March 14, 2022
Exact location of Gilimanuk–Mengwi toll road undetermined + Legian Beach vendors see low earnings and are confused about beach redevelopment + IHGMA asks for Bali hotels to discount rooms + more
Good morning!
Welcome to The Bali Beat for Monday, March 14. In today’s edition, the exact location of the Gilimanuk – Mengwi toll way is yet to be determined, Legian beach vendors are not seeing a pick up in earnings, but remain unclear on the implications of the proposed beach redevelopment. Elsewhere, calls increase for Bali hotels to drop their prices to entice more travelers to Bali. 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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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
Note: Bali’s daily cases have been dropping since the peak of 2,556 on February 8. While deaths are lagging behind the drop in daily cases, this past weekend saw the first day with no deaths since late January.
The Big News
“Exact Location of Gilimanuk–Mengwi Toll Road Not Been Determined” from Bali Post (Indonesian): The construction of the Gilimanuk-Mengwi Toll Road has entered the stage of determining the location. In Badung Regency, the designated areas are Sembung Village and Werdi Bhuwana Village. Prebekel Sembung Village I Ketut Sukerta confirmed the exact location that will be used for the toll road has not been determined. "Indeed, there is already a large area of land that will be used, but information regarding the exact location where the toll road construction is not yet available," said Sukerta on Friday. He said that when he just received the news, an Environmental Impact Analysis (Amdal) assessment would be carried out. “The land that will be used for the construction of the toll road belongs to the residents, some of which already have houses and stalls,” he said. Therefore, his party hopes that residents affected by the construction of this toll road will receive appropriate compensation.
“Legian Beach Vendors See Low Earnings, Confused About Beach Redevelopment” from Radar Bali (Indonesian): Traders along Legian Beach have not earned their maximum income, although the terms of domestic guests to Bali have helped. In April 2022, their location of selling will be redeveloped and they have been asked to clean their place of sale by the end of March. This was said by one of the traders on Legian beach, Ni Made Karen. "I've heard the information. We were asked to clean up, but do not know what it will be like," they said on Thursday. Is it allowed to sell? "Still can, but later our things were asked to put in each other's homes. So sales are still as usual, just cannot put goods on the beach," they said. The unclear fate of traders is also a concern of the national artist, Indah Kalalo. "First, I am saddened by the economic condition of those (traders on the beach) who have not recovered, even though the open border has been opened," he said. Moreover, now reportedly there will be a beach arrangement that goods will certainly affect the income of traders along the beach. "I hope there is compensation given to these traders," he said.
“IHGMA Asks for Bali Hotels to Discount Rooms” from Radar Bali (Indonesian): Indonesian Hotel General Manager Association (IHGMA) Bali welcomes the new policy for overseas travelers without quarantine and with Visa on Arrival to Bali that commenced on March 7. To welcome the arrival of foreign tourists to Bali, the Chairperson of the DPD IHGMA Bali, Agus Yoga Iswara, invites all components of tourism actors to maintain tourism destinations in Bali, so that room and accommodation prices are not expected to be charged too high. "We must jointly promote Bali's tourist destinations that are as attractive as possible," said Agus Yoga Iswara on Friday.
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Other Headlines
“Pertamina Says Pertalite Price Will Remain Unchanged” from Tempo: Pertamina assures that the price of Pertalite fuel - one of Pertamina’s more affordable fuel varieties - will not be increased to help preserve the public’s buying power. Pertamina VP corporate communication Fajriyah Usman said the company as an SOE considers the socio-economic condition of the people in determining the prices of its fuel. As of now, Pertalite fuel will continue to be sold at Rp7,650 per liter. “We entirely support the government’s policy in recovering the national economy despite world oil prices reaching $130 per barrel,” said the spokesperson on March 11.
Vaccination Update
“BNPB Vaccinating Lombok People Prior to Mandalika MotoGP Event” from Antara: The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) is conducting simultaneous COVID-19 vaccination in Lombok on March 12-17, ahead of the MotoGP event to anticipate the arrival of foreign and domestic tourists. On Sunday, BNPB Head Lieutenant General Suharyanto said the activity aimed to protect the people, especially Lombok island residents, from the threat of COVID-19. This activity is a follow-up to President Joko Widodo's directives to expedite vaccination, including for the third dose as a booster.
Context: Authorities are once again suggesting MotoGP attendance could reach 100,000 people (Indonesian) and talk of floating accommodation continues (Indonesian) and while all hotels in Lombok are apparently now CHSE certified, hotels in Karangasem are fretting about cancellations (Indonesian).
More...
Nation: “Indonesian Gov't Must Aim for 100% Vaccination Coverage Says Expert” from Antara
Nation: “Indonesia Invests US$5 Million for Vaccine Development” from Antara
Denpasar: “Denpasar Targets Booster Vaccination Coverage to Reach 50% by April 2022” from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
Health Protocols (Prokes) & Health Services
“Health Ministry to Monitor Deltacron Situation” from Antara: The Indonesian government is monitoring the development of the Deltacron variant of COVID-19, a combination of Delta and Omicron mutations which has been detected in Europe. the Health Ministry said. "Its development is still being monitored. Because there is no evidence of an increase in transmission, severity, and others," Spokesperson for the COVID-19 Vaccination at the Health Ministry, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, said on Sunday. Scientists had confirmed a new COVID-19 variant, which was a combination of Omicron and Delta variants, with cases reported in several European countries. The variant, dubbed 'Deltacron', was confirmed by genome sequencing conducted by scientists at IHU Mediterranee Infection in Maseille, France. The variant has been detected in several areas in France.
More...
Nation: “Indonesia Adds New 16,110 Covid-19 Cases” from Antara
Nation: “Health Ministry Confirms Increase in Positive Cases in Five Provinces” from Antara
Province: “Methanol Poisoning in Bali: How to Avoid Becoming a Victim” from Perth Now
Economy & Infrastructure
“Gov't Asks Indonesia's Coffee Entrepreneurs to Push Exports” from Antara: Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto has urged Indonesian coffee entrepreneurs to expand their branding and export their products overseas. "We hope Indonesian entrepreneurs will push their products in overseas markets because I believe all hotels in the world surely have coffee shops. We hope Indonesia's coffee can top the global coffee industry," Hartarto said on Friday. Coffee is the third-largest agricultural commodity in Indonesia after palm and rubber, he said. Coffee contributes around 16.15% to the national GDP, and around seven million households are dependent on the coffee industry, he added. Indonesia's coffee production has also increased by 250% in the last ten years, bolstering Indonesia's status as the fourth largest coffee producer after Brazil, Vietnam, and Colombia, he said.
More...
Nation: “High Oil Prices Put New Strains on State Budget” from The Jakarta Post (Metered Paywall)
Nation: “Passenger Volume Up Following Travel Rule Relaxation” from Antara
Nation: “Activists Urge Mcdonald’s to Stop Sourcing Eggs From Caged Hens” from The Jakarta Post (Metered Paywall)
Nation: “Indonesia Coal Miners Soar Over Russia Supply Concerns” from Nikkei Asia
Nation: “Indonesia Mulls to Add More Cities for Umrah Departure” from Tempo
Education
“Educators Want Govt to Hold Off on Omnibus Education Bill” from The Jakarta Post (Metered Paywall): The Education, Culture, Research and Technology Ministry is drafting a new omnibus bill to regulate the national education system, but teachers’ associations say the government should focus on addressing the more urgent problem of learning loss instead. The sweeping bill seeks to modernize the country’s education system, supplanting the 2003 National Education System Law, as well as provisions in the 2005 Teachers and Lecturers Law and the 2012 Higher Education Law, among others. The ministry is hoping to see the bill passed into law next year, and it has been already listed as a priority for the 2020 to 2024 legislative period.
More...
Nation: “Teacher as Driving Forces Program to Boost Quality of Education” from Antara
Nation: “BRIN, Universities Establish Six Research Collaboration Centers” from Antara
Buleleng: “PTM in Buleleng Is Still Limited to 50%” from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
Bali Reopening
“ASITA Bali Proposes Additional 10 Countries for VoA Policy and Without Quarantine” from Tribun Bali (Indonesian): Association of The Indonesian Tours And Travel Agencies (ASITA), expects an increase in the number of tourist visits to Bali will occur in July to August. Chairman of ASITA Bali, Putu Winastra said, with the rules no longer required for negative rapid antigen results for domestic travelers, this could reduce the travel costs of domestic tourists. Other rules also pertain to foreign tourists, as tourists are no longer required to quarantine. Winastra said the easing of the rules received a positive response from foreign markets. Winastra said of the Visa on Arrival (VoA), "We propose countries contributing a lot of tourists before the pandemic. For example, India is the third largest contributor of tourists after Australia," he said.
More...
“Bali Restart: New Zealand Could Wait a Year for Direct Air Links” from NZ Herald
“Australian Airlines Resume Flights to Bali as Indonesia Drops Quarantine Rules” from 7News
Of Interest
“President Brings Nusantara City Leaders to Capital's Point Zero” from Antara
“Foreign Residents Can Have an e-KTP in Indonesia” from Indonesia Expat
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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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