October 1, 2021
Bali beach erosion worsens + Health Office disagrees with 2-day quarantine + Inbound passengers limited to 90/flight + more
Good morning!
Welcome to The Bali Beat for Friday, October 1. If you’re not a subscriber, please sign up here to have this newsletter emailed to your inbox every weekday morning, along with a Sunday evening summary of the past week’s Covid-19 and vaccination data. If you’re already a subscriber, thank you!
Please be sure to share The Bali Beat with your friends, family and anyone else in the community by clicking the button below. If you’re on Twitter, you can follow us there @thebalibeat.
*A paid subscription is NOT required to access this newsletter.* If you would like to support our news gathering efforts, please consider making a donation of US$5/month by becoming a contributing subscriber via the link above. If you’d prefer to make a one-time donation — of any amount — please click here.
Weather & Tides
Today’s Weather for Southern Bali
Today’s Tides
Meteorology, Climatology & Geophysics Council (Link)
Tide table from Tide-forecast.com.
Daily Covid Update
National Figures
Local Figures
The Big News
“Erosion of South Bali Beaches is Getting Worse” from CNN Indonesia (Indonesian): All beaches in Bali have experienced erosion of the coastline since the 1980s, and more severe erosion has occurred on Bali’s southern coast. "Yes, it's true and indeed the erosion condition has been happening for quite a long time," said Made Denny Setya Wijaya as Head of the Specific Non-Vertical Unit Implementing Water Source Network BWS Bali-Penida, on Wednesday. "On the coast of Bali, already in 1980, the erosion has started to run little by little," he said. "Yes, it varies, perhaps the most extreme can be up to 30 meters backwards from the coastline, from 1980 to 1990. If 2020-2021 seems very short, we think it may not have much or no significant effect. In 2000 with a 10-year span, it feels like the erosion will be visible," he said. "It's easiest for us to see. For example, what used to be buildings and trees that were not hit by the waves are now being affected. It must be handled," he said.
“Bali Health Office Disagrees With Two-day Quarantine” from Bali Express (Indonesian): Head of the Bali Provincial Health Office, Dr. Ketut Suarjaya expressed his objection if the quarantine time for tourists coming to Bali was shortened to two days after the results of the swab were negative. "I object and disagree if the tourist quarantine period is shortened, because the incubation period for the virus has not yet passed if the quarantine is only carried out for two days," he said on Thursday. In addition, Dr. Suarjaya is worried that if the quarantine is only carried out for two days, the potential entry of the new variant of the COVID-19 virus could be faster. And he said this condition is not good for the people of Bali. "I hope that people will be more patient, there will be no reduction in quarantine days for tourists. The quarantine policy for tourists will continue for eight days," he said.
“To Prevent Entry of New Variants, International Passenger Loads Limited to 90” from Bali Post (Indonesian): All airlines are asked to make arrangements for arriving passengers and reporting data on international flights at Soekarno-Hatta Airport. This effort is to suppress the potential spread of COVID-19 and will take effect from September 30. According to the Director General of Civil Aviation Novie Riyanto, this arrangement is part of efforts to prevent the entry of new variants of COVID-19 to Indonesia via air transportation. “We ask for the understanding of all national air transportation entities and foreign air transportation companies to be able to arrange arriving passengers and reporting data on international flights at Soekarno-Hatta Airport, provided that it can carry passengers (inbound traffic) a maximum of 90 people per flight. This needs to be done so that we can carry out stricter supervision to prevent the entry of new variants of the COVID-19 virus into Indonesia," he said.
Context: While both national and international carriers are mentioned in the document in this story, only international flights have been explicitly mentioned as being subject to this rule. This is the first we’ve seen of limits of passenger numbers since the earlier days of the pandemic when domestic carriers were limited to 50% passenger loads.
>> Classifieds <<
In a time of social distancing, it’s harder than ever to get your message out and reinforce community. If you’ve got a story to tell or a message that needs to be heard — and if you’re reading this newsletter — then try a classified ad with The Bali Beat. Click here for more details.
School is a luxury for many in the Togean Islands. Togean Natural is working with women from Tumbulawa and Siatu villages to produce hand-made, preservative-free soap and coconut oil. Help empower local women by placing your order today.
Introducing Masterworks, a platform for investing in proven artists like Basquiat, Warhol and Banksy. Contemporary art prices outperformed the S&P 500 by 174% from 1995-2020, so it’s no surprise 84% of ultra-high-net worth individuals collect art. If you’re looking for a solid and nearly uncorrelated asset to add to your portfolio, check out Masterworks. We've partnered with Masterworks to let Petition subscribers skip their 25,000-person waitlist, so do yourself a favor and sign up today. (See important information.)
Other Headlines
“60% of Bali tourism businesses CHSE certified” from Antara Bali (Indonesian): A total of 726 tourism businesses in Bali, consisting of 139 hotels and 587 non-hotels, have undergone the Cleanliness, Health, Safety & Environment Sustainability certification audit process in 2021 or 60% of the target. Branch Head of PT Sucofindo Denpasar, Dedih Budiawan Sugianto said on Thursday that his party was optimistic that before the end of this year's CHSE certification deadline, it could reach the target of 1,200 certified tourism business actors, considering that Bali tourism for foreign tourists is planned to start opening in October. "Last year there were still many tourism business actors who had not registered for CHSE certification, so this year it is hoped that those who have not registered. Last year in Bali there were around 1,079 certifications and this year 1,200. Bali Province has the largest quota among other regions in Indonesia," he said.
Context: The 60% figure is not related to the total number of tourism businesses in Bali, rather to a quota of 1,200 tourism businesses. In 2016, Bali was reported as having 4,880 hotels, so with that in mind, it appears that roughly 3% of hotels in Bali are CHSE certified. See the Bali Reopening section below for a story on the Hotel Association’s resistance to the CHSE process.
Vaccination Update
“Ubud Police Holds Vaccination, Some Foreigners Turned Away” from Bali Express (Indonesian): The head of the Ubud Police, AKP I Made Tama explained that the Ubud Police was the first police station to conduct vaccinations in Gianyar. So that his party is currently providing about 300 doses of vaccine for the scattered vaccines of residents. “Currently, many people in Ubud have been vaccinated, but there are still people who are scattered. Because Ubud is a tourist destination, so that later there will be zero cases," he said on Thursday. "There are also some foreigners, but we refuse them because there must be approval from the embassy. In accordance with Minister of Health Regulation Number 23 of 2021. Except for those who already have a KITAS or NIK, they can take vaccinations," he said.
Context: There have been media reports in the past of foreigners lacking a KITAS or NIK being turned away from some vaccine sites, while others have found success. The situation remains fluid, and prone to change at short notice. This is the first we’ve seen of foreigners requiring approval from their embassy to be vaccinated in Bali.
More...
Nation: “Indonesia Receives 796,800 Doses of Astrazeneca From Italy” from Antara
Nation: “National Police Chief Calls for Boosting Papua Vaccination Rate” from Antara
Gianyar: “Door to Door Vaccination Targets People With Disabilities” from Nusa Bali (Indonesian)
Health Protocols (Prokes) & Health Services
“Be Grateful Pandemic is Being Well-handled: Vice President” from Antara: Vice President Ma’ruf Amin has urged the public to be grateful that the daily COVID-19 transmission rate has continued to flatten, reflecting the good handling of the pandemic in the country. “We should be grateful, still, we need to stay vigilant,” he said on Thursday. Globally, COVID-19 transmission cases have been declining, and Indonesia has also passed the peak of the second wave, with the daily case count currently below two thousand, he said. “The government, either central or regional administration, has made unwavering efforts that were inseparably supported by the public as well as the simultaneous accelerated vaccination across Indonesia,” Amin said.
More...
Province: “All Government Offices Use Pedulilindungi” from Antara Bali (Indonesian)
Economy & Infrastructure
“Bali Exports Fell Drastically Due to Pandemic, Airport Closure” from Tribun Bali (Indonesian): During the Covid-19 pandemic, export commodities from Bali experienced a significant decline. This was due to constraints in transportation, especially the closing of international flights at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport. Bali's export commodities are also constrained on the climate side. "Mangosteen fell drastically to 400 tons, maybe the first obstacle was the airport closure, there were no direct planes going to China from Bali," said the Plant Quarantine Sub-Coordinator of the Denpasar Class I Agricultural Quarantine Center, Agus Taufik on Thursday. Agus added that there may be several international flights but transiting via Jakarta to China reduces the quality of goods and increases costs.
More...
Nation: “DPR Approves 2022 State Budget Bill” from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
Province: “Bali 2022 Projected Revenue to Reach IDR 4.2 Trillion” from Bisnis Bali (Indonesian)
Province: “Ministry of Trade Releases 27 Tons of Tuna to Vietnam” from Antara Bali (Indonesian)
Badung: “Laid Off Badung Tourism Workers Called Back to Work” from Tribun Bali (Indonesian)
Buleleng: “North Bali Airport Has Pros and Cons” from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
Education
“Face-to-Face, Maximum Three Hour Lessons” from Radar Bali (Indonesian): Head of the Department of Education, Youth and Sports Buleleng I Made Astika said, limited Face-to-face Learning would be carried out strictly. The face-to-face learning process is carried out for a maximum of 120 minutes or three hours of lessons. Only certain subjects are delivered in the face-to-face process. For PAUD institutions, only a third of the students are allowed to come to school. Meanwhile, at the elementary to junior high school level, only 50% of the total number of students can go to school. "If the number of students is large, please do double shifts. With the provisions, each shift has a time interval of two hours," said Astika. In addition, educators are required to have a vaccine certificate. “At least 75% of the teachers and education personnel must have been vaccinated. If it's less than that, we will postpone the PTMT permit until it meets the 75% requirement," said Astika.
More...
Jembrana: “SMA in Jembrana Ready to Hold Limited PTM” from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
Bali Reopening
“Tourism Ministry Pushes for CHSE Despite Objections” from Tempo: The Indonesian government will continue to utilize the cleanliness, health, safety, and environment sustainability certificate as an official health protocol standard for the tourism sector despite facing opposition from tourism businesses and the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association. Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno on Thursday said the implementation of CHSE will open the path for recovery in the tourism sector. A number of hotel and restaurant management previously sent a letter expressing their objection against the CHSE certification process as it would likely financially burden business owners who are already financially under pressure caused by the pandemic.
Weekend Reads
“Survivors of Indonesia’s 2018 Earthquake and Tsunami Still Struggle” from Southeast Asia Globe (Metered Paywall)
“Monitoring Reveals Indonesia’s ‘Legal Timber’ Scheme Riddled with Violations” from Mongabay
“Herd Immunity/Herding Constituents Part 1” from New Mandala
“Herd Immunity/Herding Constituents Part 2” from New Mandala
>> This Week’s Sponsor <<
Plant-based, chemical free & made of natural ingredients, look after yourself from head to toe with DeHealth products. Our Mother vinegar is loaded with probiotics & can strengthen your immune system. Step towards better health today.
Of Interest
“BKSDA Confirms 31 Animals Rescued in Crackdown Died” from Antara
“Linga Found in Bakas Rice Fields” from Bali Express (Indonesian)
How You Can Help Bali
In response to the collapse of the tourism sector in Bali and the resulting economic crisis due to Covid19, tens of thousands of families have found themselves with a greatly reduced income—if any. By the middle of 2020, over 100,000 people on Bali had lost their job. While government support has been limited, Indonesians and foreigners have sprung into action, raising funds and distributing badly needed food and everyday essentials to those most in need.
We've been raising awareness of these efforts, and if you’d like to make a contribution of any kind, you can see a list of some organisations here. Further projects have registered themselves with Bali Solidarity. If you know of an effort and would like to have them listed, please send their information to TheBaliBeat@outlanders.global
About This Newsletter
This newsletter is a product of Outlanders.
Our standards
We only include news items from established media sources.
We do not include op-eds, forecasts, or rumors.
We do not express any opinions about any included news item.
A “Context” note, along with a reference link may be added after an excerpt to include additional information and/or links to further reading on the topic.
Any headline marked with “Indonesian” point to an article in the Indonesian language. We use Google Translate to translate headlines and excerpts into English, then correct any translation errors where the intended meaning is lost or unclear. These changes are kept to a minimum to accurately reflect the source material.
For any questions, comments or tips, please contact us at TheBaliBeat@outlanders.global.