Saturday, April 11
Govt calls for Balinese to not discriminate against foreigners + Yes, the Earth moved, but Mt. Agung isn't erupting yet + The airport is still open & screening new arrivals + STOP SURFING... and more
Good evening! Welcome to the COVID-19 Update for Bali for Saturday, April 11. If you find this information useful, please subscribe and share it with others in the foreigner community on the island.
If you've got a tip on a story that should be included, please contact us at newsletter@migrationmedia.net.
Status Update
Country-wide Numbers:
Sources:
Charts are from Worldometers and are current as of 00:00 GMT today.
Official updates are available from the Indonesian Government here.
Bali Numbers:
key:
Confirmed Cases Distribution:
Key: Red = Infected | Green = Recovered | Black = Died
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.
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 two 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 alerts feed into airlines' reservation systems, so it is the most reliable database of flight restrictions around.
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.
The Big News
"Secretary Indra Appeals Society to Not Discriminate" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): The Chair of the Task Force for the Acceleration of Handling Covid-19 in the Province of Bali, Dewa Made Indra, appealed to the Balinese people not to act discriminatory or racist towards certain tribes or countries related to the spread of Covid-19... Dewa Indra received a letter from the Japanese Consulate General in Denpasar conveying information that there were discriminatory behaviors from certain people in Bali against Japanese citizens and also against the Japanese Consulate General's Office in Denpasar. This discriminating behavior essentially linked Covid-19 with Japanese people, where as if the Japanese are the carriers of Covid-19. "I emphasize that Covid-19 is not related to certain ethnic groups and is not related to certain countries. So it is not appropriate to take actions or speech that discriminates against certain citizens or ethnic groups," he added.
"Deep Tectonic Earthquake Does Not Affect Mount Agung Magmatic Activity" from Berita Bali (Indonesian): A series of recent distant tectonic earthquakes have been recorded by seismic equipment at the Great Fire Volcano Monitoring Post, Rendang, Karangasem, Bali. The last earthquakes recorded took place on Saturday between 00:00 - 06:00... Head of the Eastern Volcano Mitigation Sub-Division, dr. Devy Kamil Syahbana, said that the far-tectonic earthquakes, which occur often in the area, have had no effect on the magmatic activity of Mount Agung.
Other Headlines
"Details On the 4 Simultaneous Volcanic Eruptions That Have Occurred Today" from Berita Bali (Indonesian): In Indonesia today, Mount Merapi, Mount Semeru, Mount Anak Krakatau and Mount Kerinci have all erupted and are emitting magma. Head of the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVMBG) of the Geological Agency of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Kasbani said that the eruption that occurred on Mount Anak Krakatau was strombolian, meaning that the eruption was very small and continuous. "Krakatau is level II," he said... Meanwhile, Mount Semeru erupts almost every day. However, the height of the ash column is now 200 to 300 meters. "Semeru almost every day, only 200-300 meters. It's Semeru characteristics like that," said Kasbani.
"Sugar Supply In Buleleng Starts Decreasing" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): Granulated sugar, one of the nine basic needs has not only experienced an increase in prices, has begun to experience a decline in supply... From monitoring results in the Anyar Buleleng Market and the Banyuasri Market, traders who sell sugar sell an average price of around Rp 18,000 to Rp 19,000 per kilogram. This is a significant increase compared to the price at the beginning of the year, which was stable at Rp. 13,000-15,000 thousand per kilogram.
"Foreign Exchange Transactions In Bali In Free Fall" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): "Foreign exchange transactions through BB KUPVA in February 2020 amounted to Rp2.75 trillion. This was a decrease of Rp486.8 billion (15.32%) when compared to the Rp3.24 trillion in transactions in January," said Trisno Nugroho, Head of the Bank Indonesia Representative of the Province of Bali... He estimates that transaction volume will continue to decrease in March due to the increasingly widespread travel restrictions coming as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. In Bali there has been a decline in tourist arrivals as deep as 31.19% in February (mtm) and is believed to be down more during March.
"To Boost Online Lectures, Unud Gives Free Internet Quota to Students Up to 25 GB" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): The Chancellor of Udayana University has issued a policy related to online learning facility assistance to students during the countermeasure of the spread of Covid-19. The assistance is in the form of internet quota to active students in the 2019/2020 semester through Telkomsel, which will provide then with up to 25 GB / month... According to the Chancellor of Udayana University, Prof. AA Raka Sudewi, this assistance is to facilitate students to focus on learning at home and follow up on the direction of the Minister of Education and Culture related to home learning policies.
"After Ignoring Government Appeal, Beach Visitors Disbanded by Police and Task Force" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): A joint Kubu Police Task Force, in cooperation with the Tianyar Village People's COVID-19 Reduction task force have dispersed a number of people who were crowding the beach area near Tianyar village, Karangasem Kubu on Friday afternoon... "Yeah, we appeal fro all to obey the government's call to limit activities outside the home, practice Social Distancing, avoid crowded places, and use masks," explained Kubu Police Chief, AKP I Komang Sura Maryantika."
"Dispelled While Surfing, Foreign Tourists Immerse themselves In the Sea" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): Foreign tourists plunged into the ocean in definace of the beach's closing by municipal police in Watu Klotok Klungkung... "There were four people surfing, and we appealed to them to stop the activity. Not long ago six foreign tourists wanted to surf and they were stubborn, so we had to drive them away. This group threw themselves into the sea," said Head of Pol PP Klungkung Putu Suarta.
"Bali Motorbike Repair Chains To Provide No-contact Service" from The Bali Post (Indonesian): Responding to appeals from the government to stay at home, not go out if there is no urgent interest, and not visit crowded places, which limit consumers ability to go to a repair shop for motorbike service, Astra Motor Bali, along with 96 official networks of AHASS Bali will provide a pick-up service without physical contact called "Sruput Asik."... This program has 4 facilities: just call AHASS from home, then the motorbike is picked up, then the motorbike is serviced at AHASS, and the motorbike is delivered back to the customer's home. This is an effort to facilitate the checking of vehicles in the midst of applying policies related to physical distancing without leaving the house.
The View From Outside
"Sun, Sea, Sand and Space As COVID-19 Empties Popular Tourist Beaches" from CNA: Just weeks ago, some visitors were complaining that Bali's famous sand and surf spot of Kuta Beach was way too busy. Now it is deserted, with access banned as part of measures to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, which has killed nearly 100,000 people around the world and infected more than 1.5 million. "Business is down almost 95%," said souvenir shop owner Ruju, who like many Indonesians uses only one name. "I have to borrow money just to buy food."
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