June 8, 2021
Provincial government requests Work From Bali program not only in Nusa Dua + Digital nomads expected to stay in locally owned accommodation + Bali's proposal to open in July strengthens + more
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CORRECTION: Yesterday's edition included a story at the top of the “Big News” section published by Indonesian news outlet Bisnis, which incorrectly quoted a Covid-19 task force member. The statement published by Binis was, “The government will also ensure foreign tourists entering the country have been vaccinated against Covid-19.” The actual statement made to government news agency Antara was, “The government will regulate those entering Indonesia who have undergone Covid-19 vaccination.”
Weather & Waves
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 36 new cases reported yesterday, the 7-day average edged down to 36. 2 of the cases were acquired by Indonesians overseas; 1 was recorded in Klungkung and the other in an area outside Bali. No deaths were reported. The 7-day average for fatalities is now 7, the lowest since November 22. There were 3 foreigners among the 27 new coronavirus cases reported in Bali on Sunday.
Click here to see the national numbers infographic and a Regency-by-Regency breakdown of yesterday’s local numbers. And in case you missed it, check out Sunday’s update for a summary of last week’s overall totals, with perspective on how they stack up against previous weeks + detailed breakdowns of the virus’ spread on a Regency-by-Regency level.
The Big News
"Local Government Requests Work From Bali Not Only in Nusa Dua" from Bisnis Bali (Indonesian): Deputy Governor of Bali Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati or Cok Ace said that currently the Work from Bali (WFB) plan is being re-discussed by the Tourism Office to related ministries and institutions. "We are just confirming which venues will be offered because there are other areas in Bali besides Nusa Dua," he said. According to Cok Ace, if the conditions for implementing WFB are green areas, all people are vaccinated, and the tourism industry already has Cleanliness, Health, Safety and Environment (CHSE) certification, then it is possible that other areas that meet the requirements can be given the opportunity to implement this program. "However, this returns to market needs, for example, if only a few people are working from Bali, they do not need a large place. Areas outside Nusa Dua can accommodate that."
"Digital Nomads in Bali Expected to Stay at Locally Owned Accommodation" from IDN Times Bali (Indonesian): Chair of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) Badung, IGAN Rai Suryawijaya, hopes that digital nomads can contribute to Bali, especially in the tourism sector. They are expected to fill accommodation owned by local people and spend an estimated 30 dollars per day. "This will be exciting and have a positive impact on other industries," he said. The head of the Regional Office of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights (Kanwilkumham) Bali, Jamaruli Manihuruk, admitted that the policy regarding visas for digital nomads in Bali has not been finalized. The visa regulation has received support from the Ministry of Law and Human Rights. However, the discussions involve various ministries. "So we haven't finished discussing it yet. But there are developments [in other countries], so we have to follow them too. Don't let us be left behind.” The total number of foreign nationals still in Bali as of June 4 is 114,044. They consist of 81,518 holding Visit Stay Permits (ITK), 30,211 on Temporary Stay Permits (ITAS), and 2,315 foreigners on Permanent Stay Permits (ITAP).
"Bali's Proposal to Open for Foreign Tourists Strengthens" from Bali Post (Indonesian): Several associations such as the Indonesian Youth Entrepreneurs Association (HIPMI), Indonesian Tourism Industry Association (GIPI), Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agents, Bali MICE Forum, and the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) called for Bali to immediately be opened to foreign tourists. According to the chair of PHRI Badung, Agung Rai Suryawijaya, if Bali is not handled specifically, our economic contraction will continue, so it is very logical and natural for the tourism industry, which has collapsed over the past year and three months, to be opened to the international community." He said this July there must be a bold step to open, because the 7,000-9,000 domestic tourists per day can only fill the hotel occupancy rate to 10%.
Context: Regarding reopening, the deputy governor has said, “We are aware, after all, it is a decision from the center. But we, the government, society, and industry in Bali, hope that it will be opened in July.”
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Other Headlines
"More than 100 Units of Tourist Transport in Bali Withdraw Leasing and Auctioned Due to Pandemic" from Tribun Bali (Indonesian): The Bali Tourism Transport Association (Pawiba), which is a forum for nearly 150 transportation businesses, is currently unable to maintain its economic independence. "The complaints from all of our members are the same, namely the difficulty in facing our obligations towards financing (paying installments for the bus fleet). And there are no policies from several finance companies such as relaxation, payment delays, and others," said the Chairman of Pawiba, I Nyoman Sudiarta. "The official data on how many units were withdrawn from all of our members is not yet certain. But the vehicles that have been lost from my members are more than 100 units. Our fleet of member vehicles has been sold or withdrawn. With that, we have suffered losses during the pandemic that so far may have reached Rp.100 billion or more."
Vaccination Update
"Over 11 Million Indonesians Fully Vaccinated Against Coronavirus" from Antara: As many as 70,312 people received their second jab on Monday, bringing the total number of fully vaccinated Indonesians to 11,197,069. Meanwhile, the number of Indonesians receiving their first dose of the vaccine increased by 132,315 to reach 17,775,918. The government is targeting to vaccinate 40,349,049 people against COVID-19 in the first and second phases of the national vaccination program, which is prioritizing healthcare workers, public service officers, and senior citizens. The inoculation of public service workers, including teachers and senior citizens, is still underway in several parts of the country. Overall, the government is seeking to vaccinate 181.5 million citizens or 70% of the population.
More...
Badung: "286,000 People Have Been Vaccinated With the First Dose" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian)
Badung: "Badung Pursues Green Zone, Task Force Finalizing Covid Vaccination in Mengwi" from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
Bangli: "Hundreds of Senior Citizens in Bangli Participate in Astrazeneca Vaccination" from Antara Bali (Indonesian)
Denpasar: "482 Persons with Disabilities in Denpasar Have been Vaccinated Against Covid-19" from Bisnis Bali (Indonesian)
Gianyar: "Hasn't Touched 30% Yet, Vaccination in Gianyar Continues to Be Boosted" from Bali Express (Indonesian)
Jembrana: "Low Vaccination, State District Heads Holds Coordination Meeting" from Bali Post (Indonesian)
Tabanan: "Baturiti Police Chief Leads Mass Vaccination Security in Antapan Village" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
Health Protocols (Prokes) & Patrols
Denpasar: "Denpasar City Yustisi Team Still Finds Dozens of Prokes Violators" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
Economy & Infrastructure
"Gilimanuk-Mengwi Toll Road: 22 Villages in Tabanan Affected, Demand Appropriate Land Compensation" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): There are about 22 villages in 7 sub-districts in Tabanan that are affected by the toll road construction. Four of them are in Kerambitan sub-district. Kerambitan sub-district head I Gusti Made Darma Ariantha admitted that so far there has been no rejection of the construction of toll roads from the community. The people in four villages, Timpag Village, Sembung Gede Village, Kesiut Village, and Batuaji Village, actually welcomed it with great enthusiasm. “The response from the people in the villages of the Kerambitan sub-district has been very good. We haven't heard of any rejections yet,” he said. The government needs to pay serious attention to land compensation for toll road projects, so there will be no turmoil in the future. "It means compensation for profit, not compensation. Especially in the midst of a situation like Covid-19. The community is asking for compensation that is equivalent to the price of the land,” he said. "Now we're just waiting for information on the next stage from the provincial government."
Context: Jembrana regent I Nengah Tamba said the Gilimanuk-Mengwi toll road megaproject will be “the most expensive in Indonesia.” It has also been called the “solution to overcome the gap between South Bali and West Bali.”
More...
Nation: "Rupiah Strengthens Following Release of Foreign Exchange Reserves Data" from Antara
Nation: "GoTo Appoints Ex-Ernst & Young Exec as CFO Ahead of Its IPO Plans" from Tech in Asia
Nation: "Minister Outlines Strategies for Meeting Carbon Neutral Target by 2060" from Antara
Nation: "Palm Oil: More Than 750 ISPO Certificates Issued for Producers as of Last Year" from The Jakarta Post
Jembrana: "Wrong Prediction, Hundreds of Hectares of Dry Rice Fields Threatened With Crop Failure" from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
Klungung: "Dry Season Comes, One Hectare of Dry Land in Nusa Penida Burns" from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
Education
"Widodo Prescribes Face-to-face Learning With 25% Attendance" from Antara: President Joko Widodo has asked that schools conduct face-to-face learning with great care and limit attendance to a maximum of 25% of total students, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said. "It (face-to-face learning) cannot be more than two days a week, every day a maximum of only two hours," Sumadi stressed. Furthermore, the number of children returning to school will depend on the willingness of parents to send them back, and all teachers will need to be vaccinated before starting face-to-face learning. The central government is planning to allow limited face-to-face learning from July 2021. Earlier, the Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Nadiem Makarim had said that face-to-face learning would be implemented once the vaccination of teachers and education personnel is complete. Face-to-face learning will start from early childhood education and elementary schools and then gradually be extended to higher education facilities.
More...
Denpasar: "Denpasar Removes Subsidy for Private Junior High School Students" from Bali Post (Indonesian)
"Indonesians Could Get 4.5 Years in Prison for Insulting the President on Social Media Under Proposed Criminal Code Revision" from Coconuts Jakarta: Indonesians are now talking about the widely circulating draft revision to KUHP (RUU KUHP). The draft contains articles outlawing insults that violate the dignity of the president or the vice president. Should you do it in public, you may be imprisoned for up to three years and six months or fined IDR200 million (US$14,013). If this sounds familiar, that’s because lawmakers tried to include articles that outlaw insulting heads of state in the 2019 iteration of RUU KUHP, which did not get ratified then. In the time since, however, lawmakers have tacked on a clause saying that should one insult the dignity of the president or the vice president online or on social media (the language on the draft seems to suggest that this includes memes), they may be imprisoned for up to four years and six months or fined IDR200 million. The draft also contains articles on insulting the House of Parliament (DPR), which is punishable by up to two years in prison, which also includes other public institutions. These punishments may be more severe if the insult causes public unrest or disturbance.
"GoSend Drivers Threaten to Go on Strike Over Incentives Cut" from The Jakarta Post: Delivery riders working for the GoSend service of homegrown decacorn Gojek have threatened a three-day strike in response to incentives being slashed in half. Partners working for the service say they face incentive cuts of more than 50% starting on Tuesday, which they fear will significantly reduce their overall income. Yulianto, one of the drivers representing the Greater Jakarta GoSend Drivers Alliance, said they would normally receive a bonus of Rp.30,000 (US$2.10) for delivering at least eight packages a day, and up to Rp.100,000 for delivering 15 packages. Under the new policy, they will only receive Rp.9,000 for delivering at least nine packages, and up to Rp.37,500 for 15 deliveries. “The cuts are nonsense. The merger should not make the company neglect driver’s welfare,” Yulianto said, referring to a recently announced merger of Gojek and Tokopedia, two leading Indonesian new economy players.
"Fintech Firm Amartha Bags $7.5 Million From Norwegian Fund" from The Jakarta Post: Financial technology (fintech) company Amartha has signed a deal for investment worth US$7.5 million from Norwegian state-owned investment fund Norfund, in a collaborative effort to help women in rural areas establish and run their own small businesses. Amartha, a peer-to-peer (P2P) lender, will disburse the funds to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) owned by women, especially businesses with a positive environmental impact, such as plastic upcycling. Established in 2010, Amartha has disbursed more than Rp.3.7 trillion (US$259.24 million) in loans to around 670,000 women to date. Last year, the company launched Plastic Waste Womenpreneur (PWW), a program to fund women-led plastic waste management businesses in villages. Local waste collection in Indonesia is dominated by the informal sector, with scavengers collecting 354,900 tons of plastic waste per year, while waste banks and government-owned facilities collect just 69,900 tons per year. However, companies are stepping in to formalize the activities.
Of Interest
"Former Twitter Indonesia Head Named as CEO of Country’s Top Podcast Network" from Tech in Asia
"Megebeg-Gebegan Tradition, Fight for Cow's Head in Tukadmungga" from Bali Express (Indonesian)
"Bali Earthquake Felt in Nusa Dua, Indo-Australian Plate Moved" from Suara Bali (Indonesian)
"Speed Boat Carrying 30 Passengers Overturns in North Kalimantan River" from Antara
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.
About This Newsletter
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