October 14, 2021
Tourism Office: No tourists coming to Bali anytime soon + Business visa expanded to include tourism + Locals are nervous about what the future will bring + more
Good morning!
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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
NOTE: Save June 14 earlier this year, 396 people is the lowest number on cases in treatment in Bali for all of 2021. Before June 14, the last time it was below 396 cases was June 18, 2020.
The Big News
“Head of Bali Tourism Office: No Foreign Tourists Will Enter Bali” from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): On Wednesday, the head of the Bali Provincial Tourism Office, I Putu Astawa, said that he had not received any information regarding planned arrival of foreign tourists to Bali. According to him, there are no international flights or foreign tourists who have confirmed coming to Bali on October 14, this could be because the time is too short for the preparation of potential tourists who want to come to Bali. Not only for arrivals on October 14, Astawa said that there is no schedule for the arrival of foreign tourists to Bali until the end of October 2021. According to him, policies related to preparation for receiving foreign tourists are very dynamic. "For example, about the length of quarantine. Will it change later? We don't know yet," said Astawa.
Context: In a related story, Deputy Governor Cok Ace suggested he does not expect tourists to arrive until at least early November unless there is a charter flight (Indonesian).
“New Visa Activities Added: Tourism, Filmmaking, and Education” from Indonesia Expat: Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna H. Laoly has released a new decree regarding the types of activities foreigners are allowed to do in line with the visa types, effective from 13th October. The decree is regarding the types of activities foreigners are allowed to be granted visas during the period of handling the spread of COVID-19. The decree states three new specified activities, including tourism and filmmaking as a visit visa activity with visa index B211A. The other two categories covered commercial film-making, and attending educational activities.
Context: Arranging a B211A visa for tourism purposes will still require the use of an in-country sponsor.
“Bali Is Reopening to Tourists, but Nervous Locals Wonder What the Future Will Bring” from The Guardian: Many residents who work in tourism say they aren’t expecting a boost in business any time soon. Some worry that few tourists will want to undergo quarantine. Others fear the government strategy, which seems to focus on attracting the wealthiest visitors, will only benefit certain types of businesses. “What about smaller businesses such as homestays? Who’s going to stay there?” said Kadek Kerta Rusmana Yasa. Yasa hopes the government will stop referring to “quality tourists”. “Those with more money can also do crime and disrespect the island. What’s more important is the law enforcement,” he said.
Context: The story refers to a statement by Minister Luhut suggesting Bali did not want backpackers. His statement was later walked back by his spokesperson.
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The Movement of Recovery (Yayasan Pergerakan Pemulihan) is one of the main drivers of mental health services in Bali. Together with BBB Community, they launched LISA (Love Inside Suicide Awareness), a helpline which offers support in Bahasa Indonesian and English. They offer free counselling and support for those in need. For more information, please visit their website here.
Other Headlines
“Airport Operator to Offer Incentives for International Flights in Bali” from Antara: PT Angkasa Pura I (Persero) confirmed that national and international airlines operating international flights to and from Bali Island are eligible for the incentive program to support tourism recovery in the island province. Eligible airlines will receive a landing fee discount at the I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport during the stimulus period from October 14, 2021, to June 30, 2022, President Director of Angkasa Pura I, Faik Fahmi said on Wednesday. A 100% landing fee discount is available from October 14 to December 31, 2021, and a 50% discount will apply from January 1 until June 30, 2022, Fahmi said.
Context: There were multiple stories covering the lack of international flights on Bali’s reopening day, most pointing to a lack of clear official regulations from the central government (Indonesian), or the length of quarantine (Indonesian), as the primary reason for no flights as of yet.
Vaccination Update
“France Donates 688,800 Doses of Astrazeneca to Indonesia” from Tempo: A total of 688,800 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is a French donation to Indonesia through the COVAX facility, will arrive on Wednesday, October 13 at Soekarno-Hatta Airport. Between September 10 and October 2, 3,163,540 doses of vaccine were delivered by France to Indonesia in four separate shipments. The four vaccine donations are a follow-up to President Emmanuel Macron's announcement, on August 4, that as a form of solidarity in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, three million doses of vaccine will be donated by France to Indonesia.
Context: Don’t forget, you can follow Bali’s vaccination progress in the Bali Beat Sunday evening edition.
More...
Nation: “Mataram Health Office Proposes Social Assistance Recipients Be Vaccinated” from Republika (Indonesian)
Health Protocols (Prokes) & Health Services
“Occupancy Rate Declines, Tabanan Hospital to Reduce Isolation Space” from Bali Express (Indonesian): The Tabanan General Hospital Agency is starting to plan to shift the use of the isolation room according to its original function as a place to care for non-Covid-19 patients. This is done following the trend of the spread of Covid-19 which has tended to decline. Director of BRSUD Tabanan, Dr. I Nyoman Susila, said the transfer of the function of the isolation room is being prepared because it must begin with the sterilization process. In addition, many of the nurses who were originally focused on serving Covid-19 patients have also been returned to their original units. "In the past, the supply of isolation rooms was up to 106. Now it is filled with an average of six to seven patients. This excess will be used as a treatment room for other disease patients," he said.
More...
Denpasar: “Ahead of the Opening of International Tours, There Are Still Prokes Violators” from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
Economy & Infrastructure
“Every Year 1,568 Hectares of Agricultural Land Disappear in Bali” from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): The discourse on Bali's economic transformation so that it does not rely solely on the tourism sector, but also the industrial and agricultural sectors, has faced many challenges. The latest data was revealed by the Head of Agricultural Technology Research Center, UPT Bali, Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture, I Made Rai Yasa, on Tuesday. It is revealed that 1,568 hectares of rice fields are decreasing every year in Bali, thus threatening the discourse of balancing the Balinese economy in the future. Rai Yasa said that in 1970 the area of agricultural land in Bali reached 150,000 hectares. However, along with the rapid development of tourism and development in Bali, currently there are still 70,000 hectares of agricultural land left. The main reason is land use change.
More ...
Denpasar: “DLHK Denpasar Processes Organic Waste Sorted into Fertilizer” from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
Education
“PTM in Tabanan Supervised by Police” from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): The implementation of face-to-face learning (PTM) in Tabanan has been going on for a week. To ensure that there were no crowds, a joint team visited a number of schools on Tuesday. The inspection was led by the Tabanan Police Chief, AKBP Ranefli Dian Candra, who said that monitoring of a number of schools in Tabanan was to anticipate crowds. "The activities we carry out are in accordance with the Instruction of the Minister of Home Affairs regarding PPKM," he said. He appealed to all schools to monitor PTM in terms of progress. "As early as possible to prevent crowds, also supervise the use of masks and ensure proper and correct use of masks," he said.
More ...
Province: “Governor Koster Hands Over IDR 1.5 Billion Scholarships for School Students” from Antara Bali (Indonesian)
Bali Reopening
“Doubts Over Demand On Eve of Bali Reopening” from Reuters: Hours before Indonesia’s top holiday destination Bali reopens to foreign tourists after 18 months of pandemic hiatus, the island is lacking one crucial ingredient: international flights. Bali is scheduled to reopen on Thursday and though its Ngurah Rai international airport has carried out simulations preparing for the tourists to return, it is not expecting much to happen soon. “So far there is no schedule,” said Taufan Yudhistira, a spokesman for the airport. Details about the reopening, such as visa requirements and which countries it applied to, have so far been patchy.
More...
Province: “No Airline Confirms Flying to Bali” from Nusa Bali (Indonesian)
Province: “Tourist Accommodations Should Pursue CHSE” from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
“Tourism Ministry Supports Work From Bali Proposal” from Bisnis Bali (Indonesian): The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy positively welcomed the request of business actors on Bali to re-implement the Work From Bali program which was stopped due to the second wave of the pandemic in the middle of this year. However, the budget of the relevant ministries is insufficient to reactivate the program. Meanwhile, according to Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno, a number of countries that have expressed interest in flights to Bali but are waiting for an official decision from the government. "Although this was submitted at the last minute, we have received confirmation that the decision will be issued soon. In the future, there will be an initial flight that will land on October 14," he said. "We are optimistic that we will receive confirmation of landing requests or landing permits immediately from several airlines," he said.
Context: The Minister’s optimism contrasts with that of Deputy Governor Cok Ace who doesn’t envisage scheduled flights till early November (see the Big News lead story above).
Of Interest
“60% of Togean Islands National Park's Coral Reefs Damaged” from Antara
“15,000 Drug Users in Bali, 90% Use Shabu” from Kumparan (Indonesian)
“Calls to Ban New Superman Comic With Bisexual Character” from Coconuts Jakarta
“Two Students Arrested With Kilo of Meth” from Antara Bali (Indonesian)
“Mystical, Trailer Truck Lost in Teak Forest, Driver Confused Says Chased” from Suara Bali (Indonesian)
“Wings Air Flight Makes Emergency Landing in Lombok” from Coconuts Bali
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
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