October 19, 2021
PPKM in Bali extended until Nov 1 + Minister suggests entry from 19 countries will be based on reciprocity + Jokowi wants boosters nationwide from 2022 + more
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Daily Covid Update
National Figures
Local Figures
The Big News
“PPKM Extended to November 1” from Bali Express (Indonesian): The government has decided to extend PPKM in Java-Bali until November 1. "Starting tomorrow there will be 54 regencies/cities at Level 2 and nine regencies/cities at Level 1. The details regarding this decision will be stated through the Ministry of Home Affairs," said PPKM Coordinator for Java-Bali Luhut Binsar. He said the decreasing number of national daily confirmed cases caused the national and Java-Bali active cases to continue to decline. Currently there are only 18,000 cases nationally. "For Java and Bali, there are 7,000 cases," he said. He said that this was an achievement when compared to the peak of the second wave of Covid-19 which reached 570,000 active cases on July 15, 2021.
Context: According to the official Corona Statistics website, the number of active cases on July 15 was 480,199.
“Entry Granted to Nationals of 19 Countries Based on Reciprocity” from Antara: Permission has been granted for the entry of nationals from 19 countries on the principle of reciprocity or equality, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, has said. According to Pandjaitan if countries do not open their doors to Indonesian tourists, then it is likely that Indonesia will remove them from the list. "If they have not opened to us, we will close the possibility of (reopening borders) or drop them from the list of 19 countries," he said on Monday. The 19 countries are Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), New Zealand, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Liechtenstein, Italy, France, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Poland, Hungary, and Norway.
Context: This is the first we’ve seen of Indonesia requiring reciprocal arrangements as a condition for entry. The story did not note if other countries have been consulted prior to the Minister’s statement.
“Jokowi Instructs Vaccine Boosters to Be Offered in 2022” from Tempo: The Indonesian government has started discussing possibilities to initiate a COVID-19 vaccine booster program for the general public, which according to Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto and under the direct instruction of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, is expected to be introduced in early 2022. “As for vaccine boosters, the President instructed to have them be introduced early next week. He asked for the mechanism to be prepared based on PBI and non-PBI,” said Airlangga on October 18. PBI refers to contribution assistance participants, a government vaccine financing program under the Healthcare and Social Security Agency.
Context: It was reported in late September that over 80% of Indonesia’s vaccine supple has come from China in the form of Sinovac and Sinopharm shots. As of yesterday, 30% of the targeted population nationwide had received their second vaccine shot.
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Other Headlines
“People in Bali to Collect Nearly 500 Tons of Plastic for Recycling” from CNN: When the Covid-19 pandemic struck Bali, tourism just about came to a halt. More than half of Bali's economic revenue stems from tourism, employing hundreds of thousands of Balinese people in the industry, and many moved back to their home villages. With more people returning to the villages, more trash piled up. With so many people out of work, they were also going hungry. "I said to myself, I got to do something about this," said Made Janur Yasa, a vegan restaurant owner in the town of Ubud. Yasa said he wanted to find a way to help people in his community during the pandemic while also addressing the ongoing problem of plastic pollution. "I got to thinking, inside the challenge there is an opportunity," he said.
Context: For more information on Yasa’s efforts,see the Plastic Change website.
Vaccination Update
“Indonesia to Administer Nearly 300 Million Vaccines by Year End” from Antara: Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has estimated that the number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country could approach 300 million by the end of this year. "Today, we have achieved 172 million doses of vaccination, almost 52% of our target," he said on Monday. 108 million Indonesians have already obtained the first dose of vaccination and 63 million have completed their vaccination, he said. In accordance with the direction of President Joko Widodo, COVID-19 vaccinations have exceeded two million per day, as realized on September 22, 23, 29, and 30, 2021, the minister said. The positive trend was also seen on October 13 and 14, 2021, with peak vaccinations reaching 2.2 million doses per day, he said.
Context: Don’t forget, you can follow Bali’s vaccination progress in the Bali Beat Sunday evening edition.
Health Protocols (Prokes) & Health Services
“MPR Speaker Calls Attention to Covid Uptick in Five Provinces” from Antara: People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Bambang Soesatyo on Monday drew attention to a report indicating a sharp spike in coronavirus cases in five provinces -- Jakarta, Central Java, West Java, East Java, and South Sulawesi. Soesatyo urged the Ministry of Health to request the assistance of regional governments and the COVID-19 Handling Task Force in the five provinces to investigate and clarify the cause behind the increase in cases. He asked regional governments and the COVID-19 Handling Task Force in the five provinces to expand testing, tracing, and treatment efforts.
More...
Nation: “New Medicines Give Hope in Transition to Endemic Phase” from Antara
Nation: “US-UNICEF Agreement Inked to Support Covid-19 Response” from Antara
Nation: “Mataram Moved to PPKM Level 1” from Detik (Indonesian)
Economy & Infrastructure
“Tackling Climate Change in National Interest” from Antara: Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, has highlighted Indonesia's firm commitment to mitigating the impacts of climate change. In addition, he said that as the largest archipelagic country which owns many tropical forests, tackling climate change has been Indonesia’s national interest, which has been reflected in its policies, community education, and empowerment, as well as law enforcement. The Minister told a US envoy that in recent years, deforestation activities, as well as the conversion of natural forests and peatlands in Indonesia, have continued to decline.
Context: Mongabay reported in March this year that the deforestation rate in Indonesia was at its lowest level since 1990. Environmentalists point to falling palm oil prices and an unusually wet year for being two of the reasons for this. Government officials point to a moratorium on clearing of primary forest and issuing of new palm oil licenses.
More ...
Nation: “Target of 5.2% Economic Growth in 2022 Achievable” from Antara
Nation: “Soekarno-Hatta Airport Sees Over 56,000 International Arrivals” from Tempo
Education
“Ubud School Students Collaborate With Environmental Groups” from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): Trash Hero Indonesia's environmentalist community collaborated with Roemah Daoen and the Gianyar Regency Environmental Service to promote the use of Tumblr and water filters at SD 8 Mas, Ubud District on Monday. A total of 140 tumblrs were also distributed to students in grades I to VI who participated. This tumblr distribution is an effort to reduce the use of single-use plastic and avoid the impact of plastic waste. "Later on, SD 8 Mas Ubud will also be facilitated by three water filters, as water reservoirs and refills for students and teaching staff at the school," said Head of Trash Hero Indonesia I Wayan Aksara. The Principal of SD 8 Mas Ubud, I Wayan Ade Yantika, 36, welcomed the cooperation program in order to foster environmental awareness from an early age.
Bali Reopening
“Bali is Still Low for Foreign Tourists” from Bisnis Bali (Indonesian): Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno said flights to I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali are still empty of foreign tourists. Sandi said his ministry was still waiting for flight schedules from international airlines. "As of today, it is still quiet on regular flights, it turns out that after the opening of October 14, foreign tourists and industrial readiness are still being coordinated," said Sandi on Monday. Sandi added that the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy is actively promoting the opening of Bali to a number of friendly countries through a cooperation scheme with related travel agencies. He said that he had received flight requests from Russia and Ukraine to be able to travel to Bali.
Context: Yesterday a Ngurah Rai Airport spokesperson said that it can take up to 14 days to process a slot request, and that airlines were yet to request slots as they await clear government regulations. A step-by-step guide for for foreign arrivals is detailed here (Indonesian). Meanwhile Bali Governor Wayan Koster has said there are 20,000 tourists who are ready to “invade” Bali (Indonesian).
More ...
“Menparekraf Still Observing the Situation After Bali’s Opening” from Nusa Bali (Indonesian)
“Romanian Tourists Hope to Have a Bali Vacation” from Bisnis Bali (Indonesian)
“Ferry Runs Aground in East Lombok, Damages Coral Reef” from Bisnis Bali (Indonesian): The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries said that the company must be responsible for restoring coral reefs damaged by the ferry that ran aground in the waters of the northern Alas Strait. "Ship owner companies must be responsible both socially and economically to restore the condition of coral reefs as a result of their ships running aground," said Acting Director General of Marine Spatial Management Pamuji Lestari on Sunday. Based on direct monitoring from the KKP, the ship ran aground causing the coral reefs to be destroyed, cracked, and broken due to being hit by a ship. The area where fresh coral fragments were found was approximately 19 acres or 38 meters x 50 meters.
Context: The ferry ran aground on Gili Kapal, a small outlying island among Lombok’s eastern islands.
Of Interest
“MotoGP Possibly Held Along With Bau Nyale” from Republika (Indonesian)
“Papuan Arabica Coffee Faces Possible Extinction Due to Global Warming” from Tempo
“After an Almost Two Year Break, Makepung Lampit Held Again” from Nusa Bali (Indonesian)
“Ministry Details Efforts to Protect Indonesians From Death Penalty” from Antara
“IDR 1.8 Billion Worth of Cigarettes, Animal Parts, Sex Toys & Spear Guns Destroyed” from Antara Bali (Indonesian)
“American Dies by Suicide in Ubud” from Antara Bali (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
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