May 5, 2021
Almost 69,000 leave island from Gilimanuk Port over 4 days ahead of mudik ban + Foreigner with South African variant dies in Bali + Drastic Covid-19 surges in 7 Indonesian provinces + 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: There was quite a jump in new Covid-19 cases in Bali yesterday (150) after Sunday's 105, showing that the "Weekend Effect" may have worn off. Recoveries rose from 112 to 124. Fatalities increased slightly to 9.
Click here to see the national numbers infographic and a Regency-by-Regency breakdown of yesterday’s local numbers.
The Big News
"Prohibition of Homecoming Starting May 6, Tens of Thousands Leave Bali via Gilimanuk" from Bali Post (Indonesian): Two days before the homecoming ban took effect, the queue of four-wheeled vehicles snaked their way out of the parking lot at the maneuver terminal. For four days from Saturday, May 1 to Tuesday, May 4, 68,792 people left Bali via Gilimanuk Port. Most of them did so from Monday to Tuesday morning, reaching 22,000 people. Meanwhile, private motorbikes on Monday reached 4,204 and cars reached 1,368 cars. This number has increased dramatically compared to normal days at Gilimanuk Port.
Context: Air departures have increased slightly, with 16,790 travelers leaving over three days at the beginning of May.
"Foreigner Who Brought South African Corona Variant into Bali Dies" from CNN Indonesia (Indonesian): The Ministry of Health confirmed that one case of the mutation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus variant B1351 was found in a foreign national who had lived in Bali. The foreigner, who was later identified as a 48-year-old man, was declared dead. However, the Director of Prevention and Control of Direct Communicable Diseases (P2PML) of the Ministry of Health, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, could not confirm the foreigner’s origin country.
Context: The patient with the South African variant had his samples taken on January 25, before passing away on February 16. Elsewhere it is being reported that he was a resident of Badung, and had not been vaccinated.
"Drastic Covid-19 Surges Seen in 7 Indonesian Provinces Ahead of Eid Holiday" from Coconuts Jakarta: All of [the provinces] are major mudik Eid exodus destinations. The Riau Islands saw the most dramatic surge recently, recording an increase in COVID-19 cases by 183.9%, in the week between April 11-30. Riau province recorded a 131.7% increase in the same period, followed by Lampung with 100.8%, Bangka Belitung Islands with 99.5%, Bengkulu with 94.9%, West Sumatra with 62.9%, and West Kalimantan with 59.9%. “We are seeing a stream of mudik travelers despite the upcoming ban; around 7% [of Indonesia’s total population] may slip through even as we have tried to anticipate them,” said the Health Ministry’s Infectious Diseases Prevention and Control Director Siti Nadia Tarmizi today. 7% of Indonesia’s population of 270 million is 18.9 million.
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Other Headlines
"April 2021, Passenger Traffic at Bali's Ngurah Rai Airport Increased 16%" from Tribun Bali (Indonesian): Bali's I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport recorded 306,957 passengers, an increase of 16% compared to March. Meanwhile, the highest daily record of 14,293 passengers was recorded on April 1, before the Good Friday holiday. The three most frequent routes served by Ngurah Rai Airport during this period are Jakarta, Surabaya, and Makassar.
Vaccination Update
"Covid-19 Vaccine Distribution in Bali is Constrained" from Suara Bali (Indonesian): Head of the Bali Provincial Health Office, Dr. Ketut Suarjaya said that the acceleration of covid-19 vaccination in Bali has experienced problems and several provincial-level health facilities have closed vaccination services. "It's a bit annoying, because we previously worked in the province on mass vaccination very intensely. So that vaccination in Bali is 5,000 people per day," he said. However, because the Bali Provincial Health Office did not receive the flow of vaccines, the acceleration of vaccination was hampered.
More...
Denpasar: "City Government Starts Vaccinating the General Public, Use AstraZeneca" from Bali Express (Indonesian)
Tabanan: "Tabanan Adds 50,000 Doses of AstraZeneca Vaccine" from IDN Times Bali (Indonesian)
Health Protocols (Prokes) & Patrols
"Many Videos of Traditional Ceremony Activities in Bali Circulating, Governor Koster Admits Receiving Reprimands from the Central Government" from Tribun Bali (Indonesian): Videos of ceremonies, which are widely circulating on social media, are also watched by central government officials. "I received several videos directly from the center about customary activities and I was immediately reprimanded because the incidents were very risky." Koster said the implementation of ceremony activities has increased recently, such as the implementation of ceremony activities as if in normal situations. On this occasion, Koster reminded the public that the Covid-19 pandemic is not over.
More...
Nation: "NTB Residents Allowed to Go Home Within the Region" from Republika (Indonesian)
Badung: "Mengwi Terminal Does Not Allow Ticket Buying and Selling Starting May 5, 2021" from Antara Bali (Indonesian)
Buleleng: "Prayer Prokes at the Jami Singaraja Mosque Good, Vice Regent: This Must be Maintained" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
Economy & Infrastructure
"Bali Government Increasingly Acting on Distribution of Illegal Arak" from Bisnis Bali (Indonesian): I Made Agus Gelgel Wirasuta, a member of the Bali Provincial Development Expert Group for Health and Education, said that since mid-April 2021, law enforcement officials have been increasingly aggressively taking action against the circulation of illegal arak in Bali. Gelgel assesses that if it is still sold illegally, the arak will harm people who are consumers. The distribution of arak with the stipulation of a number of permits will indeed increase the selling price but at the same time ensure the safety of public consumption.
More...
Province: "Transforming Bali into a Clean and Green Island" from The Jakarta Post (Metered Paywall)
Province: "The Trend of Increasing Prices of Chicken and Pork Meat in Bali Boosts Inflation" from Bisnis Bali (Indonesian)
Province: "Bali Food Security is Safe, Rice Reserves for the Next 5 Months" from Bisnis Bali (Indonesian)
Denpasar: "Pandemic, Cactus Sales Increase Threefold" from Bali Express (Indonesian)
Jembrana: "Rejecting Hazardous Waste Factory, Residents of Pengambengan Disappointed They Were Not Met by the Regent" from Bali Express (Indonesian)
Education
"Internet Constraints, 62 Primary Schools in Klungkung Hold Direct School Examinations" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): Thousands of grade VI students in Klungkung Regency took the School Examination (US). Because not all areas in Klungkung Regency have adequate internet network quality, a number of elementary schools have launched US with a face-to-face system, especially in the Nusa Penida District area. Head of Curriculum Section for Klungkung Regency Education Office, Made Ardana, said that the number of VI students who took part in US was 2,875 spread across 135 elementary schools in Klungkung Regency.
More...
Jembrana: "Starting Tomorrow, Jembrana Will Hold Limited PTM" from Bali Post (Indonesian)
Buleleng: "This is the Schedule for PTM in Buleleng" from Bali Post (Indonesian)
"Bali's Ngurah Rai Airport Was Not Chosen as an Entrance for Foreign Travel Actors" from Tribun Bali (Indonesian): I Gusti Ngurah Rai Bali International Airport is not among the four airports designated [by the Health Ministry] as entry points for Foreign Travel Actors (PPLN). The four airports are Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Banten, Kualanamu Airport in North Sumatra, Juanda Airport in East Java, and Sam Ratulangi Airport in North Sulawesi. Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, said the decision to appoint these four airports was purely related to facilitating the return of Indonesian migrant workers. The Minister of Health said that Bali was being prepared in totality for the opening of the Travel Corridor Arrangement (TCA).
"5 Men Arrested in Alleged Gang Rape of 18-year-old Woman in Bali" from Coconuts Bali: An 18-year-old woman was allegedly gang raped by five men in Bali’s Gianyar regency, who took her by force and threatened her with her naked photos to coerce her into having sex with them. The suspects, identified as GA (25), CA (22), PR (41), AAGD (27), and GNAC (30), reportedly took turns raping the victim, identified as MA, when they were intoxicated following a drinking party on Friday night. The suspects have been charged with rape under the criminal code (KUHP), which carries a maximum sentence of 12 years in prison.
Of Interest
"Preserving Ancestral Culture, Jembrana Plans to Build a Weaving House" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
"Electric Motorbikes to Lead Electric Vehicle Adoption in Indonesia" from The Jakarta Post (Metered Paywall)
"Murad, Ice Tea Trader From Generation to Generation" from Bali Express (Indonesian)
"The Indonesian Navy Admits That it is Difficult to Evacuate the KRI Nanggala-402" from Antara Bali
"Forbes Accused of Encouraging Modern-day Colonization After Telling Readers to ‘Quit Day Job’ and Move to ‘Cheap Islands’ Like Bali" from Coconuts Bali
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.
About This Newsletter
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