Saturday, September 26
Lockdowns return to island: Tabanan closes all public facilities as hospitals race to add more isolation beds + Top doc on national Covid Task Force resigns over "insufficient" govt response + more!
Good morning! Welcome to The Bali Beat for Saturday, September 26. If you’re not a subscriber, sign up here to get this update delivered directly to your Inbox every Monday-Saturday morning, along with each evening’s Covid-19 update. If you are already a subscriber, thank you! Please be sure to share it with others in the foreigner community on the island by clicking the button below.
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PUBLICATION REMINDER: I’m off tomorrow, so there will be no newsletter in the morning. However, the evening Covid-19 update will publish as normal; and being Sunday, it will include a wrap-up of the week’s numbers and put them in context with previous weeks.
Weather & Waves
Today’s Weather for Southern Bali
Today’s Tides
Surf Outlook
Weather forecast from Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology & Geophysics Council (Link)
Tide table from Tide-forecast.com.
Surf outlook via Windy.com.
Local Covid Numbers
*NOTE: Indonesia broke its single-day record for new cases for the third day in a row yesterday. It also notched its twelfth straight day of triple-digit deaths. Click here to see the national numbers infographic and a Regency-by-Regency breakdown of yesterday’s local numbers + trendlines in our evening update.
The Big News
"As COVID-19 Increases, Tabanan Closes Public Facilities" from Antara (Indonesian): To be aware of cases of increasing spread, tourist attractions, cafes, restaurants, and other public facilities are closed according to the Regulation of the Regent of Tabanan Ni Putu Eka Wiryastuti Number 10 of 2020 concerning the Policy Package for the Prevention and Control of COVID-19... In the regent's regulation which was followed up by the Tabanan Regency Tourism Office, he admitted that the decision to close public facilities was finally taken, because cases of local transmission of COVID-19 were getting higher. "The closure and temporary suspension of community activities in Tabanan aims to control the spread of COVID-19 in this area," he said. He added that the closure of public facilities will be returned to normal if the cases of the spread of COVID-19 in Tabanan decrease.
"Top Indonesian Doctor Quits COVID-19 Task Force" from The Jakarta Post: Akmal Taher has stepped down from his position as head of the health division of the national COVID-19 task force, citing what he said were the task force’s insufficient efforts to address the COVID-19 crisis... He said testing and contact-tracing measures had not been optimally implemented, particularly in the effort to reduce the COVID-19 death rate in nine provinces – a task that President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo recent gave to Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Panjaitan. "I think I can fulfill my role carrying out the measures I believe in – namely testing, tracing and treatment – in another place," Akmal said.
"20 Beds in UPTD Nyitdah Hospital Not Ready" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): According to Director of UPTD Nyitdah Hospital, Dr. Nyoman Wisma Berata, of the 60 beds provided, 40 beds are ready. The remaining 20 beds are being prepared. Because there are a number of rooms that need improvement. "Still preparing the room, because some rooms have broken bathrooms and ceilings," explained Dr. Wisma Berata. However, these 20 beds are estimated to be ready for use in the next week. "One more week ready. However, currently, of the 40 beds that are ready, 30 beds are filled with patients. So there are still 10 empty beds," he added... As it is known, BRSU Tabanan and UPTD Nyitdah Hospital lack beds for the handling of Covid-19 patients. The total beds in the 2 Covid-19 referral hospitals are 48 beds. The details are 18 beds at BRSU Tabanan, and 30 beds at UPTD Nyitdah Hospital.
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Other Headlines
"Jakarta Extends PSBB for Two More Weeks to 'Break the Chain' of Virus Spread" from The Jakarta Post: akarta Governor Anies Baswedan claimed that the capital had seen a decline in active cases since it reimposed the stricter rules on Sept. 14. The city, he said, had recorded 3,854 new active cases in the first twelve days of September, and the number dropped significantly to 1,453 cases in the next twelve days. “We must keep working together to break the chain of the infection. The authorities will improve the 3T, [testing, tracing and treatment], while the public will continue to stay at home,” the governor asserted.
"Foreigner Goes Berserk, Forces His Way Into the Isolation Room of Bali Mandara Hospital" from Berita Bali (Indonesian): A foreigner from Switzerland went berserk in the Emergency Department of Bali Mandara Hospital, Sanur, on Thursday because he did not accept that his wife was isolated because he was suspected of being exposed to Covid-19. A doctor with the initials DY and a nurse with the initials YUS received rough treatment from the foreigner. The foreigner, whose name was not known, had come to Bali Mandara Hospital to take his wife who complained of shortness of breath. After being checked, his wife experienced symptoms similar to suspect Covid-19, so the doctor placed her in a special isolation room. It should be noted that if there are patients who suspect Covid-19, other people and even families cannot enter the isolation room. This is what makes the foreigner go berserk. He forced his way into the isolation room.
"Salsa Dancing By Foreigners Results in Bali Restaurant's Closing by Satpol PP" from Merdeka (Indonesian): The video of a group of people dancing salsa in Bali not implementing health protocols went viral. Head of Satpol PP Badung, IGK Suryanegara, said that the incident occurred at the Kitchen Berawa restaurant, North Kuta District, Badung Regency, Bali. The participants are mostly foreign nationals. "We have checked there. They eat and there is salsanya. Salsa group for dinner there. And there is a salsa dance every Sunday. If they say it has only been held twice since September," said Suryanegara. "We will summon the managers for licensing matters. We will definitely give a written (letter) so that the health protocol is really maintained. We must be reminded otherwise we will give a written warning to temporarily close it," he said.
"Ministry to Sanction 3 Airlines for Flouting COVID-19 Health Protocols" from Antara: The airlines have violated the maximum passenger capacity for commercial flights, at 70 percent, and did not practice physical distancing in the aircraft cabins, according to the monitoring report conducted by the Kualanamu Airport authority in Medan, North Sumatra... "Three airlines did not practice physical distancing in the cabin for narrow-bodied and wide-bodied jet for domestic commercial flights in accordance with the seating arrangement and maximum passenger capacity of 70 percent. We ensure that (the airlines) will be sanctioned in accordance with the regulation," the ministry's Director General of Air Transportation, Novie Riyanto, noted.
"Illegal Racing in Denpasar, Dozens of Students Arrested, Including Elementary School Students" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): In the midst of the Covid-19 epidemic that requires concern, children are even doing wild racing on Jalan By Pass Ngurah Rai, Denpasar. The police arrested 24 students who were carrying out illegal racing on Jalan By Pass Ngurah Rai, precisely in the Suwung area, near the Suwung Lestari Housing, South Denpasar. There are even some who are still elementary school (SD) students. While the rest are SMP and SMA. This child who is still in elementary school is only in grade VI (six). He is still 13 years old.
"Bali Among Six Indonesian Provinces to Host Matches In 2021 U-20 World Cup" from Coconuts: The U-20 World Cup is scheduled for May 20 until June 12 next year, and six stadiums across the country have been selected to host the games. In Bali, the matches will be held in Kapten I Wayan Dipta Stadium in Gianyar regency, while other venues include the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) Stadium in Jakarta and Sriwijaya Stadium in Palembang, South Sumatra... FIFA has yet to announce any changes to the schedule for the U-20 World Cup, but Indonesian officials are carrying on with preparations nonetheless, which include renovating the venues.
"Pertamina: Fuel and LPG Consumption in Bali Has Increased by 70%" from Antara (Indonesian): According to Rustam Aji, Unit Manager for Communications, Relations, & CSR MOR V Jatimbalinus, the increase in consumption of gasoline types such as Premium, Pertalite, Pertamax, Pertamax Turbo was recorded at 36% and Gasoil type fuels such as diesel, biodiesel, Dexlite, Pertamina Dex by 20%. This fuel consumption increases when compared to May 2020 when the Community Activity Restriction (PKM) was implemented in various regions in Bali. "The increase in consumption is due to the introduction of new habit adaptations with health protocols. In addition, since the reopening of economic activities with the COVID-19 prevention health protocol, it has become one of the factors in the current increase in fuel consumption," he said.
The View from Outside
"Indonesia Gives Free Bali Staycations to Test Tourism Readiness" from Reuters: Indonesia is offering free tours and staycations to 4,440 residents of its resort island of Bali, in a seven-week tourism dry-run to promote the international holiday hotspot and test its coronavirus health protocols. I Putu Astawa, chief of Bali’s tourism agency, told Reuters that 4,440 participants would be separated into 12 groups and given two-night stays at resorts between Oct. 7 and Nov. 27 to test out measures designed to keep visitors safe. The trips will include local tours and participants are expected to promote “New Normal Bali” on social media.
"Seaweed Tides Over Bali Islanders After Tourism Slump" from Al Jazeera: The end of seaweed farming was a symptom of Indonesia’s tourism boom, which saw visitor numbers rocket from seven million in 2010 to 16 million in 2019, according to Statistics Indonesia. Since Batu Karang opened in 2005, land values on the islands have increased up to 20 percent each year. Thousands of Chinese day-trippers and hundreds of Australian surfers visited every day, providing jobs that offered regular wages and far easier working conditions than aquaculture... But with the global tourism industry paralysed by the coronavirus pandemic and 13 million tourism workers now unemployed in Indonesia, seaweed farming in the Penida Archipelago is back in vogue. “When COVID-19 hit, the locals reverted immediately back to it,” Senyk said.
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 found 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.
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 try to polish the excerpt and/or write a short summary in proper English to help clarify the details.
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