May 4, 2021
March foreign arrivals increased 14.54% nationwide, but only 3 entered Bali + Mudik travelers wait 12 hours for GeNose test at Gilimanuk + 1 case of South Africa variant detected in Bali + 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: Bali passed 45,000 recorded cases of Covid-19 yesterday (45,004). After Sunday's 86, yesterday’s total rose to 105, which is the same as last Monday's total. Recoveries also increased (112). Fatalities rose slightly to 8 after yesterday's 6.
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
"Only 3 Foreigners Enter Bali During March 2021" from Suara Bali (Indonesian): The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) of Bali Province noted that only 3 foreigners entered Bali during March 2021, a decrease of 99.99% from March 2020. When compared to February 2021 (mtm), the number of foreign tourists to Bali was recorded to have decreased by 75% from 12 visits in February 2021 to three visits in March 2021. The three foreign tourists in March entered Bali via I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport. "The cumulative number of foreign tourists visiting Bali from January to March 2021 reached 25 visits or decreased by almost 100% compared to the same period the previous year," said the Head of BPS Bali Hanif Yahya.
Context: Although only 3 foreign air arrivals were recorded in Bali in March, nationwide foreign arrivals increased by 14.54% from February. In March there were 132,600 visits compared to 115,800 visits the previous month. According to the BPS Deputy for Statistics Distribution and Services, Setianto, 49.2% of foreign arrivals came from Timor Leste; 31% from Malaysia; 6.4% from China; and 13.4% from various other countries. 59% arrived by land; 31% by sea; and 10% by air.
"Homecoming Travelers Queue 12 Hours for GeNose Test at Gilimanuk" from Bali Express (Indonesian): GeNose services at Gilimanuk Port were seized upon by travelers who were about to cross to Java for the Eid holiday. They were willing to queue for hours to get the GeNose test results, which are much cheaper than the rapid antigen tests. The queues for travelers piled up so that the police also intervened to organize the crowd. Travelers queuing in front of the service room had to be willing to sit on the floor and fall asleep due to fatigue. "I have waited until 11 in the morning from five o'clock. I have not gotten my turn. I am tired on the road, I am tired of waiting for the test," said Hilda, 22, a homecoming traveler from Madura. Those who had waited more than five hours needed to repurchase ferry tickets because they had expired. "It's been a long time waiting just for the tickets to be burned and then forced to have to buy them again," grumbled several travelers.
Context: 10,270 people left Bali via Gilimanuk Port on April 30, while bus departures from Mengwi Terminal jumped more than 100% to 1,263 people on May 2.
"Health Minister Confirms Three Coronavirus Strains in Indonesia" from Antara: Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin confirmed the entry of three new coronavirus variants, including those originating from India, South Africa, and Great Britain. "We have seen two incidents [of the variant from India] and both were in Jakarta, and one incident involving the South African variant found in Bali. We have found 13 cases of the British variant.” The mutated coronavirus strain first found in Britain was named B117, while the variant initially found in India was identified as B1617, and the mutated strain from South Africa was named B1351. The minister said that the new coronavirus mutants are listed under the World Health Organization’s (WHO) "variant of concern" category. "We need to manage this now as the number [of cases] is still small, because they can spread rapidly due to their higher infection rate as compared to other variants," he said.
Context: The one person infected with the South Africa variant in Bali is being treated.
>> Classifieds <<
Community is so important - especially in times like these. If you’re looking to connect with the community of dedicated, engaged people in Bali who’ve stayed during this pandemic, you can reach them with a classified ad in this space. Check out this page to find out how.
Other Headlines
"Occupancy of Starred Hotels in Bali Increases, Non-Starred Decreases" from Bisnis Bali (Indonesian): The occupancy of star hotels in Bali during March 2021 has improved compared to the condition of the previous month. However, this is not the case for non-star hotels. Head of the Bali Central Statistics Agency (BPS) Hanif Yahya said the room occupancy rate (TPK) of star hotels on the Island of the Gods during March 2021 rose 1.25 points month-to-month (mtm) to 10.24%. The increase occurred in 1 star hotels, 4 star hotels and 5 star hotels, while the rest experienced a decrease. In March 2021, the average length of stay of foreign and domestic guests at star-rated hotels is 2.11 days. This figure is down 0.56 points compared to the average length of stay in February 2021 which was recorded at 2.67 days. The average length of stay of foreign guests at star hotels in March 2021 was 2.49 days, which is higher than the average length of stay of domestic guests, which was recorded at 2.09 days.
Vaccination Update
"Bali Receives Another 500,000 Doses of Covid-19 Vaccine" from Bali Express (Indonesian): Biofarma officer Gunawan said the number of vaccines is 50,100 vials or the equivalent of 500,100 vaccine doses. There were 100 vials of Sinovac vaccine and 50,000 vials of AstraZeneca vaccine. The head of Badung Health Office, Dr. I Nyoman Gunarta, said vaccination activities are still focused on the green zone area, namely in the Nusa Dua area. However, for the month of May, his office is targeting other areas outside Nusa Dua to receive vaccinations.
More...
Buleleng: "Vaccination in Buleleng Subdistrict Will Be Completed" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
Health Protocols (Prokes) & Patrols
"PPKM Mikro Is Extended Again" from Bali Post (Indonesian): The government has again extended the Enforcement of Restrictions on Micro Community Activities (PPKM). This extension also expands the scope of the implementation of the PPKM Mikro. The new PPKM Mikro period will take place from 4-17 May. The restriction policy will apply in 30 provinces. With this extension, the government has implemented PPKM Mikro for the seventh time. Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, said that this effort had succeeded in significantly reducing the level of transmission of COVID-19. Airlangga emphasized that in the seventh PPKM Mikro, there were no changes to the rules with the previous period. However, the government emphasized that in entertainment places that have public facilities, the implementation of health protocols, especially the use of masks, is mandatory.
More...
Nation: "National Police Prepared to Hold Operation Ketupat 2021" from Antara
Province: "Prohibition of Homecoming, Bus Companies That Violate This Sanction Are Threatened" from Bali Post (Indonesian)
Economy & Infrastructure
"Bali International Exports Increased 19.76%" from Bali Express (Indonesian): The Bali Province Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) recorded that Bali's export performance in March 2021 was above the achievement in March 2020. However, this figure was no better than the achievement in March 2019. In March 2021, the value of export goods recorded an increase from US$39,746,244 in February to US$47,599,877 in March. Head of the Bali Province BPS, Hanif Yahya, said of the top five export destination countries in March 2021, the value of exports to Japan had the highest month-to-month increase, which was 55.99%, mainly due to increased exports of fish and shrimp. The total value was US$13,471,893, and made up 28.30% of total exports. Of the top 10 main export commodities, nine recorded an increase. The export value of leather products increased by 88.62%, which also mainly went to Japan. When compared with March 2020 (yoy), the export value of the five main commodities increased, with the highest increase recorded in textile products, which was 139.14%.
More...
Nation: "Food Prices Drive Inflation as Indonesia Heads Into Idul Fitri" from The Jakarta Post
Province: "Bali Economy: Denpasar Inflation, Singaraja Deflation" from Bisnis Bali (Indonesian)
Province: "Gilimanuk-Mengwi Toll Road Project, Tabanan Proposes Three Stop Areas" from Bali Post (Indonesian)
Badung: "Sibang Kaja Plans to Develop a Jogging Track" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian)
Bangli: "Fish Farmers in Bali Start Using the Biofloc System" from Bisnis Bali (Indonesian)
Jembrana: "Realizing Independence, Traditional Villages in Jembrana Invited to be Involved in Domestic Waste Management" from Bali Prawara (Indonesian)
Education
"Entering the Covid-19 Red Zone, A Number of Schools in Karangasem are Back to Learning from Home" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): A number of schools that previously carried out Face-to-Face Learning (PTM) activities in Karangasem are re-implementing Distance Learning (PJJ) aka learning from home. The schools that have returned to implementing the PJJ are schools whose areas are in the red and orange zone of the spread of Covid-19 in Karangasem Regency based on the Village/Sub-district and Banjar Dinas. Based on the update of the Covid-19 zoning map for Karangasem Regency, Villages/Kelurahan and Banjar Dinas, from the previous three Villages / Kelurahan that were included in the red zone, it has now reduced to only two areas, namely Padangkerta and Subagan Villages. Whereas for the orange zone, from previously only 3 areas, now it has increased to 7 villages including Bungaya Village, Karangasem Village, Rendang Village, Sibetan Village, Duda Village, North Duda Village and Labasari Village.
"Expressing Resistance, Dewi Pradewi Launches 'Balinese Women's Tattoo' Book" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): The book launched by Balinese pop singer, Putu Dewi Ariantini, SE MSi, 34, who is familiarly called Dewi Pradewi, is the result of a reconstruction of her thesis entitled 'Construction of Stigma in Balinese Tattooed Women in Denpasar City', which she completed during her Masters in Cultural Studies at Udayana University in 2019. Dewi Pradewi now appears with a full body tattoo style, from the back to her arms and hands. Over the last 5 years, tattoos have become an integral part of her identity. “This book is an effort or small step as an emancipatory movement for equality between men and women. In this book, we discuss how the body, stigma, and resistance grapple closely with the colors of Balinese women's tattoos."
"Klungkung Will Not Issue Any More Licenses for Modern Franchise Shops" from Bali Post (Indonesian): Regent of Klungkung Nyoman Suwirta said the existence of franchise supermarkets is considered sufficient and must be limited in number. This is because if another establishment permit is granted to others, the number will increase and will greatly affect the existence of traditional markets and shops. His side also reminded all franchise supermarkets and other shops to obey all the rules set by the Klungkung Regency government. In addition, the Regent also reminded supermarkets to participate in marketing local products, such as rice, salt, and other MSME products.
Context: In this case, franchise shops could include Indomaret, Alfamart, Circle K, M Mart, etc.
Of Interest
"Go Green? Gojek Reports 1.04m Ton Carbon Footprint in 2020, Aims for 2030 Net Zero" from The Jakarta Post
"One in Two People Globally Lost Income Due to the Pandemic: Gallup" from Reuters
"Hit by Waves, the Walls of the Houses of Ped Nusa Penida Village Collapsed" from Radar Bali
"Ki Galang Pamungkas, Bali Baygon Man Allegedly Killed due to Magical Test" from Suara Bali (Indonesian)
"After Recording Pornographic Videos on Mount Batur in Bali, This Porn Star Turns Out to Be Hiding in Russia" from Kompas (Indonesian)
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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