September 22, 2021
Lovina Beach empty + July spike caused by domestic factors + Unemployed bomb dogs + more
Good morning!
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Weather & Tides
Today’s Weather for Southern Bali
Today’s Tides
Meteorology, Climatology & Geophysics Council (Link)
Tide table from Tide-forecast.com.
Daily Covid Update
National Figures
Local Figures
The Big News
“Open with Prokes, Lovina Beach Empty” from Bali Express (Indonesian): Lovina Beach has begun testing opening to tourism. The sad thing is almost all the art shops on the beach are empty. The traders chose to close because no one was buying. Now the government has re-opened the tourism sector after Buleleng’s PPKM level was reduced. Even though it has been opened to tourists, Lovina Beach looks deserted. The Head of the Kalibukbuk Village Headquarters, Ketut Suka said the discipline of health work will always be a priority in the tourism area. “We are happy with the policy of opening tourism. Therefore, by continuing to prioritize this process, especially if Bueleng is already a yellow zone, hopefully our tourism will be ready. Tourists who come are also more local."
Context: Media coverage of increased tourist numbers has concentrated on South Bali, with the last few days having a number of stories on busy beaches and attractions. The north traditionally sees fewer visitors — and coverage.
“Bali Prepares 363 Covid-19 Isolation Centers With 5,547 Beds” from Antara: Bali's COVID-19 Handling Task Force along with the district and city governments have prepared 363 centralized isolation facilities with a total bed capacity of 5,547. "As of September 20, a total of 1,212 beds (21.85%) in centralized isolation facilities have been filled, and there are remaining 4,335 beds (78.15%) available," Secretary of the provincial COVID-19 Task Force I Made Rentin said on Tuesday. As per the task force's records, 2,239 COVID-19 patients are currently undergoing treatment in Bali province. Providing details on COVID-19 vaccinations in the provinces, Rentin said that as many as 3,276,382 Bali residents had received the first vaccine dose. Meanwhile, 2,408,038 people have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and 29,267 have received the booster or third vaccine dose, he said.
Context: You can follow the progress of Bali’s vaccination rollout on The Bali Beat Sunday evening email.
“July Covid-19 Spike Caused by Domestic Factors” from Antara: Indonesia’s July surge in COVID-19 cases was triggered by several domestic factors, Head of the National COVID-19 Task Force's Expert Team Professor Wiku Adisasmito has revealed. "The case surge in Indonesia last July was not caused by the increase in global cases coming from other countries, but from domestic factors," Adisasmito said on Tuesday afternoon. According to him, the internal factors that caused the increase in cases were the high mobility and social activities of the community that coincided with the Eid al-Fitr homecoming period and the neglect of health protocols.
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Other Headlines
“Bali’s Bomb Dogs Unemployed” from CNN Indonesia (Indonesian): The coronavirus pandemic that has hit the world has made it difficult for workers in the tourism sector. Bali has been the hardest hit, but not only tour guides or travel drivers, the pandemic has also made detective dogs that usually guide security officers at hotels and malls unemployed. K9 Bali, a guard dog care and education center on Bali, currently takes care of around 23 detection dogs that have been housed during the coronavirus pandemic. Jakarta Animal Aid Network through its Instagram account has shared the news, so that more people sponsor activities at K9 Bali, so that the dogs there can return to the field and this time with a new "career" as wildlife sniffer dogs.
Context: You can visit the Jaan Instagram account here.
Vaccination Update
“5.2 Million Sinovac & Sinopharm Vaccines Arrive” from Antara: Indonesia received a total of 5.2 million Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines on Tuesday, as a grant from the Red Cross Society of China and received through a bilateral mechanism. "The arrival of vaccines shows that the vaccine stock is ensured," Communication and Informatics Minister Johnny G. Plate said on Tuesday. The 71st batch of the vaccines that arrived on Tuesday contained five million doses of the Sinovac vaccine, while the 72nd batch contained 200,000 Sinopharm vaccines, he said. The minister then urged regional governments, especially those with low vaccination rates, to expedite their vaccination programs. As of Monday, only 27.45% of the elderly population targeted by the vaccination program have received the first vaccination dose, while 19.25% has been fully vaccinated he said.
Context: Frequent stories have covered lagging vaccination rates — across all age brackets — outside of Bali and Java’s urban centres. Both the above percentages indicate a slight uptick of around 1% from this Antara report of last week.
More...
Nation: “NTT Targets 70% Vaccination by November” from Republika (Indonesian)
Health Protocols (Prokes) & Health Services
“Bali Cafes & Restaurants Can Open Late” from Coconuts Jakarta: Restaurants and cafes in Java and Bali are now allowed to operate until midnight. Until at least October 4, dining places located in regions classified as Level 3 and 2 PPKM with later operating hours can remain open until midnight. Though all visitors and employees must use the integrated health and mobility tracking app PeduliLindungi, maximum capacity of restaurants or cafes in Level 3 regions are capped at 25%, with only two patrons allowed at each table and dining time capped at one hour. In Level 2 regions, dining places can open with a maximum capacity of 50%, though dining time remains the same.
More...
Nation: “Childhood Immunizations Slump” from The Jakarta Post (Metered Paywall)
Buleleng: “Less Patients, Covid Treatment Room Reverts to General” from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
Denpasar: “Denpasar Healing Rates Hit 95.64%” from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
Denpasar: “Police Distribute Helmets, Masks During Operation Obedience” from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
Economy & Infrastructure
“Suwirta Regent Encourages Seaweed Farmers” from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): In addition to developing other crops, the regent of Klungkung I Nyoman Suwirta is serious to continue to generate growth of seaweed in Nusa Lembongan. This can be seen when the Regent accompanied by the Head of the Food Security and Fisheries Service of Klungkung Regency, Dewa Ketut Sueata Negara visited the place of seaweed farmers on the Coastal Coast of Lembongan Village on Monday. While at the location, the Regent of Suwirta encouraged seaweed farmers to continue to raise and develop seaweed cultivation. "Let's keep the spirit together and remember to always be grateful, the preservation of seaweed here must be maintained and continue to be developed," said the Regent of Suwirta.
More...
Nation: “Rupiah Has Potential to Strengthen with Covid-19 Trend” from Tempo
Education
“Governor Koster Allows Limited Face-to-face Learning” from Antara Bali (Indonesian): Bali Governor Wayan Koster said the implementation of learning in education units in the local area could be done through limited face-to-face learning patterns and/or online learning. "Education units that implement a limited face-to-face learning pattern must coordinate with the local COVID-19 Task Force," said Koster on Tuesday. "The limited face-to-face learning pattern (PTM) in educational units must be temporarily closed if the education unit concerned is indicated to be in unsafe conditions," said Koster. In addition, PTM must be temporarily closed if a confirmed case of COVID-19 is found or the regional risk level increases.
More ...
Denpasar: “Face-to-Face in Denpasar From October 1” from Bali Post (Indonesian)
Gianyar: “Face-to-Face in Gianyar Begins, Education Office Checks Permits” from Bali Post (Indonesian)
Tabanan: “Tabanan Education Office Proposes Face-to-Face” from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
Bali Reopening
“We Prepare According to the Precautionary Principle” from Tribun Bali (Indonesian): Menparekraf Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno said his party would continue to prepare for the opening of Bali. Previously, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut said that he did not want backpacker-style tourists to come to Bali. Sandiaga explained that the screening of foreign tourists entering Bali was not based on the use of backpacks, instead it focuses on the quality of foreign tourists in terms of attitude and economic ability. "The backpackers that Luhut meant were those that did not bring dividends. It was very ambiguous in terms of definition. After we clarified, Luhut said that this is a group of tourists who do not make profit, do not bring profit, do not bring benefits, do not comply with health protocols, do not respect local wisdom," said Sandiaga. He said that he did not prohibit foreign tourists who came using backpacks.
Context: Other clarifications of Luhut’s statement have been clearer.
More ...
Province: “Bali Yet to Open to Foreign Tourists” from Tempo
Province: “With Pedulilindungi, Bali Ready for Tourists” from Tribun Bali (Indonesian)
Province: “30 Hotels in Bali Hold Sustainable Food Festival” from Bisnis Bali (Indonesian)
Province: “Bali Government: Please Review Ngurah Rai Closure to International Flights” from Tribun Bali (Indonesian)
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Of Interest
“BMKG: Extreme Weather in Next Ten Days” from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
“Jembrana Regency Hit by Floods, Landslides” from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
“Thief Climbs the Fence, Hundreds of Kilos of Coffee Lost” from Bali Post (Indonesian)
“Many Bridges on Denpasar-Gilimanuk Road Almost a Century Old” from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
How You Can Help Bali
In response to the collapse of the tourism sector in Bali and the resulting economic crisis due to Covid19, tens of thousands of families have found themselves with a greatly reduced income—if any. By the middle of 2020, over 100,000 people on Bali had lost their job. While government support has been limited, Indonesians and foreigners have sprung into action, raising funds and distributing badly needed food and everyday essentials to those most in need.
We've been raising awareness of these efforts, and if you’d like to make a contribution of any kind, you can see a list of some organisations here. Further projects have registered themselves with Bali Solidarity. If you know of an effort and would like to have them listed, please send their information to TheBaliBeat@outlanders.global
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