level 4 PPKM in Bali Province, as one territorial unit; one island, one pattern, and one governance," said Koster. In the latest circular, there are a number of concessions for essential and non-essential sectors in Bali to provide space for community economic activities. Non-essential sectors such as street vendors, grocery stores, voucher agents/outlets, barbershops/barbershops, laundry, hawkers, small workshops, vehicle washes, etc, [are permitted to open until] 21.00. For dine-in eating and drinking activities, venues are allowed to open with a maximum 25% capacity and maximum meal time of 30 minutes, until 21.00.
"Ministry of Health Designates 28 Hotels in Bali as Quarantine Locations for Overseas Travelers" from Tribun Bali (Indonesian): The surge in positive cases of Covid-19 has made the Ministry of Health set 28 hotels in Bali as quarantine locations for PPLN (Overseas Travel Actors). It is planned that these hotels will be operational when Bali opens domestic or direct flights from other countries. Most of the 28 hotels are located in the green zone or where the population and workers have been vaccinated as a whole. The distribution details are 6 hotels in the green zone area of Nusa Dua, Badung Regency, 7 hotels in the green zone area of Sanur, Denpasar City; and 7 hotels in the green zone area of Ubud, Gianyar Regency. The remaining 8 hotels are outside the green zone areas.
"Daily Covid Death Toll Passes 2,000 for First Time" from The Jakarta Globe: The already dire situation in Indonesia’s Covid-19 outbreak got worse on Tuesday with a new record for the highest number of daily deaths, which exceeded the 2,000 mark for the first time since the pandemic started. The news came two days after President Joko Widodo decided to extend Covid-19 lockdown until next week with some relaxed provisions, including dine-in permitted at outdoor restaurants and cafes. Indonesia has recorded 2,069 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 86,835. More than 50% of Tuesday’s fatality figures have occurred in Central, East, and West Java. Indonesia is ranked 14th in the list of countries with the most Covid-19 cases, according to data from US-based Johns Hopkins University.
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Other Headlines
"Bali to Start Producing Own Oxygen Supply Next Month, Governor Says" from Coconuts Bali: “This pandemic situation has taught us to start producing [oxygen] on our own and not be dependent on outside resources,” Governor Koster said. The governor has reportedly instructed hospitals in Bali to start buying machines or generators, so that they don’t have to buy from outside sources in the future. According to Bali Health Agency Chief Ketut Suarjaya, one generator costs about IDR5 billion (US$344,481). Bali has been relying on oxygen supply from producers in neighboring Java island, deliveries of which have been delayed due to increasing demand amid escalating COVID cases across Indonesia. Last Thursday, patients in Bali reportedly needed over 113 tons of oxygen, but hospitals only had around 40 tons readily available, illustrating the oxygen shortage that had been going on under the radar since July 14. The next day, Suarjaya admitted that Bali is facing an oxygen crisis. Officials say that oxygen supply is taken care of for the time being, pointing to hundreds of concentrators the province received over the weekend. “Up until now the oxygen demand in Bali has been met on time,” Koster said.
Vaccination Update
"Indonesia Considers Covid-19 Booster Shots for Wider Use - Govt Official" from Reuters: Indonesia, which uses the Sinovac (SVA.O) vaccine as its main COVID-19 inoculation, is considering providing a booster shot, as a study showed antibodies provided by the two-dose shot fade over time, a senior health ministry official said. Indonesia, which has become Asia's COVID-19 epicentre with record infections and deaths this month, relies heavily on the Sinovac vaccine that accounts for more than fourth-fifths of 173 million doses of vaccine supplies it has received so far. Concerns about the vaccine's effectiveness have mounted in recent weeks as hundreds of medical workers, most of whom were fully vaccinated with the Sinovac shot, have died of COVID-19 since June. A study published this week showed that antibodies triggered by the Sinovac vaccine declined below a key threshold from around six months after a second dose for most recipients, although a third shot had a strong booster effect.
More...
Nation: "Covid Won’t Go Until 208 Million Citizens Vaccinated: Jokowi" from The Jakarta Globe
Nation: "Indonesia Receives 21.2 Million Doses of Sinovac Bulk Vaccine" from Antara
Nation: "Bio Farma Produced 90.1 Million Covid-19 Vaccine Doses" from Antara
Bangli: "Vaccine Stock in Bangli Was Empty" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian)
Health Protocols (Prokes) & Health Services
"Minister Defends ‘Funny-sounding’ 20-minute Dine-in Time Limit" from Coconuts Jakarta: The government doesn’t seem to appreciate the jokes and memes in expense of the eyebrow-raising 20-minute dine-in time limit, justifying its enforcement on the fact that other countries have done it before. the government slightly relaxed the Enforcement of Restrictions on Public Activities (PPKM) protocol on Sunday, with one notable change being that restaurants located in areas with the strictest level of restrictions are now allowed to serve dine-in customers for 20 minutes. The rule has attracted much ridicule and scrutiny by the public, and Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian yesterday went at length to defend it. “Why is the time limit so short? It’s to discourage lingering at the restaurant. If there’s a lot of chatting, laughing, conversing, that would create [COVID-19] transmission risks,” Tito said.
Context: As some restrictions are mandated by regional heads, rather than 20 minutes, Bali’s governor has mandated 30 minutes for diners.
More...
Province: "1,871 Tourism Businesses in Bali Have Received CHSE Certificates" from Kompas (Indonesian)
Badung: "Here are the Latest Provisions for Domestic Travelers Arriving at and Departing From Ngurah Rai Airport" from Tribun Bali (Indonesian)
Denpasar: "PPKM Level 4, Denpasar Increasingly Intensifies Tracing" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian)
Denpasar: "Denpasar City Government Adds 1 Hotel, There are 799 Beds for Centralized Isolation" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
Denpasar: "Suspension of Services at Immigration Office Extended Until August 2" from Tribun Bali (Indonesian)
Jembrana: "Entering Bali Disguised as Logistics Vehicle Crew" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian)
Economy & Infrastructure
"Bali Hopes to be Allowed to Serve Essential Business Flights Like 4 Other Indonesian Airports" from Bali Prawara (Indonesian): The Bali provincial government continues to approach the central government and even directly to the president to give approval to open Bali tourism activities to foreign tourists. This, according to Deputy Governor of Bali, Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati (Cok Ace), continues to be pursued so that the Bali Border is soon opened. However, even if this is not possible for regular tourists, he hopes that the alternative is to be given Bali's approval to be able to accept international flight landings for essential business purposes. "If it is not possible for the Bali Border to be opened, we hope to be able to land international flights for essential business, like the 4 airports in Indonesia, namely Jakarta, Medan, Surabaya and Manado," he said.
More...
Nation: "Sharia Growth Better Than National Economic Growth: Bank Indonesia" from Antara
Nation: "Indonesia Records Rp223 Trillion Investment in Second Quarter" from Antara
Nation: "Indonesian Finance Ministry Endorses Five International Trade Rules" from Antara
Nation: "KKP to Rehabilitate Six Mangrove Regions for Driving Economic Recovery" from Antara
Nation: "Indonesian Online Lender in Hot Water as Hundreds of Investors Allege Fraud" from Tech in Asia
Province: "TPID Bali Recognizes Stable Food Supply" from Bisnis Bali (Indonesian)
Gianyar: "Residents Turn to Cattle Breeding, Cattle Population in Gianyar Increases" from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
Gianyar: "Until Mid-year, Five Kites Caused Power Outages in Gianyar" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
Klungkung: "Affected by PPKM, Fabric Traders Confess Their Merchandise Doesn't Sell at All" from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
"Vaccine Certificate Being Considered as a Requirement to Enter Malls" from Coconuts Jakarta: The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) has made a proposal that may appease both the government’s mass vaccination program and malls that are struggling under tightened restrictions, while possibly frustrating those among the mall-obsessed public who happen to be anti-vax. Kadin Chairperson Arsjad Rasjid floated the idea of malls mandating visitors to present their COVID-19 vaccine certificate upon entry. “For retailers, malls, the hope is that all workers are vaccinated. And all visitors can present [certificate] to show they’ve been vaccinated, so that malls can open and the retail sector can resume,” he said. Malls throughout the country, particularly in COVID-19 epicenters in Java and Bali, have been ordered to shut since the implementation of the Emergency Enforcement of Restrictions on Public Activities (Emergency PPKM) on July 3. Businesses have warned of massive layoffs if restrictions were extended for long periods.
"Not Having a COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate, Resident in Gulingan Village Evicted" from IDN Times Bali (Indonesian): A resident who lives on Jalan Melati, Banjar Gulingan Tengah Kaler, Gulingan Village, Mengwi District, Badung Regency, Fery Wahyudi Satria Wibawa, was evicted from his residence. The expulsion occurred because the person concerned could not show a certificate of COVID-19 vaccination. Accompanied by his attorney, Fery said that his human rights as an Indonesian citizen (WNI) had been violated by the local village apparatus. The reason was only because he could not show the vaccination certificate in his name. In addition, he also questioned the letter threatening to expel residents of Gulingan Village who did not want to be vaccinated. "Nothing in my language says I don't want to be vaccinated. I want to be vaccinated. Remember! I want to be vaccinated," he said. Fery then reported this incident to the Badung Police Police on Tuesday (27/7/2021). He admitted that he had waited a week for clarification from the Perbekel regarding the eviction letter. The Head of Gulingan Village Headquarters, Ketut Winarya, said that Fery was not registered as a resident of Gulingan Village. It is also stated that the person concerned has never applied for a domicile or non-permanent to the local Village Office.
"Police Arrest 7 Debt Collectors for Gang Assault and Murder in Denpasar" from Coconuts Bali: Seven men were arrested for the alleged assault and murder of a man in Denpasar, who was reportedly killed in broad daylight. The aftermath of the incident went viral on social media last week, with clips showing the victim, identified as 34-year-old MD, lying dead on a street in West Denpasar after he was slashed. Police investigation over the weekend led to the arrest of seven debt collectors affiliated with a local lending company. Denpasar Police Chief Jansen Avitus Panjaitan explained that the incident began on Friday afternoon, when four people claiming to be debt collectors from PT BMMS paid a man named KW a visit at his boarding house (locally known as kost) to take away his motorbike in lieu of his missing debt payments. The suspects have been charged with assault and murder under Indonesia’s criminal code, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years.
Of Interest
"Poems, Online: Indonesia’s Rising Industry of 'Poetry Influencers'" from The Jakarta Post
"Plant Swapping: Indonesia’s Latest Trend Promotes Sharing and Caring" from The Jakarta Post (Metered Paywall)
"Hoaxes Bigger Problem Than Pandemic: Indonesian Medical Association" from Antara
"Influence of Australian Monsoon Winds, Weather in Bali Will Feel Hot and Dry" from iNews Bali (Indonesian)
"Swab-solutely Bananas: Fritters Wrapped in Covid-19 Test Result Terrifies Indonesians" from Coconuts Jakarta
"Overstay, Bali Immigration Deports Danish Citizen" from Republika (Indonesian)
"Residence Permit Expired Due to Agent Deception, Ukrainian Citizen Deported by Immigration" from Bali Prawara (Indonesian)
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 with Bali Solidarity. 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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