Saturday, May 2
Ports closed as travel restrictions tightened + 1st batch of swab tests on Bangli villagers come back negative + Badung done messing around: Not wearing a mask while out = you will be deported + more!
Good morning! Welcome to the COVID-19 Update for Bali for Saturday, May 2. If you find this information useful, please subscribe and share it with others in the foreigner community on the island. Also, if you can contribute US$5/month to help me keep the lights on, that would be awesome.
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Status Update
Country-wide Numbers:
Source:
Indonesia National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB Indonesia): @BNPB_Indonesia
Official updates are available from the Indonesian Government here.
Bali Numbers:
Confirmed Cases Distribution:
Key: Red = Infected | Green = Recovered | Black = Died
Bali 30-Day 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.
More details on the locations of positive cases within each Regency, as well as the number of suspected cases ("ODP") and people under observation ("PDP"), can be found in charts & infographics on the official websites of each Regency's COVID-19 Task Force:
Badung | Bangli | Buleleng | Denpasar City | Gianyar | Jembrana | Karangasem | Klungkung | Tabanan
The Big News
"Governor Koster Extends COVID-19 State Of Emergency" from Antara (Indonesian): Bali Governor Wayan Koster has extended the island's state of emergency until 30 May 2020. Bali Province Regional Secretary Dewa Made Indra said that the status of emergency response will be evaluated according to the conditions faced in the field. "It will follow the reality on the ground, so it can be extended or shortened," he said.
"Koster Forbids Travelers from Going In and Out Of Bali, Closing Gilimanuk and Padangbai Ports" from Kumparan (Indonesian): The Governor of Bali , I Wayan Koster, officially forbids travelers to and from Bali during Ramadan. This prohibition is carried out in order to prevent the spread of the corona virus. The ban, which took effect on Friday and runs until an unspecified date, closes the crossings via Gilimanuk Port from / to Banyuwangi, East Java; and Padangbai Port from / to NTB... Exempted from the order are official vehicles such as police and the military, fire engines, ambulances, hearses, logistics, emergency affairs, and vehicles repatriating Indonesian migrant workers (PMI).
"Residents Not Wearing Masks in Badung Will Be Fined Or Deported" from Bali Express (Indonesian): Badung Regent Nyoman Giri Prasta emphasized that if there were residents who did activities outside the house not wearing masks, they would be fined or repatriated... "I ask that the sub-district head, the village head and village head to distribute masks appropriately and wisely because the distribution of masks is expected to encourage the awareness of citizens to use personal protection. I remind the public to continue to use masks as part of the Covid-19 preventive health protocol," said the Regent. He also stressed that if there are residents who move outside the home while not wearing masks, they will be subject to fines or repatriated.
Other Headlines
"Relief As First 128 Swab Tests Results Residents in Serokadan, Bangli Come Back Negative" from Radar Bali (Idonesian): After causing a stir yesterday with 443 positive results from rapid testing in Abuan Village, Serokadan Banjar, Bangli, the first set of swab test results have come back with 128 people testing negative for Covid-19... The remaining 189 people, said Chairman of the Bali Province Co-Task Force Acceleration Handling, Dewa Indra, will be tested on Saturday. "Tomorrow will be endeavored to be tested by all. Hopefully in the afternoon we can get the results," he said.
"One Hamlet in Bondalem Quarantined Due to Multiple Local Transmissions" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): Widespread cases of local transmission of Covid-19 in Bondalem Village, Tejakula District, have forced the government to adopt a quarantine policy. The hamlet quarantine policy comes after the discovery of three positive cases of the coronavirus in the village, all of which occurred due to local transmission... All residents who live in Celagi Batur, are prohibited from leaving the house. In addition, the Social Service Office will count the number of residents living in the area so that the government can supply basic food needs regularly in the village.
"Sanur to Impose Fines On People Who Do Not Wear Masks" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): Sanur Kauh has issued regulations to impose fines or sanctions for residents who do not wear masks while outside heir homes, or who try to access closed areas such as beaches... "Today, sanctions have been imposed for those who do not comply with the Covid-19 prevention protocol, especially for those who do not wear masks when outdoors," said Gusti Agung Alit Kencana, Bendesa Sanur Kauh.
"Governor Koster Asks Regional Military Commander to Monitor the Isolation Of Abuan Village" from Antara (Indonesian): Bali Governor Wayan Koster has asked the IX / Udayana Military Commander and Bali Police Chief and his staff to closely monitor community movements in Abuan Village, Bangli Regency which is being isolated, following the positive results of rapid tests of 443 residents in a number of banjars (hamlets) in the region... In addition to Bangli, the development of the COVID-19 case in Karangasem and Buleleng Regencies was also a concern of the Governor of Bali. "If there are undisciplined people, then take firm action so they do not spread the virus to others, he said.
"Garuda Indonesia to Test Passengers for COVID-19" from The Jakarta Post: Flag carrier Garuda Indonesia is planning to provide rapid testing services for future passengers to curb the spread of the highly infectious virus on airplanes, president director Irfan Setiaputra told a hearing with House of Representatives Commission VI on Wednesday... "There is a plan that we, along with Angkasa Pura I, Angkasa Pura II and the air transport authority, will conduct [the COVID-19] rapid test for anyone [on] aircraft once flights [resume]," Irfan said, referring to the two state-owned airport operators.
"Story of Nusa Indah Isolation Room Nurse At Sanglah Hospital Illuminates Struggle To Deal With Covid-19 Patients" from The Bali Tribune (Indonesian): Health workers are the ones who struggle to deal with Covid-19 patients. Their struggles should be appreciated, like the story of Luh Gede Therressya Ajna Hakini Riasma (33), one of the nurses in the Nusa Indah Isolation Room at Sanglah Hospital... Currently still breastfeeding her baby she commutes each day from Pejeng, Gianyar, to work her shift. She as seen various kinds of infectious disease such as bird flu, swine flu, MERS, and Tuberculosis, but Covid-19 is the toughest to deal with. "In my opinion, this (Covid-19) is the heaviest. First, because there are many cases. Second, because its spread is also faster. There are also cases without symptoms," said Luh Therressya.
"Coronavirus Impact Revives Roadside Trading" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): With the economic impact of the Covid-19 outbreak being most severe for poor workers, the number of impromptu roadside fruit traders have increased. On a number of roadside areas in the city of Denpasar can be found traders from other regions who hold their wares. Most of the traders observed by this reporter were from Bangli and Karangasem. "We are sent home, sir; we don't work anymore. So since it is mangosteen and durian season, we take them from Bangli to sell here," said one of the fruit traders from Bangli... However, since Bangli and Karangasem have become special concerns regarding the spread of the coronavirus, these traders were immediately driven out by banjar security, as they were drawing crowds.
"Covid-19: Interview with Dr. Pande Januraga, Doctor of Public Health" from Ubud Now & Then: Doctor Pande Jauraga is a doctor of Public Health (MD-PhD) who graduated from Flinders University in Australia with a medical doctor background. He is currently a lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Udayana (Unud), unit head of the Center for Public Health Innovation and coordinator of the IKM S2 program (Master degree program for Public Health Sciences). (Ed. Note: This is a very extensive, thoughtful, detailed-filled interview. Dr. Januraga busts a lot of myths and provides lots of context that is vital to helping us understand how and why the virus is so hard to mitigate. Carve out some time to really read this one.)
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 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.
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We only include news items from established media sources
We do not share rumors.
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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.
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