June 10, 2021
Bali Arts Festival features 10,000 Balinese artists + 65,000 expats working from Bali during pandemic, 80% digital nomads: hotel director + Nation records highest rise in cases in over 3 months + 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: Among the 37 new cases reported yesterday, there were 3 foreigners. No new deaths were reported. The 7-day average for new cases remained stable at 37, while the 7-day average for fatalities edged down to 10.
Click here to see the national numbers infographic and a Regency-by-Regency breakdown of yesterday’s local numbers.
The Big News
"Carrying Environmental Theme, 43rd Bali Arts Festival Will Involve 10,000 Balinese Artists" from Tribun Bali (Indonesian): Head of the Bali Provincial Culture Agency, I Gede Arya Sugiartha, said the Bali Arts Festival (PKB) XLIII took the theme of Purna Jiwa: Prananing Wana Kerthi. The theme itself has the meaning of a complete soul, the breath of the tree of life, which has a deep meaning about the relationship between humans and nature. He said that the concept will be a trigger for tradition-based creativity and motivate the current Balinese generation to always love ancestral culture, build character, identity and prosperity. 73 events will be presented during PKB, involving 10,000 artists from communities and all regencies/cities in Bali, including foreign delegates. The agenda consists of 43 types of Rekasadana (Performances); 3 types of Utsawa (Parades); 13 Wimbakara (Races); 2 Kandarupa (Exhibitions); 6 Kriyaloka activities (Workshops); and 6 Widyatula topics (Seminars).
Context: PKB runs from June 9 to July 10 at Bali Arts Center in Denpasar and various other venues, with many events streamed online. The program book is available here. Governor Koster has said, “Participants or artists participating in the PKB, as well as visitors, are expected to be disciplined, orderly, and obedient in implementing health protocols, so as not to create new clusters.”
"65,000 Expats Working from Bali During Pandemic, 80% are Digital Nomads" from Bisnis (Indonesian): Director of Hotel Kirana Bali Adi Wisatya said the Island of the Gods became the second most popular destination in the world as a place of work for digital nomads, after Barcelona. "Naturally, Bali has become a destination for all types of tourists, one of which is digital nomads. Even before the pandemic, the number reached 100,000 to 200,000 people living and working from Bali." Digital nomad tourists, he continued, provide many benefits for the economy. This can be seen from the length of time tourists stay to work from Bali which can reach 6 months to 1 year, with an average expenditure of US$1,000 per person for one month. According to Adi, digital nomad tourists who work from Bali mostly come from Spain, Russia, Australia, and America. They mostly work in coworking spaces and in villas. This digital nomad tourist potential can be further expanded with clear regulations from the government.
Context: Adi Wisatya's source for the digital nomad data was not specified in the article. Data from the Regional Office of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights shows that as of June 4, the total number of foreign nationals still in Bali is 114,044. They consist of 81,518 foreigners holding Visit Stay Permits (ITK), 30,211 Temporary Stay Permits (ITAS), and 2,315 foreigners holding Permanent Stay Permits (ITAP).
"Indonesia Reports Highest Rise in Covid-19 Cases in Over Three Months" from Agencies: Indonesia on Wednesday reported 7,725 new coronavirus infections, the highest daily number since Feb. 26, bringing the total number of cases to 1.87 million, data from the country's COVID-19 taskforce showed. The task force also reported 170 people died from COVID-19 on Wednesday, taking the total to 52,162. Meanwhile, the number of new COVID-19 cases in Malaysia returned to above the 6,000 mark on Wednesday, said Malaysia’s health director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah.
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Other Headlines
"Indonesia Planning Domestic Vaccine Tourism Package" from Coconuts Bali: Indonesians may soon be encouraged to spend weeks at a local tourism destination in between COVID-19 jabs, with the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry preparing a domestic vaccine tourism package to boost the ailing industry. Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno said the program could be launched imminently. “Vaccine tourism is an inevitability within the scope of tourism and creative economy. We can assure that the vaccine will be free to Indonesian citizens as it is a public good, but we will look into [the pricing] of the tourism package.” Under the scheme, Sandiaga said Indonesians may get their first jab before heading to their tourist destination of choice. There, they can staycation for around 14 days, get their second jab, and head home. Sandiaga did not specify any locations for the program, but officials previously mentioned Bali and Bintan as possible destinations. This program would not cater to international tourists, as Indonesia’s mass vaccination program is fully subsidized by the government and is intended for Indonesian nationals only.
Vaccination Update
"400,000 Astrazeneca Doses Handed to Jakarta to Expire in June" from Antara: Spokesperson for COVID-19 Vaccination at the Health Ministry, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, said some of the vaccines were obtained from the CTMAV547 batch. The CTMAV547 batch contained 448,480 doses, which the Indonesian government had temporarily suspended the distribution and use of in mid-May this year following reports of several deaths due to alleged post-immunization events. It resumed the distribution of AstraZeneca vaccines from the CTMAV547 batch on June 1, 2021, after a toxicity and sterility test conducted by the Drug and Food Control Agency found the vaccine was safe and had no links with the deaths reported in Indonesia. The result of the toxicity and sterility test met the quality requirements for the use of the vaccine. The Health Ministry is encouraging the Jakarta administration to use the vaccines before they expire this month, she said. "It will be a pity if the vaccines expire. The (vaccination) target is there."
More...
Nation: "11,436,259 Indonesian Citizens Have Been Fully Vaccinated" from Antara Bali (Indonesian)
Nation: "Indonesia Retail & Tenant Association Launches Indonesia’s ‘Second-largest’ Vaccine Drive" from The Jakarta Post (Metered Paywall)
Jakarta: "All Citizens Over 18 Can Now Get the Covid-19 Jab in Jakarta" from Coconuts Jakarta
Badung: "Badung Targets 70% of Population to Receive Vaccine Dose 1 at End of June" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
Denpasar: "Approaching National Target, 300,000 Denpasar City Residents Have Received Covid-19 Vaccine" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
Klungkung: "Vaccine Achievement Target of 75% Stalls" from Bali Post (Indonesian)
Tabanan: "Achievement of Vaccination First Dose Below 50% in Tabanan" from Bali Post (Indonesian)
Health Protocols (Prokes) & Patrols
"National Task Force Calls Bali Province Most Obedient to Prokes" from Tribun Bali (Indonesian): Head of the Bali Provincial Health Office, Dr. Ketut Suarjaya, said, according to the National Task Force, the Balinese are the most obedient to the implementation of the health program. Even so, he also reminded the public not to be tired. Because, the keys to handling Covid-19 are only two, namely vaccination and the implementation of prokes. "The key to being free from Covid-19 is from ourselves. If we can protect ourselves, of course when we return home, we can also protect our family," he concluded.
More...
Badung: "Dozens of Prokes Violators at Kuta Beach "Rewarded" With Push-Ups" from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
Denpasar: "Denpasar Judiciary Team Hunts Prokes Violators in Pemogan" from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
Economy & Infrastructure
"Bali, NTT, and NTB Will Build Cooperation in Three Fields" from Bisnis Bali (Indonesian): The islands of Bali, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), and West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) will establish cooperation in the fields of agriculture, marine, and new renewable energy. The Governor of Bali, I Wayan Koster, said that the islands of Bali, NTT, and NTB could become one economic area by mobilizing the advantages of their respective regions. "These three regions, which are referred to as Balinusra, have advantages in the same fields, only the commodities or products are different. Like NTT, which has a large sea area, so they must work together to complement one another," he said. According to Koster, his party has discussed with the Indonesian Minister of National Development Planning (Bappenas) to make the Balinusra area a pilot in the development of new and renewable energy. So that these three provinces are able to become energy-independent regions, and are not dependent on outside countries. NTT Governor Viktor Laiskodat said that Balinusra had the potential to develop an agricultural area in a broad sense, such as a premium cattle farm to meet its own needs, especially as consumption in the Bali tourism sector. If this cooperation goes well, Balinusra will no longer need to rely on meat supplies from Java or imports from abroad.
More...
Nation: "'No Urgency' for Indonesia to Reach Net-Zero: Energy Ministry Official" from The Jakarta Post (Metered Paywall)
Nation: "Minister of Agriculture: Realization of Food Production Increases" from Antara Bali (Indonesian)
Jakarta: "Troubled Waters: What’s Causing the Mystery Foam in a Jakarta Canal?" from The Guardian
Province: "National Chamber of Commerce and Industry Conference in Bali Postponed, is This the Fate of Thousands of Hotel Bookings?" from Yahoo Berita (Indonesian)
Province: "PLN Bali: 380 Electricity Disruptions Over 3 Years Due to Kites" from Antara (Indonesian)
Klungkung: "Dozens of Kusamba Residents' Homes Flooded" from Bali Post (Indonesian)
Klungkung: "With No Rainfall, Nusa Penida Residents Have Difficulty Accessing Clean Water" from iNews Bali (Indonesian)
Education
Denpasar: "Denpasar City Government Ready to Involve Private Schools in Supporting World of Education" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
"Jokowi: Target of 1 Million Covid-19 Vaccinations Per Day Can be Achieved in July" from Tempo (Indonesian): President Joko Widodo or Jokowi said the government continues to boost daily Covid-19 vaccination efforts throughout Indonesia. Jokowi hopes that next month, the government's target to achieve vaccination of 1 million people per day can be achieved. "We hope that this month the target of vaccination per day of 700,000 is actually achieved. So that in July we can enter the target of vaccination per day of one million. Indonesia has received 92.2 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. The details of that number are 3 million doses of the Sinovac vaccine; 6.7 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine; 1 million doses of the Sinopharm vaccine; and 81.5 million doses of Sinovac vaccine in the form of raw materials. For vaccines in the form of raw materials, the government-owned drug company Bio Farma processes them. As of June 4, 2021, the number of people who have been vaccinated with dose I is 17.3 million, and dose II is 11.1 million.
"Religious Figure in Bali Sentenced to 4 Years and 6 Months in Prison for Sexual Assault" from Coconuts Bali: The convict, a 38-year-old man named I Wayan Mahardika, was found guilty of violating Article 289 in Indonesia’s criminal code (KUHP) on sexual assault. The court mentioned two incriminating considerations in the case: Mahardika’s status as a respected spiritual guru and how the case had troubled Bali’s Hindu population. Mahardika was arrested in March for sexual assault allegations concerning a 33-year-old woman, which reportedly occurred during a religious ceremony last July. At the time, Mahardika maintained his innocence while the victim said that Mahardika, who is a sulinggih, or holy man, assaulted her during a purification ritual, called melukat, in Gianyar regency.
"McDonald's BTS Meal Frenzy Sparks Virus Closures in Indonesia" from Agence France-Presse: More than a dozen Indonesian McDonald's outlets were temporarily shuttered Wednesday over virus fears as the chain's new BTS meal deal sparked frenzied buying from fans in the K-pop mad country. Jakarta and several other cities slapped closure stickers on at least 13 outlets that experienced a deluge of online food-delivery drivers picking up a meal set named after the hugely popular Korean boy band. "We temporarily closed four of six McDonald's stores here in Semarang for a couple of days," said Fajar Purwoto, the city's public order agency head. "I don't want Semarang to be in the Covid-19 red zone again". Indonesia is one of the hardest-hit nations in Asia. Jakarta authorities did not respond to requests for comment. But local media said five stores in the capital were shut over BTS-meal orders. The meal set of chicken nuggets, fries and a drink, first made available in Indonesia Wednesday, has been on offer in dozens of countries since May. BTS have become global superstars with millions of fans around the world since their debut in 2013.
Of Interest
"Indonesian BTS "Army" Initiate Fundraising for Gojek Drivers, Goes Viral With Generous Tips" from The Jakarta Post
"Will the Real ‘Silicon Valley of Indonesia’ Please Stand Up?" from Tech in Asia (Metered Paywall)
"Meaning of Tilem in Balinese Hinduism, Believed to be Sacred Time" from Tribun Bali (Indonesian)
"Suspected Suicide, Female Body Found Under Cliff in Pecatu, North Kuta" from Bali Prawara (Indonesian)
"Governor Among Bali Officials Reported to Human Rights Commission" from Coconuts Bali
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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