Saturday, May 23
Negative swab test results now req'd for entry to Bali + Indonesia's emergency declaration extended from May 28 to "indefinitely" + 5 villages within Denpasar apply to impose internal border + more!
Good morning! Welcome to the COVID-19 Update for Bali for Saturday, May 23. 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:
Today's Regency Numbers
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
Last week we shared details about some of the people and organizations who are fundraising and taking action to help local communities in Bali during this unprecedented economic crisis. Here are the five amazing projects that we featured:
Visit this link to see full details on all of the charitable projects that we documented last week, and please share it, as we'll add each new effort that we feature every weekday.
The Big News
"Negative Swab Results Required for Passenger Aircraft Arrivals and Departures In Bali Effective May 28" from The Bali Tribune (Indonesian): Per an order by Bali Governor Wayan Koster, all travelers wishing to travel from or into Bali by plane must possess proof of negative results from the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) swab test issued by a Government Hospital Laboratory, or a Laboratory that has been approved by the Province's Covid-19 Task Force. Tests results must be completed within seven (7) days of travel. Proof of test results must also be verified by the airline at time of ticket purchase... Tourists who plan to enter Bali are obliged to fill in the application form in advance which can be accessed at the address https://cekdiri.baliprov.go.id. Henceforth, a QR Code obtained after filling out the application must be shown to the verification officer... Entrance to the Bali via ferry still requires a minimum of negative results from a Rapid Test that is issued by the Government Hospital or the Regional Government or the Health Service or other authorized party.
"Indonesia Extends State Of Emergency Status Indefinitely" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): In reaction to the increasing infection rate of Covid-19 in the country, the central government has extended the National State Of Emergency from its expiration on May 28, and has not set an end date. "Automatically, the status of a state of disaster emergency adjusts based on Presidential Decree. As long as the presidential decree has not ended, the status of disaster is still valid," said Doni Monardo, Chairman of Indonesia's Covid-19 Task Force... The National Task Force noted that yesterday the number of COVID-19 positive cases was still increasing. In addition, the magnitude of cases in the past month indicates transmission occurred in local transmission. This means that the more virus infections are detected, the more local transmission is taking place.
"Five Villages Within Denpasar Submit Requests to Impose PKM Restrictions" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): In accordance with the city's Restrictions on Community Activities (PKM) policy, 5 villages in Denpasar City have officially submitted requests for the application of restrictions within their own territories. The submissions will be reviewed by the City Government within one week, said I Dewa Gede Rai, Spokesperson for the city's Covid-19 Task Force. Those who fulfill the city's requirements will be given authorization to impose PKM protocols at their internal borders.
Other Headlines
"3,224 Vehicles Turned Back During First Week of PKM In Denpasar" from Bali Express (Indonesian): According to Spokesperson for Denpasar'sn Covid-19 Task Force, I Dewa Gede Rai, thousands of vehicles have been forced to turn around at checkpoints set up as part of the city's Restrictions on Community Activities (PKM) policy. Those who were asked to turn around included 324 without masks and 2,900 without clear objectives, nor were they equipped with assignments. In addition, there were 593 people who entered the Denpasar area after submitting to rapid tests and returning non-reactive (negative) results.
"As Local Transmission Rates Continue to Increase, People Are Asked To Increase Prevention Measures" from The Bali Post (Indonesian): The rate of positive Covid-19 cases in Bali caused by local transmission has not subsided yet. It's continued to increase. Whle it started relatively small, now the proportion is almost equal with imported cased. Chairman of Bali's Covid-19 Task Force, Dewa Made Indra, said that of the cumulative number of 380 positive cases of COVID-19, 186 people, or 51.05% are imported cases; 31 people, or 8.16% were infected in areas outside of Bali; and 155 people, 40.79%, are local transmissions. "If we look at this number, the movement is quite alarming," he said... According to Dewa Indra, many people do not know they are infected. And they can be spread the virus by being undisciplined or ignorant. "We need to do more. Besides using masks, let's get used to carrying hand sanitizers or hand sanitizer antiseptics," he added.
"Ahead of Eid al-Fitr, Supplies Of Basic Necessities In Badung Is Stable" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): Prices of basic necessities ahead of the Eid al-Fitr are still volatile. But the stock of basic needs in Badung is still safe. Head of the Agriculture and Food Service Office of Badung Regency, I Wayan Wijana, said that his office had mapped the production of basic commodities this month. According to planting and harvested area data, rice production up to June has amounted to 14,883.05 tons. For the month of May, which coincides with Ramadan, there was a harvest of 3,979.77 tons, while consumption needs were 3,828.33 tons, meaning production and consumption is almost equivalent. "We predict that for rice production it is quite safe," Wijana explained.
"Ferry Passengers Without Rapid Test Results Turned Back At Port Of Padangbai" from Bali Express (Indonesian): On Thursday night, many prospective passengers on ferries were turned around because they could buy tickets as they were not able to produce proof of Rapid Test results. Lutfi, a local commuter, was about to cross to Lombok, but had to go home because he did not know he had to bring the results of a rapid test. Likewise, dozens of other potential passengers, were waiting at the port gate after receiving this information. "There should be a rapid test at the port so that passengers do not commute," complained Lutfi... Coordinator for Public Transportation and Entrance on Karangasem's Covid-19 Task Force, Ida Bagus Putu Suwastika, said that prospective users of crossing services mst bring complete documents, one of which is the Covid-19 rapid test results. "The Governor's deeclaration clearly lays out the methods for transportation control during the month of Ramadan. The criteria for crossing are people working in government and private institutions, emergency health services, repatriation of PMI, and students. Each must bring, among other items, the results of a nonreactive rapid test," he explained.
"Again! 3 Apprehended for Healthy Certificate Fraud" from The IDN Times (Indonesian): Days after seven fraudsters were charged with selling fake Health Certificates in Gilimanuk, Badung Resort Police have arrested three perpetrators of the falsification of a Health Certificate, a Road Certificate and a Letter from the Company to be able to get someone out of Bali. The violators were discovered as officers tightened the inspection of vehicles related to the flow back and forth. The perpetrators claimed to have made fake letters by searching for examples on Google, then printing them. However, the data contained in the fake letter which claimed the name of this agency did not match the passenger 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.
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.