Saturday, June 20
Record 81 new cases found, most in Denpasar from contact tracing + Island govt calls for mass rapid testing + Jembrana privatizes rapid testing & fee collection at Gilimanuk port + more!
Good morning! Welcome to the COVID-19 Update for Bali for Saturday, June 20. Please subscribe and share it with others in the foreigner community on the island. I happily put this daily newsletter together as a public service, and it will be free so long as the current emergency lasts. *A paid subscription is NOT required to access this content.* When signing up, select the "None" option and you'll get it delivered to your Inbox each day. But if you would like to support my work, please consider taking up a voluntary subscription at US$5/month. Thanks!
Status Update
National Numbers:
Bali Numbers:
New Infections by Regency
Overall Confirmed Cases Distribution:
Key: Red = Infected | Green = Recovered | Black = Died
Bali 30-Day Trends:
More details on the locations of positive cases within each Regency, as well as the number of suspected cases ("ODP") and people under in-patient observation ("PDP"), can be found in charts & infographics on the websites of each Regency's Covid-19 Task Force:
Badung | Bangli | Buleleng | Denpasar City | Gianyar | Jembrana | Karangasem | Klungkung | Tabanan
Sources:
The national update comes from the Indonesia National Disaster Management Agency: @BNPB_Indonesia
The Bali Numbers infographic comes from the Bali Provincial Government COVID-19 Task Force (link).
The Total Confirmed Cases Distribution map & Regency Numbers figures come from the Bali Provincial Government's data collection department (link).
The 30-day trend charts have been compiled using daily government data.
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 fund 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.
The Big News
"Denpasar Adds 48 Positive Covid-19 Cases, Majority of People Without Symptoms" from Berita Bali (via city government press release) (Indonesian): Covid-19 positive cases in Denpasar City have experienced a significant increase wiith an additional 48 cases recorded, which were local transmissions and most of them (32) were non-symptomatic (OTG) and were discivered as a result of tracing and testing by surveyors from the city's Covid-19 Task Force (GTPP).... "The current case trend continues to increase because of the focus of the GTPP to find cases; but while it is running, the community is expected to be more alert and disciplined because anyone can be a carrier, including in the family environment. For a while, do not get together and be more disciplined to follow the health protocol," said Denpasar GTPP Chair Dewa Gede Rai.
"Provincial Government Ready to Support Mass Rapid Tests in Bali" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): The implementation of rapid and massive mass tests is one way of dealing with Covid-19 which is considered quite effective, because it can detect patients early and can be immediately treated immediately, said Bali Provincial Secretary Dewa Made Indra. "Procedurally this is certainly justified by the central government, because there will be more and more people exposed to the Corona virus known and immediately get the right treatment," he explained... "Whatever the results of this mass rapid test, we accept, however much the results are the reality. But this is the best way to find out the exact amount. It's like washing a warehouse, if all is detected we can take the next step," he said.
"Jembrana Task Force Officers Withdrawn [from Gilimanuk]" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): In light of the discontinuation of free rapid testing for logistic transport crews, officers from Jembrana's Covid-19 Task Force who have been serving rapid tests at Gilimanuk port have been withdrawn and replaced by officers from [pharmaceutical company] Kimia Farma. Inspections will be carried out in the port's parking area. A fee of Rp.280,000 will be charged, and the results will be valid in Bali for 7 days... Jembrana Task Force Spokesperson Dr. I Gusti Agung Arisantha said, "In accordance with the Regent's policy, testing remains free of charge for logistics crews who are residents of Jembrana. The free rapid test policy also applies to residents and students from Jembrana. They can contact the nearest health center with their respective domiciles to conduct a rapid test."
Other Headlines
"Covid-19 Testing Webinar from BIMC Hospitals" from press release (via Facebook): Join our next webinar to understand further on the Covid-19 testing (rapid and swab tests). The Webinar will be presented in English by Dr. Wijaya Putra, Head of Emergency Department BIMC Nusa Dua and moderator Victor Elvis, on Friday 26th June 2020 at 10am Bali time. Seats are limited, book yours now via WhatsApp at :+62821-7745-4017 (Setia) or +62817-6903-911 (Siska), or you can click this following link: https://bit.ly/2JS4Nnh
"Galiran-Klungkung Market to Close for Three Days, 22-24 June" from Antara (Indonesian): The Regent of Klungkung, I Nyoman Suwitra, decided to temporarily close the Galiran Public Market for three days, exactly June 22-24, to break the chain of COVID-19 distribution due to local transmission ahead of the new normal implementation in the region... As long as the market is closed, he said, the Health Office will conduct a comprehensive disinfectant spraying and mass rapid test of permanent traders and Galiran market transport workers. Of the 1,700 traders, 1,500 of them will carry out rapid rotational tests over three days.
"Bali Trade Office Monitors Markets to Prevent Transmission of COVID-19" from Antara (Indonesian): Officials from the Bali Provincial Office of Trade and Industry are reviewing a number of traditional markets in Denpasar City to ensure health protocols are implemented properly, as an effort to prevent widespread cases of local transmission of COVID-19... "This monitoring is related to the trend of increasing local transmission in traditional market clusters that occurred in the last few weeks," said Head of the Bali Provincial Trade and Industry Office I Wayan Jarta on the sidelines of the monitoring, in Denpasar, Friday.
The View from Outside
"The World's Next Coronavirus Hotspot Is Emerging Next Door" from The Sydney Morning Herald: Most south-east Asian countries have successfully flattened their coronavirus infection rates, but Indonesia is losing its battle with COVID-19. Australia's giant northern neighbour is now poised on the edge of nasty precipice, with the national government showing few signs it is willing to take the tough decisions needed to clamp down on rapidly growing infection rates... for eight of the last 10 days, it has recorded more than a 1000 new infections each day (and just under 1000 on the other two days) and epidemiologists are concerned the number of cases could pass 60,000 (it's currently 42,762) in the next two weeks.
Non-Covid News of Note
"Dwarf Sperm Whale Stranded On Lembeng Beach Is Cut Up By Residents' from The Bali Tribune (Insonesian): A Response Team for the Management of Coastal and Marine Resources (BPSPL) in Denpasar along with BKSDA Bali, PSDKP Benoa Base, and the Gianyar Regional Police have secured the corpse of a Dwarf Sperm Whale (Kogia Sima) that was stranded on Lembeng Beach, Gianyar, on Friday... Head of Denpasar BPSPL, Permana Yudiarso, explained that, based on witnesses' testimony, residents who discovered the dwarf sperm whale had actually tried to return it back to sea, but many times the waves brought the biota back to shore. "Encouraged by the community's belief that whale oil is useful for medicine or supernatural needs, some unscrupulous people eventually choose to use and cut up the whale," he said.
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.
Local travel website Traveloka has a helpful page with a summary of what’s needed to travel to and within the country. You can also order a rapid test or swab (PCR) test via their platform: Link
The British Embassy in Jakarta has recently posted a great summary of the Indonesian government's travel restrictions on their Facebook page. You can read it here.
The EU has launched a website to help travelers stay informed about how member states will be accelerating the reopening of their borders. Through the “EU Re-open” website, travelers can enter the name of the country they wish to visit and find out the rules that will apply after each place's coronavirus lockdown. Information on the EU Re-open website and app will continue to be updated in line with the developments of the coronavirus pandemic.
If you are trying to plan travel anywhere, here are some 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 Travel Information Manual Automatic (Timatic) database feeds into airlines' reservation systems, so it is the most reliable list of flight restrictions around.
Revolver Maps' Travel Restrictions Database - This list pulls directly from IATA's Timatic database and arranges the countries in lists that are easier to navigate and creates share-able links for every country. NOTE: This is a third-party service and they warn that the updates to their system can be delayed by several hours for certain countries.
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.
About This Newsletter
This newsletter is a product of Migration Media, the hub for stories from and about the international migrant experience.
Our standards
We only include news items from established media sources
We do not share rumors.
We do not include opinion pieces or forecasts.
For all stories marked "Indonesian" I have used Google Translate to convert it from Bahasa. In most cases I will polish the excerpt and/or write a short summary in proper English to help clarify the details.
For any questions, comments or tips, please contact us at newsletter@migrationmedia.net.