Monday, October 5
E-visas confirmed as Govt inks travel corridor deal w/Singapore + Gianyar says bodies of suspected covid victims will not be tested, but Buleleng says funerals must be delayed for disinfecting + more!
Good morning! Welcome to The Bali Beat for Monday, October 5. If you’re not a subscriber, sign up here to get this update delivered directly to your Inbox every Monday-Saturday morning, along with each evening’s Covid-19 update. If you are already a subscriber, thank you! Please be sure to share it with others in the foreigner community on the island by clicking the button below.
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Weather & Waves
Today’s Weather for Southern Bali
Today’s Tides
Surf Outlook
Weather forecast from Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology & Geophysics Council (Link)
Tide table from Tide-forecast.com.
Surf outlook via Windy.com.
Local Covid Numbers
*NOTE: Click here to see the national numbers infographic and a Regency-by-Regency breakdown of yesterday’s local numbers + trendlines in our evening update, which includes a look back at last week’s overall totals.
The Big News
"Electronic Visas, Special Counters at Jakarta and Batam Among Indonesia's Measures for Proposed Green Lane with Singapore" from CNA: The Indonesian government is preparing an electronic visa system and special counters at the airport serving Jakarta and Batam ferry terminal for a "reciprocal green lane" with Singapore, said Minister of Law and Human Rights Yasonna Laoly. The preparations are being made following discussions on a “reciprocal green lane” to allow essential travel... An electronic visa service is also planned to be available from Oct 15 to support the green lane with Singapore. "The electronic visa service is also almost done and is planned to be operational on Oct 15. But we may still need to coordinate with the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises regarding the Electronic Data Capture for payments by debit or credit card," said Mr. Laoly.
(Ed. Note: There have been no details offered yet about which visas will be available online, what the procedures will be, or even who may be eligible to apply for them. You can see the official announcement - such as it is - from Imigrasi on their Facebook, Twitter or Instagram pages.)
"Regent of Gianyar Declares that Hospital Patients Who Die Do Not Need A Swab Test" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): The Regent of Gianyar has issued a Circular (SE) concerning the Implementation of Swab Tests for Hospital Patients who Died. It says that patients who have passed away - or their bodies - do not need to be subjected to a swab test. The SE was based on the decision of the Indonesian Minister of Health regarding Covid-19 prevention guidelines. It also says that patients who die from a severe ARI (acute respiratory infection) can be buried immediately or returned to their family by still referring to health protocols... Previously, the hospital took samples or swabbed the bodies. As happened some time ago. In fact, in the previous news, the patient's family did not even know if the body was swab taken. Suddenly, someone's body tested positive for Covid-19.
"Funeral for COVID-19 Victims Can Be Postponed According to New Procedure" from Berita Bali (Indonesian): One of the things that was adjusted [in Buleleng] was the delay in the process of covering the corpse, because in accordance with the Hindu tradition in Bali, the process of covering the body had to be carried out according to the determined good day. The COVID-19 Task Force requires that the bodies go through a disinfection process and be deposited in the hospital for a maximum of three days. Secretary of the Task Force, Gede Suyasa, said the disinfection process must also be carried out in a hospital that has an installation and a forensic specialist, such as in Buleleng Hospital, where forensic specialists and installations already exist. "The policy of covering bodies that lead to COVID-19 in the fifth revision may be left for three days but must be disinfected by a forensic doctor," said Suyasa.
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Other Headlines
"Dispar Denpasar Limits the Number of Tourist Visits" from Antara (Indonesian): Head of the Denpasar Tourism Office (Dispar), MA Dezire Mulyani, said that his party has imposed a limit on the number of tourist visits at each tourism destination. "It is impossible for us to prohibit tourists from visiting tourist destinations in the Denpasar area, but to prevent the COVID-19 cluster in the tourist area, the capacity limitation of the number of visits in each tourist area is carried out," he said... He gave an example of the Sanur Beach Denpasar area, which is able to accommodate the number of tourists up to 700 people. To suppress the spread of the virus, it's been limited to 100 visitors per day, although in normal times it could reach 200 visitors per day.
"Admission Fee Planned for Bali’s Kuta Beach" from Bali Discovery: The Regency of Badung’s Representative Council (DPRD) is lending its support to a proposal put forth by the Traditional Village of Kuta to levy an admission or access fee to the public wishing to use Bali’s iconic Kuta Beachfront. The admission fee, known locally as a “retribution,” will purportedly be used to maintain and upgrade the entire beach area. DPRD member Nyoman Graha Wicaksana said there is little chance that the proposed retribution system would come into effect anytime soon. Adding: “Not in the near future, especially now, that there is still the Covid-19 pandemic.”
"After 9 Days in Quarantine, Wife of the Governor of Bali Tests Negative for Coronavirus" from Detik (Indonesian): The wife of Bali Governor I Wayan Koster , Ni Putu Putri Suastini Koster, has tested negative for COVID-19 after undergoing a swab test . Suastini Koster has undergone quarantine. "Om Swastiastu semeton Bali very pole dear, friends all the good that is in Bali as well as existing outside of Bali. Yesterday exact full moon, so swab results are negative, nah nika thanks to sobriety quarantined properly and also of course the support and prayers the continuous from Nitiang's very good friends, "said Suastini in a video uploaded to her personal Instagram. Suastini Koster said that she would return to Denpasar after being tested negative for Corona.
"La Nina to Cause Heavy Rainfall Across Indonesia Until February: Weather Agency" from The Jakarta Post: The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has warned that the current La Nina weather phenomenon could increase accumulated precipitation in Indonesia by up to 40 percent, with heavy rainfall expected in several regions across the archipelago. “However, La Nina effects different regions in Indonesia differently,” BMKG’s climatology deputy head Herizal said. In October and November, increased rainfall may occur in all regions but Sumatra, while from December until February 2021, heavy rainfall could possibly continue in the eastern part of Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku, North Maluku and Papua, he continued.
"Bali Loses IDR 9.7 Trillion Every Month" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): Bali's economic growth in the first quarter of 2020 was -1.14%, while in the second quarter of 2020 the economy of Bali decreased further to -10.98%. This slow growth is due to a sharp decline in income from Bali's main sector, tourism. The number of foreign tourists in Bali has decreased 99.97% since the beginning of the pandemic. "Bali has lost around Rp. 9.7 trillion every month from the tourism sector alone. Not other sectors," said Deputy Governor Cok Ace... He said that creative industry workers received an average salary of Rp 2.23 million per month. "Seeing this extraordinary potential, I really hope Bali can become the leader in Indonesia in developing the creative industry," Cok Ace said. He noted that Bali is very rich in arts and culture. This means that Bali has enormous potential in the development of the tourism sector and the creative industry. Nationally, the highest number of creative industry sub-sectors is culinary (41.47%), fashion (17.68%) and crafts (14.99%).
"Bali Locals Win Back Access to Beach After Dutch Expat Claims it Was Private" from The Bali Sun: Both sides have agreed to solve the dispute that has been going since 2015. The problem had started after Ernest bought the 1.5 acres of land on the beach in Banjar Dinas Munduk, Anturan Village. A team from Guardianship of Indonesia Corruption (GTI) Buleleng has mediated the conflict under National Land Agency surveillance to measure the land that was bought by Ernets... “The borderline between the private property and the beach must meet Regulation Number 4 Year 2019, the village has authority to manage and develop the beaches. We will conserve this area by planting more trees in the near future” said Head of Anturan Village, Ketut Soka. Ernest accepted the final decision made by the investigation team “I will open the area for public, and I’m happy with this decision as long as they will not destroy it,” Ernest said.
"Increasingly Full, the Expansion of Tabanan's Mandung Dump is Delayed by Land Acquisition" from The IDN Times (Indonesian): The Final Disposal Site (TPA) belonging to Tabanan Regency, which is located in Sembung Gede Village, Kerambitan District, named TPA Mandung, is now increasingly worrying. Mounted piles of garbage and limited land to receive the volume of waste have made the Tabanan Regency Government (Pemkab) try to expand the land, although in the process it is still bumping into the land release stage. In addition to land expansion, the Tabanan Regency Government is encouraging village-based waste management or TPS 3R (Reuse, Reduce, and Recycle Waste Management Sites).
The View from Outside
"Many Turn to Odd Jobs As COVID-19 Hits Bali's Tourism Industry Hard [Video]" from CNA: Almost completely reliant on tourism, the Indonesian island of Bali was hit particularly hard by COVID-19 and the worldwide travel restrictions that followed. Despite having their income reduced to almost zero, the people of Bali are not giving in. Instead, they've stepped out of their comfort zones and taken up any odd jobs they can to put food on the table. (Ed. Note: You can learn more about the people featured in the video and read more context in the accompanying story here.)
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 newsletter@migrationmedia.net.
About This Newsletter
This newsletter is a product of Migration Media, the hub for stories from and about the international migrant experience.
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