May 28, 2021
Cancellation of Nusa Dua national chamber of commerce & industry conference "hurts Balinese people" + Bali govt. focusing on digital nomads + Indonesia in travel corridor talks with 7 countries + more
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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: Yesterday Bali recorded its lowest new case total (31) since August 12’s 30. Recoveries were also relatively low (66). Wednesday was Hari Waisak, a national public holiday. The central and provincial governments do not regularly publish provincial-level testing data, so we cannot know for sure, but this follows a pattern of lower case numbers being reported on weekends and around major holidays. Yesterday another foreigner tested positive, the 9th in the past week, bringing the total number of cases among foreigners to 162.
Click here to see the national numbers infographic and a Regency-by-Regency breakdown of yesterday’s local numbers.
The Big News
"Cancellation of National Chamber of Commerce and Industry Conference in Nusa Dua, Bali Council: It Hurts the Balinese People" from Tribun Bali (Indonesian): The VIII Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) National Conference which was planned to be held in Nusa Dua, Bali from 2-4 June was canceled. Chair of the PDIP faction of the Bali DPRD, Dewa Made Mahayadnya, said he regretted the cancellation. According to him, the preparation for the Conference had been done well enough by the local committee in Bali. "So if we have moved to this point, this has been very painful for the people of Bali, because the preparations have been done, the hotel has been booked, the transportation has been booked, even the Tirtayatra has asked for safety so that the activities can run well." He said that the cancellation of the National Conference made the impression that it was not serious about helping Bali recover its economy. Deputy Governor of Bali, Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati, alias Cok Ace, said he was shocked by the news. He admitted that he was disappointed, but that he did not know the reason for the delay. When asked about the reasons for the delay due to direct directions from President Joko Widodo, Cok Ace replied diplomatically, he could only let it happen. "If it's the President, what else can you say?"
Context: So far there has been no official announcement of the cancellation, but the chair of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry has confirmed he received “verbal direction” from President Jokowi. The tourism and creative economy minister, who previously announced 2,000 rooms had been booked for the conference, said he did not want to speculate about the cancellation because had not yet received official information.
"Considered Wealthy, Digital Nomads Start to Be Glimpsed by Bali Government" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): The presence of digital nomads in Bali, namely those who choose to work remotely, has been quite long but not well developed. Therefore, they are one of the potential tourist types that need attention. This was conveyed by the Head of the Provincial Tourism Office, Putu Astawa, who also said that Bali would seriously handle Digital Nomad tourism. The Chairman of PHRI Badung, IGAN Rai Suryawijaya, added, "Of course this needs special attention from the government, therefore it is necessary to create a Focus Group Discussion to provide input to the government regarding policies that must be issued later." According to Michael Craig, a foreigner from Australia who has been in Bali for almost 10 years, "Digital Nomads are upper-middle class, so they are rich. They live in Bali for a long period of at least a year, so will have an impact on the economy of Bali from accommodation, food, and drink, to other necessities. During the pandemic, Bali was considered the safest place for digital nomads to live and work.”
"Indonesia in Travel Corridor Talks With Seven Countries" from The Jakarta Post (Metered Paywall): Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno has said the country is setting up travel corridor arrangements (TCAs) with seven countries in preparation for the reopening of Indonesia’s borders to international holidaymakers. The minister told reporters he had met with the ambassadors of Belgium, France, Russia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Vietnam in a closed-door meeting to discuss the TCAs. “We hope that once the COVID-19 situation has become more conducive, the TCAs can be implemented within a short period of time,” he said. In a post on his private Instagram account, the minister wrote that the TCAs would “ensure that incoming tourists are in good health, have met [travel] requirements and are ready to comply with all health protocols”.
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Other Headlines
"Menparekraf: Nusa Dua Will be First Pilot Project For Bali Travel Corridor Arrangement" from Tribun Bali (Indonesian): The progress to discuss the Travel Corridor Arrangement (TCA) program for Bali is expected to enter the finalization discussion stage. However, the Travel Corridor Arrangement program will certainly follow the development of Covid-19 both domestically and abroad. "If the Covid-19 situation is conducive, we are targeting the third quarter or mid-year of this travel corridor arrangement to be implemented in Bali, especially Nusa Dua as the first pilot project," said Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy (Menparekraf) Sandiaga. The Travel Corridor Arrangement for foreign tourists, according to Menparekraf, must be carefully prepared. Therefore, Work From Bali for the scope of the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment is expected to be a form of preparation so that the Travel Corridor Arrangement can be implemented.
Context: Apart from the central government’s Work From Bali program, and Nusa Dua being one of the province’s three designated green zones, so far we've seen no further reports of what the pilot project will entail once travel corridor arrangements come into effect.
Vaccination Update
"BPOM Declares Suspended Astrazeneca Vaccine Batch Safe to Use" from Agencies: The Drug and Food Monitoring Agency (BPOM) concluded that the vaccine batch, which was suspended earlier this month following the death of a 22-year-old man a day after his inoculation with the vaccine, "meets quality requirements and is safe to use." The conclusion was made based on the results of sterility and toxicity tests it conducted, during which it found "there was no correlation between the quality of the AstraZeneca vaccine batch and the reported side effects." The Health Ministry suspended the distribution and use of the batch on May 16 after local media reported that the man received a jab from the batch in the capital Jakarta on May 5 and died the next day. The batch in question, consisting of about 450,000 doses, arrived in Indonesia last month. It had earlier been distributed to Jakarta and North Sulawesi Province and the military.
More...
Nation: "Government Hopes Vaccine Rollout is in Target with Arrival of 8 Million Doses" from The Jakarta Globe
Nation: "House Backs Nusantara Vaccine's Phase Three Clinical Trial: Legislator" from Antara
Denpasar: "Task Force Asks Officers to Research During Screening and Citizens to be Honest" from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
Health Protocols (Prokes) & Patrols
Jembrana: "Two Travel Tightening Posts Extend Operational Time" from Suara Bali (Indonesian)
Economy & Infrastructure
"Construction of Sanur Retention Basin to Reduce Floods, New Recreation Center" from Bali Express (Indonesian): Construction of the Sanur Retention Basin (embung) in Sanur Kauh Village has begun. Head of the Bali Penida River Basin, Mariadi Hutama, explained that the construction of the Sanur Embung was a mandate from President Joko Widodo, after receiving a report from the Mayor of Denpasar, that the Sanur Kauh area is a basin that is prone to flooding. Therefore, the president gave direction to immediately build the Sanur Embung. The construction of the Sanur Embung will be carried out in two stages. The first has a contract value of more than Rp. 14 billion, and the second more than Rp. 52 billion. In addition to reducing flooding, the Sanur Embung is expected to become a community recreation center as well as a medium for water resource conservation. In the future, Sanur Embung will be equipped with a jogging track, garden, seating area, viewing area, and MSME facilities with various creative activities.
More...
Nation: "Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy Prepares 2021 Tourism Grant Funds in 2-3 Months" from Antara Bali (Indonesian)
Province: "Bank Indonesia Reveals Balinese Community Savings Drained During Covid-19 Pandemic" from Tribun Bali (Indonesian)
Buleleng: "Sumberkelampok Village Becomes Core Zone of Airport" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian)
Jembrana: "Tidal Waves, Broken Road Access, Dozens of Houses Damaged" from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
Lombok: "Lombok Prepared as a Lobster Cultivation Center" from Republika (Indonesian)
"Indonesia's Covid-19 Cases Projected to Peak in Mid-June: Minister" from Antara: Vice Health Minister Dante Saksono Harbuwono said, "On a national scale, a trend of confirmed COVID-19 cases began to increase a week after the Eid al-Fitr festivity, although, since the Christmas and New Year holidays, cases had been flattening." The minister remarked that the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases climbed by 38.08% in the past week. The COVID-19 mortality rate rose 2.73%, albeit below the World Health Organization (WHO) standard of 2.05%. The number of specimens examined increased by 89.98%. However, the number of patients treated at hospitals for COVID-19 decreased by 0.72%. The peak of COVID-19 cases due to the mobility of people during the Eid al-Fitr holidays will be apparent in six to seven weeks based on the evaluation and analysis of data obtained during the Islamic New Year, Christmas, and New Year 2021 holidays.
Context: Indonesia recorded 5,060 cases on Tuesday, 5,034 on Wednesday, and 6,278 yesterday.
"Coordinating Minister for Marves Luhut Says Fossil Energy Now Common Enemy" from Suara Bali (Indonesian): Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said Indonesia is focused on investing in new and renewable energy (EBT). Luhut explained that currently, Indonesia is dependent on fossil energy. "Indonesia has great potential in EBT, now fossil energy is a common enemy." He said that gradually Indonesia will retire coal-powered power plants. "Because international banks don't want to fund fossil energy anymore, why is that happening? Because global warming is making the earth even warmer, if it rises 1.5 degrees it will have not have a good impact." In addition to EBT, Luhut said, Indonesia also focuses on developing downstream industries, especially natural resources that are owned domestically. One of them is the electric battery industry using nickel as raw material which is abundant in Indonesia. "Our downstreaming includes nickel ore to develop electric cars. We hope that by 2023 Indonesia will become a key player in the electric battery industry."
"Menparekraf Encourages Development of Educational Tourism in Ubud" from Republika (Indonesian): According to the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy (Menparekraf), Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, educational tourism, such as that which can be done in a number of museums in the Ubud area, is in line with the direction of developing quality Indonesian tourism. "We want educational tourism based on local wisdom and culture, with an emphasis on quality and sustainable tourism which will be the main theme." He said the Ubud area has great potential in the field of cultural-based educational tourism. Apart from museums, Ubud also has a number of prominent art galleries and tourist villages such as Desa Adat Mas which is famous for its wood carving craft products. Sandiaga Uno also encouraged the Ubud area to become a 'Work from Gallery' destination as part of 'Work From Bali'. He hopes that the Work from Gallery program can be an option for colleagues who will start working from Bali in the third quarter of 2021.
"False Alarm: BMKG Says Text Blast Warning About 8.5 Magnitude Quake and Tsunami Caused by System Error" from Coconuts Bali: The message, sent from BMKG and the Ministry of Information and Communications (Kominfo), was blasted to Indonesian phones at around 10:36 am on Thursday, containing information about an early tsunami warning following an 8.5-magnitude earthquake on June 4, 2021, for East Java, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), Central Java, Bali, and East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). Note that we’re not even in June 2021 yet. In a statement issued this afternoon, BMKG has clarified that the information in the text is false. “There was an error in the system for sending earthquake information and tsunami early warnings through the SMS channel,” the statement said, adding that clarification was immediately sent through the channel as a follow-up.
Of Interest
"Government Paid 97,000 ‘Fictitious’ Workers for Years, Agency Reveals" from The Jakarta Post (Metered Paywall)
"Jokowi Under Pressure to Intervene in KPK Conflict" from The Jakarta Post (Metered Paywall)
"Speaking Out: Addressing Past Human Rights Violations in Aceh and Timor-Leste" from The Jakarta Post (Metered Paywall)
"Rizieq Sentenced to Eight Months in Prison for Flouting Covid-19 Curbs" from Reuters
"Security Concerns Raised as Alleged BPJS Data Breach Investigation Moves Slowly" from The Jakarta Post (Metered Paywall)
"Indonesia to Get 5 New IKEA Stores With the Demise of Giant Supermarkets" from Coconuts Jakarta
"Dozens of Dolphins Stranded on Batu Tumpeng Beach, Klungkung" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
"Police Officer in Bali Allegedly Assaulted Female Karaoke Nightclub Employee" from iNews Bali (Indonesian)
"Collection of Facts and Photos of Total Lunar Eclipse, For Those Who Missed It" from Suara Bali (Indonesian)
Weekend Reads
"Distance Learning With a Difference: The Walkie-talkies Indonesians Turned to in Order to Keep Lessons Going" from South China Morning Post
"'Desperate' Workers From China Languish for Months in Jakarta Airport Hotels" from The Straits Times
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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