March 1, 2022
Bali police prepare 6,125 personnel for Nyepi & ATM closure times are released + Details emerge on Bali’s proposed quarantine-free mid-March trial + Government extends Java-Bali PPKM to March 7 + more
Good morning!
Welcome to The Bali Beat for Tuesday, March 1. In today’s edition, preparations for Nyepi continue with over 6,000 personnel prepped for monitoring duty, more details on internet access have emerged and the hours ATMs will be offline have been released. Some more details on Bali’s tentative quarantine-free trial from mid-March are now available, while the Central Government has extended PPKM on Bali to March 7. In other news, it has emerged Russians represented the largest number of inbound tourists in February, something that may change now that Singapore Airlines has cancelled its service to Moscow. Scroll down for the full wrap on what has been happening in Bali and Indonesia since you last heard from us.
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There will be no Bali Beat this Thursday or Friday due to Nyepi. Please have a contemplative — and silent — Day of Silence. We’ll be back in your mailbox on Monday.
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
The Big News
“Bali Police Prepare 6,125 Personnel to Secure Nyepi Day” from Antara: The Regional Police of Bali have prepared as many as 6,125 personnel across 9 regions in the province to secure the 2022 Hindu Day of Seclusion (Nyepi) celebrations. "The total number of personnel that will secure a series of Nyepi Day celebrations is 6,125, and the highest number will be deployed in Denpasar Police area, which is 1,288 personnel," head of the public relations division of Bali Regional Police, Senior Commissioner Syamsi, said on Monday. Ahead of the Nyepi celebration, the Klungkung District Police will prioritize traditional village-based security by collaborating with local traditional village security officers.
Context: In related news, Buleleng Regency plans to turn the internet off across Nyepi (Indonesian), and calls to shut it off island-wide (Indonesian) continue. ATMs on the island will be disabled (Indonesian) from 12:00 pm on March 2 to 06:00 am on March 4. Mobile-banking will continue to operate (Indonesian). Gilimanuk port will be closed (Indonesian) from 06:00 am on March 3 to 06:00 on March 4.
“Details Emerge on Bali’s Proposed Quarantine-free Mid-March Trial” from The Jakarta Globe: The government will drop the quarantine requirement for foreign travelers coming to Bali starting on March 14 in a trial designed to attract visitors to Indonesia's main tourist attraction, a senior minister said on Sunday. "The government will conduct a no-quarantine trial for foreign travelers who come to Bali, which will take effect on March 14 under our current plan," the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said. During the planned trial period, foreign travelers coming to Bali must meet several requirements, Luhut said. First, they must show payment for hotel bookings that have been paid for at least four days. Second, they must have received complete or booster vaccine doses against Covid-19. Third, they will take a PCR test upon arrival and agree to wait for the results in their hotel room until the negative test results come out.
“Government Extends Java-Bali PPKM to March 7” from CNBC Indonesia (Indonesian): Covid-19 cases are still widely observed in some regions of Java and Bali, although it has shown a downward trend. So that the government is still continuing the extension of the Implementation of PPKM. Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said the national case had shown a decrease. So is the rate of hospital hospitalizations, and deaths. "Overall it is at a low level below the delta variant," Luhut said on Monday. Likewise for Java and Bali, Luhut continued, which has shown a significant downward trend in cases. Only Yogyakarta and central Java are still experiencing an increase in cases. The government decided to continue the rules of PPKM Java and Bali for the next 7 days, which means that there will be another evaluation on March 7.
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Other Headline
“Indonesians Glued to Phones for a Third of Waking Hours” from Tech In Asia: Mobile-first markets have spent roughly a third of their waking moments on their phones in 2021, with Indonesia logging in the highest average hours spent a day, alongside Brazil at 5.4 hours. Across the top 10 markets in Data.ai’s State of Mobile 2022 report, the weighted average surpassed 4 hours 48 minutes in 2021, up 30% from pre-pandemic 2019. Joining Indonesia in the leading positions are India at fifth place, with an average of 4.7 hours per day, and Singapore with 4.5 hours. Data.ai estimates showed that in Indonesia, the bulk of downloads in the finance subgenres are digital wallets and payment apps. The segment saw a 112% surge in downloads in 2021 to hit a total of 76.5 million – a significant jump from 36 million in the previous year. However, mobile banking is catching up fast, with downloads from the space seeing a 178% increase in 2021 to 64.1 million compared with just 23 million in 2020.
Context: You can download the full Data.ai report here.
Vaccination Update
“Central Lombok Police Intensify Vaccinations Ahead of MotoGP” from Antara: The Regional Police in Central Lombok district have intensified COVID-19 vaccinations for the community to support the 2022 MotoGP championship at Mandalika Circuit from March 18–20. "This vaccination event aims to strengthen the community's immunity to curb the spread of COVID-19, especially the Omicron variant," head of the regional police, Adjunct Senior Commissioner Hery Indra Cahyono, said on Monday. "We aim to reach 100% vaccination coverage for the first dose in this region," he said. "The number of residents who have been vaccinated with the first dose is 91.4% and the second dose has reached 71%. As for the third dose or booster vaccine is only 1.2%," he said.
Context: In other MotoGP news, drinkable water is on the way, as are six fast boats to transport attendees from Bali (Indonesian).
Health Protocols (Prokes) & Health Services
“Most Covid-19 Patients Who Died Still Unvaccinated Says Health Minister” from Antara: Most COVID-19 patients who died were unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated against the virus, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin stated. "We remind you all once again that most people who died were those who have not been vaccinated or have not been fully vaccinated," Sadikin said on Sunday. Hence, the government is currently prioritizing vaccinations, especially for older adults, and completing the vaccination for vaccine recipients, who have not completed the two-dose series.
More...
Nation: “Bed Occupancy Rate of Jakarta's Covid-19 Hospitals Reaches 40%” from Antara
Nation: “Gov't Strategizing to Change Pandemic Status to Endemic” from Antara
Economy & Infrastructure
“Aides Take Heat as Jokowi Retracts New Pension Fund Rule” from The Jakarta Post (Metered Paywall): President Joko Widodo’s aides have been taking the blame after he backtracked on a newly issued controversial pension fund regulation, as labor groups and politicians within his grand coalition delivered a strong backlash. Jokowi has postponed the ceremonial launch of the unemployment benefits program (JKP), which was scheduled to kick off last Tuesday, amid strong criticism that has poured in over a recently issued regulation on the pension fund program (JHT) for workers.
More...
Nation: “Ministry Highlights Importance of Disaster Education for Children” from Antara
Nation: “Prioritize Research, Innovation to Anticipate Future Crises” from Antara
Bali Reopening
“Russians Dominates Tourist Arrival to Bali During February 2022” from Kumparan (Indonesian): The number of arrivals of foreign tourists to Bali through I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, increased in February 2022. "The number is more than a thousand," said Gunandika as Kasi Tourism Market Development, from the Bali Tourism Office, on Monday. Meanwhile, from its record of 1,319 PPLN to Bali, 366 passengers were Indonesian citizens and the rest were foreigners. The largest group of foreigners was from Russia (122 people) and Australia (109 passengers) with the rest from other countries. Singapore Airlines carries on average between 130 and 126 people to Bali per flight.
Context: In related news, Singapore Airlines has suspended Singapore – Moscow flights with immediate effect.
Of Interest
“Rising and Falling in Bali During the Pandemic” from Inside Indonesia
“Frenchman in Mandalika Drinks, Allegedly Doesn’t Want to Pay Bill, Assaults Guard, Flees in Car, Gets Arrested” from Suara Bali (Indonesian)
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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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