March 9, 2022
Work on Gilimanuk-Mengwi toll road begins this year + Indonesia has second highest number of Covid-19 deaths in Asia + Quarantine-free entry to be evaluated weekly + more
Good morning!
Welcome to The Bali Beat for Wednesday, March 9. In today’s edition, the long-discussed Gilimanuk-Mengwi toll way has been signed off, with work to start later this year—not everyone is happy. Elsewhere, LaporCovid-19 has highlighted how Indonesia is not out of the Covid-19 jungle yet, and there is an announcement that Bali’s quarantine-free status is to be re-evaluated on a weekly basis. 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
The Big News
“Work on Gilimanuk-Mengwi Toll Road to Begin This Year” from Antara: The construction of the Gilimanuk-Mengwi Toll Road, which will begin this year, is expected to improve connectivity in Bali province, Head of the Toll Road Authority Agency Danang Parikesit has said. "The government, through the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing, (aims to) increase connectivity on the island of Bali through the Gilimanuk-Mengwi Toll Road," he said on Tuesday. The toll road will measure 96.84 km in length and its construction will be divided into three sections, he said. "Section 1 will connect Gilimanuk and Pekutatan with a length of 54.7 km, Section 2 with a length of 23.17 km connecting Pekutatan and Soka, and Section 3 of 18.9 km connecting Soka and Mengwi,” he said. "Through this toll road, the travel time from Gilimanuk to Mengwi is estimated to be at 1 to 1.5 hours drive," he said.
Context: The toll road is not without controversy, and while the Governor has suggested only two landholders are unhappy (Indonesian), local organization Wahli Bali has long been vocal with their concerns (Indonesian). This related story, quotes Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimuljono as saying an alternative route, along the beach, has been chosen — this is the first mention we have seen of this. Some further details on the project are here (Indonesian). The cost of the project has been estimated at IDR 24.6 trillion (Indonesian).
“Covid-19 In Indonesia: Second Highest Deaths In Asia, Pandemic Still Serious And Precarious” from BBC Indonesia (Indonesian): The condition of the Covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia is "still serious and precarious" according to epidemiologists and covid monitoring organizations. Total deaths from Covid in Indonesia currently occupy the second highest position in Asia, reaching 150,000 cases. Coordinator of the Advocacy Team of the monitoring organization LaporCovid-19, Firdaus Ferdiansyah, said from February 4 to March 5, 2022 the death trend continued to rise or increase sixfold. This condition, he said, illustrates the pandemic situation in Indonesia is still precarious, but the government has eased the rules on testing and exempts quarantines for foreigners.
“Quarantine-Free Entry to be Evaluated Weekly” from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): Task Force Handling Covid-19 delivered an evaluation of quarantine exemption trials for Foreign Travel Actors (PPLN) through Batam, Bintan, and Bali entry points will be conducted periodically every week. "The evaluation will cover the monitoring of case conditions, especially the positivity rate of the PPLN since the policy was implemented," Wiku Adisasmito, spokesman for the task force handling Covid-19, said on Tuesday.
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The Movement of Recovery (Yayasan Pergerakan Pemulihan) is one of the main drivers of mental health services in Bali. Together with BBB Community, they launched LISA (Love Inside Suicide Awareness), a helpline which offers support in Bahasa Indonesian and English. They offer free counselling and support for those in need. For more information, please visit their website here.
Want to share your message with the most engaged members of the foreigner community in Bali? Click here to learn how to place a classified ad.
Other Headline
“NTB Hopes for Quarantine-Free Status” from Suara Bali (Indonesian): Quarantine-free policy trials for PPLN (overseas travelers) are underway in Bali and West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) hopes the same thing. Head of Tourism Office (Dispar) of West Nusa Tenggara Province (NTB), Yusron Hadi said the quarantine-free policy for foreign tourists in Bali starting Monday is considered to have an impact on the tourism sector in NTB. It is believed that Lombok gets an overflow of foreign tourist visits because the location of Bali and Lombok are very close together. "Hopefully the same can be in NTB as long as all supporting instruments such as quarantine places if there are positives and so on, there is readiness," he said on Monday.
Vaccination Update
“Government Claims Herd Immunity Achieved” from CNN Indonesia (Indonesian): The Ministry of Health claims herd immunity has been formed in Indonesia, both through additional antibodies obtained from the Covid-19 vaccination program and natural antibodies obtained by residents after being infected with Covid-19. Secretary of the Directorate General of Public Health of the Ministry of Health Siti Nadia Tarmizi said that currently the achievement of the second dose of vaccination in Indonesia has reached 71.23%. Herd Immunity was previously said to be achieved if 70-90% of the public already has additional immunity.
More...
Nation: “Over 12 Million Indonesians Get Booster Dose” from Antara
Health Protocols (Prokes) & Health Services
“Covid-19 Transmission Is Slowing Down Says Health Ministry” from Antara: Spokesperson of the Health Ministry Siti Nadia Tarmizi affirmed that the transmission of COVID-19 in Indonesia was slowing down, as the government continued its efforts to handle the pandemic. "The rate of virus transmission has slowed down in major islands in Indonesia, and it is hoped that the reproduction rate of the virus would continue to decline to below 1 in the next month," Tarmizi said on Tuesday. The spokesperson remarked that the virus reproduction rate in eight major islands in Indonesia showed a decline, from an average of 1.14 on February 26, 2022, to 1.09.
More...
Nation: “Expert Support Lifting of Covid Testing for Vaccinated Travelers” from Antara
Nation: “Epidemiologist Suggests Random Tests as Govt Drops Antigens” from Tempo
Economy & Infrastructure
“Rising Commodity Prices Pose Complicated Geopolitical SItuation” from Tempo: Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati on Tuesday said the current global geopolitical situation has greatly affected Indonesia, with one of it being the increasing prices of commodities. “Indonesia is currently facing a complicated geopolitical situation. The impact of commodity prices is very real. Prices of natural resource commodities produced by Indonesia are among those affected by these price increases,” said the Minister on March 8. She argues that the contributions from natural resources management to state revenues to be very important, especially contributions in the mineral and coal sectors which in 2021 contributed Rp124.4 trillion to the state revenue. That number is officially the highest recorded in the past five years but shows that this sends a signal to the government to reorganize the production flow and sales of coal and mineral between state ministries.
More...
Nation: “Lower Middle-class Workforce Largely Bore Brunt of Pandemic Says Ministry” from Antara
Nation: “Ensure Sufficient Food Supply During Ramadan, Eid Al Fitr Says VP” from Antara
Bali Reopening
“Thousands of Prospective Travelers Have Already Booked” from Tribun Bali (Indonesian): The policy of no quarantine and the application of visa on arrival (VoA) is welcomed by Bali tourism stakeholders. Chairman of the Regional Board of the Association of the Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies (DPD ASITA) Bali, Putu Winastra said zero quarantine has indeed been fought since the pandemic outbreak in Bali. "Our job now is how to control so that the rules don't change anymore. We want this rule to be much more advanced and loosened," he said on Monday. VoA is only available to 23 countries and he hopes that in the future more countries. "In fact, more and more international airlines are coming to Bali. This shows that the interest of tourists is already there to come to Bali," he said.
More...
“Peak Tourist Visits in Karangasem Expected in July-September” from Nusa Bali (Indonesian)
“PHRI Badung Predicts Bali Tourism to Recover 2023” from JPNN (Indonesian)
Of Interest
“Balinese Migrant Workers Arrive Home From War-torn Ukraine” from Coconuts Bali
“From a Nightclub to a One-of-a-kind Villa, Bali's Jetliner Conversions” from South China Morning Post
“Unesco Visits Labuan Bajo Amid 'protest' Development Project in Komodo National Park” from BBC Indonesia (Indonesian)
“Why Some Indonesians Support Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine” from South China Morning Post
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