Monday, May 11
Denpasar prepares for restrictions but govt insists it's not a "lockdown" + Food aid in Karangasem languishing in storage + Sanctions coming for villages that violate health protocols + more!
Good morning! Welcome to the COVID-19 Update for Bali for Monday, May 11. Please subscribe and share it with others in the foreigner community on the island. I happily put this daily newsletter together as a public service, and it will be free so long as the current emergency lasts. *A paid subscription is NOT required to access this content.* When signing up, select the "None" option and you'll get it delivered to your Inbox each day. But if you would like to support my work, please consider taking up a voluntary subscription at US$5/month. Thanks!
Status Update
Country-wide Numbers:
Source:
Indonesia National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB Indonesia): @BNPB_Indonesia
Official updates are available from the Indonesian Government here.
Bali Numbers:
Confirmed Cases Distribution:
Key: Red = Infected | Green = Recovered | Black = Died
Bali 30-Day Trends:
Sources:
Infographic comes from Bali Provincial Government COVID-19 Task Force (link).
The geographic breakdown comes from the Bali Provincial Government's data collection department (link).
Charts have been compiled using their data.
More details on the locations of positive cases within each Regency, as well as the number of suspected cases ("ODP") and people under observation ("PDP"), can be found in charts & infographics on the official websites of each Regency's COVID-19 Task Force:
Badung | Bangli | Buleleng | Denpasar City | Gianyar | Jembrana | Karangasem | Klungkung | Tabanan
How You Can Help
Each weekday we'll let you know about an organization or a person who is trying to make a difference for the people of Bali in these difficult times, and how you can pitch in.
Yayasan Team Action for Amed: During the crisis of the Mt. Agung eruptions in 2017, a group of local Balinese and foreign residents formed Yayasan Team Action for Amed to provide much needed assistance to the evacuees in the form of food, clothing, bedding, toiletries, health care, cleaning supplies and many other items. Since then they've kept up their efforts to help the often-overlook communities in East Bali; today they're working closely with village leaders to provide care packages to the elderly, sick, disabled, widowed and poverty stricken families who've been devastated by the economic collapse brought on by Covid-19. Check out their Instagram & Facebook pages to see how they've been helping and to get in touch, or you can support their efforts by making a donation on their GoFundMe page.
Please visit this page to see a list of all of the efforts that we've featured so far. If you know anyone who is raising funds, delivering food, organizing volunteers, or otherwise trying to rally people to the cause of assisting our neighbors here in Bali, please let us know by sending an email to newsletter@migrationmedia.net.
The Big News
"Villages In Denpasar Tighten Monitoring to Prevent Local Transmission" from The Bali Post (Indonesian): All villages in Denpasar have begun to implement new procedures to tightening monitoring of their areas to better implement the mayor's Regulation on Restricting Community Activities (PKM). These include checking for mandatory mask-wearing at border crossings and the monitoring of boarding houses... In Ubung Urban Village, for example, 15 personnel with the COVID-19 Solidarity Task Force were deployed to carry out heck all boarding houses in the Ubung area by checking in with their owners and recording the number of people lodged there to see whether or not new people had entered the area. "We urged all boarding owners in the Ubung area to not accept people from other areas for boarding again during this COVID-19 pandemic. If there are any who request lodging, they must first report to the task force and be required to be isolated for 14 days," said Ubung Village Chief, Wayan Arianta.
"Denpasar PKM Technical Guidelines to Be Unveiled Monday" from The Bali Post (Indonesian): In order to give all villages within Denpasar time to prepare, the Denpasar City Government will issue technical guidelines for the recently-approved order on Restricting Community Activities (PKM) tomorrow (Monday). It is expected that the draft technical guidelines will likely be subjected to several corrections and improvements by a team of law experts in the Denpasar City Government and Customary Village Assembly... The new regulations will include new sanctions for violating pandemic mitigation policies, as well as new trade security protocols for supermarkets and modern stores, such as limited operating hours. However, a spokesman for the city’s Covid-19 Task Forces stressed that the new PKM is about restrictions; it is not a lockdown.
"Grocery Packages Stacking Up In Gunung Agung Sports Hall As Residents Wait for Distribution" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): The Karangasem Regency Government has prepared 83,793 food packages, each including nine basic necessities, for distribution to people directly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. They are currently in storage at GOR Gunung Agung, Jalan Untung Surapati, Karangasem. However, when the food will be distributed there has not yet been any clarity from the government. The Karangasem community itself hopes that the food can be distributed immediately. Because the economic conditions of the people have weakened and are in dire need.
Other Headlines
"As Local Transmission In Buleleng Expands, Koster Implores Residents to Cooperate with Authorities" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): During a visit to Bondalem Village, Buleleng Regency, Bali Governor Wayan Koster urged Regency & local officials, as well as residents, to work together to maximize their efforts to prevent further local transmission of covid-19 like has happened in the village already... So far, 31 people in Bondalem Village have tested positive for covid-19, with seven having recovered so far. The best way to prevent further infections is to stay home during the pandemic, he said.
"Bali MDA Will Sanction Villages That Are Non-compliant with Covid-19 Protocols" from The Bali Tribune (Indonesian): The Adat Village Council (MDA) of Bali will impose sanctions on traditional villages that violate health protocol provisions in the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. Based on the severity of the violation, the punishment could range from administrative sanctions to a recommendation to the governor that the offending village not receive its payout from the province's Rp. 300 million traditional village assistance fund.
"Bali UKK High Schools / Vocational Schools Exams to Be Held Online" from The Bali Tribune (Indonesian): With the government's response to the Covid-19 pandemic expected to continue at least through the end of the month, the Head of Bali Province's Office of Education, Youth and Sports, IKN Boy Jayawibawa, has declared that the high school / vocational / equivalent grade promotion test (UKK) will be held online.
"Surabaya Raya PSBB Extended" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): Enforcement of Large Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB) in Greater Surabaya has been extended from May 12 until May 25. East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa said that the decision to extend the PSBB was based on the recommendations of the Epidemiology Expert Team of the Faculty of Public Health at Airlangga University in Surabaya... In their study, it was said that as many as 70% of patients with Covid-19 cases still had an infectious or infectious rate of more than 14 days. In addition, the infection rate continues to grow significantly. "Seventy percent actually of infection from Covid-19 can continue to move above 14 days, therefore indeed 14 days for the PSBB to be carried out epidemiologically is not enough, to be able to guarantee the cessation of Covid-19," he said.
"Recent Photos of Kuta Beach and Surrounding Areas Show Silent Zones Without Cheer" from The IDN Times (Indonesian): The COVID-19 pandemic has changed Bali, especially in areas popular with tourists such as Kuta and Legian. Before the COVID-19 infection, these spots were the heart of Bali's tourism sector; they were bustling both day and night. Now the situation is different. The roads are quiet, there is no loud music from DJs, and access to the beach is fenced off. Here are some recent photos of Kuta Beach and its surroundings when the IDN Times explored the area last Thursday.
Resources
Important information for foreigners who are staying on the island, such as designated COVID-19 hospitals and emergency contact numbers, can be found by following this link.
The government has cancelled its visa-on-arrival process and rolled out enhanced entry requirements for people traveling to Indonesia; they have also granted automatic extensions to most foreigners who are still in the country on temporary stay visas. You can see a (translated) list of all of the relevant regulations on the Directorate General of Immigration & Ministry of Law and Human Rights' website here.
If you are trying to plan travel anywhere, here are some of the best up-to-date resources that can help you:
IATA Travel Center Update - The International Air Transport Association is the global lobbying body for the aviation industry. Their Travel Information Manual Automatic (Timatic) database feeds into airlines' reservation systems, so it is the most reliable list of flight restrictions around.
Revolver Maps' Travel Restrictions Database - This list pulls directly from IATA's Timatic database and arranges the countries in lists that are easier to navigate and creates share-able links for every country. NOTE: This is a third-party service and they warn that the updates to their system can be delayed by several hours for certain countries.
Al Jazeera Travel Restriction & Border Shutdown Tracker - A companion list that includes less technical summaries of each country's travel restrictions, beyond just flights and airport access.
Common abbreviations to be familiar with:
PMI: Indonesian migrant worker
PSBB: Policy of extreme social distancing. Officially restricts forms of transportation and prohibits certain types of business from operating. Requires any permitted businesses to enforce strict social distancing guidelines.
OTG: Possible cases, with no symptoms.
ODP: Suspected cases, being monitored. People with fever or respiratory symptoms such as congestion, sore throat, cough, travel in countries or areas with local transmission, or contact with a confirmed case of Covid-19. Tracked and placed under out-patient observation.
PDP: Probable cases, under observation. People with acute respiratory illness with at least one symptom such as cough, sore throat, congestion, light or heavy pneumonia, and travel in countries or areas with local transmission, or contact with a confirmed case of Covid-19. Usually placed under observation in an isolation ward at a designated hospital pending swab testing results.
About This Newsletter
This newsletter is a product of Migration Media, the hub for stories from and about the international migrant experience.
Our standards
We only include news items from established media sources
We do not share rumors.
We do not include opinion pieces or forecasts.
For all stories marked "Indonesian" I have used Google Translate to convert it from Bahasa. In most cases I will polish the excerpt and/or write a short summary in proper English to help clarify the details.
For any questions, comments or tips, please contact us at newsletter@migrationmedia.net.