Saturday, June 6
New outbreak in Denpasar while worst fears avoided in Klungkung cluster + STOP GOING TO THE BEACH + Grab unveils new virus safety equipment & protocols + more!
Good morning! Welcome to the COVID-19 Update for Bali for Saturday, June 6 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
"After 9 People On Meduri Road Test Positive, Area Is Isolated" from Bali Express (Indonesian): A total of 9 people in the area of Jalan Meduru, Sumerta Village, East Denpasar, have tested positive for Covid-19. They are the families of doctors who previously tested positive. The nine people include families and household assistants (servants) who had close contact with the doctor... Access to Jalan Meduri is being closely monitored. Every citizen who enters the area is monitored. Supervision has been carried out since Thursday night. On Friday, several pecalang and members of Community Protection (Linmas) were standing guard at the entrance of Jalan Meduri. Supervision of the area will be carried out for 14 days.
"Three Relatives of Former Klungkung Government Official Test Positive for Covid-19" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): Three out of 21 family members of a retired Klungkung regency government official in the Klod Pekandelan Environment, Semarapura Village, who contracted Covid-19 have tested positive for the virus and were immediately isolated at the Klungkung Hospital... In addition, dozens of pecalang who are guarding around the residence of the former Klungkung regency official must undergo an independent quarantine and will be scheduled to conduct a rapid test.
"VIDEO: Governor Ensures Bali Tourism Has Not Reopened" from Channel 6 (Indonesian): Bali Governor Wayan Koster ensures tourism destinations in his area have not been opened until an undetermined time. Koster assessed that public health is more important in Bali.
Other Headlines
"Presenting Cleaning Standards, Grab Launches GrabProtect in Bali" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): GrabProtect is a safety and hygiene protocol to minimize the risk of the spread of Covid-19 from transportation which includes safety features, cleaning equipment, and the latest safety rules which are the best standard in the ride-hailing industry... Grab will conduct a trial of GrabBike Protect by providing a barrier between drivers and passengers. In addition, new driving routines include making sure the user is in good health and has taken the necessary precautions before traveling, and improved safety and hygiene practices such as cleaning hands regularly and using non-cash payment methods.
"Bali Provincial Government Denies Collecting Quarantine Costs for Migrant Workers" from iNews Bali (Indonesian): The provincial government of Bali has denied reports that a group of recently-arrived migrant workers from Myanmar are being charged fees when undergoing quarantine. All quarantine costs for migrant workers who are Balinese are borne by the Bali Provincial Government. "Our policy is for the Balinese PMI or crew, all of us bear responsibility. Now for the PMI or non-Balinese crew, we facilitate them to continue their journey to their respective regions," said I Made Rentin, Secretary of Bali's Covid-19 Task Force, in a press statement... A migrant worker from Banyuwangi, East Java named Bayu Maulana said that the quarantine fee was collected from him. Rentin said, because every migrant worker who arrived in Bali had to undergo quarantine, the Task Force helped Bayu to undergo an independent quarantine. "Because Bayu Maulana is included in the non-Bali PPLN, he has to carry out quarantine or isolation at his own expense at a designated hotel," Retin said.
The View from Outside
"Back to Bali: Australia's Favourite Island Is Looking to A New Era" from The New Daily: Bali's economy, 60% - 80% of which is dependent on tourism, has been gutted. But from a health and public safety perspective, the island has emerged relatively unscathed – for reasons that continue to baffle infectious disease experts. By early June, there had been only five deaths and 510 confirmed infections, two-thirds of whom have fully recovered. The so-called miracle of Bali has lit a firecracker under the island’s global prestige. Search results for users of travel shopping website Expedia in Australia show Bali as the no.2 bucket-list destination for travel next summer. Online ticketing company Booking.com also ranks Bali as the second most popular place in the world travellers want to return to when the pandemic is over.
Non-Covid News of Note
"Missing for 1 Week, Odyssey Cargo Ship Found Near Ra'as Island Madura" from Kumparan (Indonesian): A join Search-and-Rescue team has succeeded in locating the KM Odyssey Cargo ship. The ship belonging to PT Odyssey Maritim Nusantara was located 27.4 nautical miles to the east of Raas Island, Madura Sumenep, East Java. The team has confirmed that all 21 crew members are in good health... The condition of the ship's main engine was ready to sail, but its generator was not working. After helping with repairs and ensuring that conditions are safe for the journey, the ship will be directed to Celukan Bawang for temporary resting there. [Video of operation from Detik here.]
"During Covid-19, Drug Cases In Bali Increasingly Rampant" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): Instead of decreasing, the number of catches of drug cases by the Bali Police Directorate during the Covid-19 outbreak actually actually increased. From the beginning of the year to April 2020 alone, 387 suspects had been secured. The evidence is quite a lot... "This means that this is a threat to the people of Bali. Therefore, let's join in helping to watch out, starting from the family. Must be supervised by his child. We, from the Directorate of Drugs, encourage the public to participate in the fight against drugs," said Commissioner Khozin at the Bali Police Headquarters.
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.
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.
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.
Common abbreviations to be familiar with:
PMI: Indonesian migrant worker
PSBB: Policy of extreme social distancing. Officially restricts forms of transportation and prohibits certain types of business from operating. Requires any permitted businesses to enforce strict social distancing guidelines.
OTG: Possible cases, with no symptoms.
ODP: Suspected cases, being monitored. People with fever or respiratory symptoms such as congestion, sore throat, cough, travel in countries or areas with local transmission, or contact with a confirmed case of Covid-19. Tracked and placed under out-patient observation.
PDP: Probable cases, under observation. People with acute respiratory illness with at least one symptom such as cough, sore throat, congestion, light or heavy pneumonia, and travel in countries or areas with local transmission, or contact with a confirmed case of Covid-19. Usually placed under observation in an isolation ward at a designated hospital pending swab testing results.
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.