Sunday, July 12
Pandawa Beach opens + Klungkung Regent releases Nusa Penida reopening schedule + Market hour restrictions in Gianyar remain in force during 'New Era' + Mass rabies vaccinations in Sanur + more!
Good morning! Welcome to the COVID-19 Update for Bali for Sunday, July 12. 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. If you would like to support my work, please consider making a voluntary contribution of US$5/month. Supporters receive an early update on the government’s daily infection & recovery numbers each night within an hour or so of their announcement… plus my enduring gratitude!
Status Update
National Numbers:
Bali Numbers:
Regency Numbers:
Confirmed Cases Distribution:
Key: Red = Infected | Green = Recovered | Black = Died
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 Confirmed Cases Distribution map & Regency Numbers figures come from the Bali Provincial Government's data collection department (link).
NOTE: While the national government includes daily testing totals in its infographic, Bali’s provincial government does not routinely release this data, so it is not included.
The Big News
RUMOR DISCLAIMER: As of press time, there has not been any announcement in relation to foreigners’ Emergency Stay Permits made by Indonesia’s Directorate General of Immigration. Per my policy for this newsletter, I do not include any news items unless they come from official government channels (including social media accounts) or trusted local news organizations. I am monitoring the Directorate’s website and social media accounts along with dozens of news outlets. As soon as there is anything official to report it will be carried here- with a link to the primary source. If you want to check for updates during the day, you can visit these links to the Directorate’s official channels:
"Pandawa Beach Reopened" from Antara (Indonesian): Pandawa Beach tourism area, which offers a number of tourist attractions such as paragliding and canoeing, has begun to reopen for tourist visits after being closed for more than three months in response to the Covid-19 outbreak. (Ed. Note: You can read about the Governor’s ceremony to officially inaugurate Bali’s New Era” at Pandawa Beach here.)
"Nusa Penida Will Soon Open with Health Protocols" from Antara (Indonesian): Klungkung Regent I Nyoman Suwirta Suwirta said that the Nusa Penida tourist attraction area will be opened at the end of July for Nusantara tourists. "Starting today we open attractions for local Balinese guests. On July 31, we will open tourism objects for Nusantara tourists, and on September 11 we will open Foreign tourists. Hopefully this step can go well," he said. "I will ensure that all public facilities including tourism sites will implement a new health protocol."
Other Headlines
"During New Normal Market Opening Hours in Gianyar Still Restricted" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): Head of Gianyar Public Market, which is now relocated in Samplangan Village, Nengah Artawa, admitted that there were still limits on market operating hours. "Permanent. According to the Regent's circular," said Artawa. "The new normal is our order to have to wear a face mask. Wash your hands before and after doing activities."
"'Wear A Mask if You Care,' Task Force Says As WHO Warns of Aerosol Transmission" from The Jakarta Post: According to I Gusti Ngurah Mahardika, a Udayana University virologist who is part of the national Covid-19 Task Force’s expert staff, airborne transmission was possible in crowded indoor spaces such as malls, offices, restaurants and public transportation that had air conditioning (AC) instead of natural ventilation. Another expert staffer, Budiman Bela, said transmission potential was higher in rooms and indoor spaces where the air was cold because the virus tended to be more stable at low temperatures. The two experts emphasized that chances for transmission could be minimized if people wore masks... “Contagion is likely to occur in closed buildings with ACs, but if the people inside wear masks and maintain physical distancing, then the potential of transmission is much lower. Wearing masks remains a top preventive measure,” Budiman said.
Non-Covid News of Note
"With the Condition Of Lakes, Rivers and Springs Declining, Governor Issues Governor New Regulation" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): In carrying out activities for protecting lakes, springs, rivers, and seas, Customary Villages are obliged to make Pararem and / or Awig-Awig which at least contains: planting trees at every Tumpek Wariga ceremony, prohibiting the Krama of the Customary Village, Krama Tamiu, and Tamiu disposed of rubbish, sewage, and sewage, banning Krama Adat, Krama Tamiu, and Tamiu villages from cutting down trees around lakes, springs, rivers and seas, as well as imposing sanctions for violating prohibitions. The community is expected to play an active role in mutual cooperation in the activities of protecting lakes, springs, rivers and seas. The active role of the community is carried out individually, in groups of people or organizations.
"Alert for Rabies During the Pandemic, Stray Dogs in Sanur, Denpasar, Vaccinated" from Kumparan (Indonesian): Dozens of stray dogs on Matahari Beach were given a Rabies vaccination injection by the Rabies team at the Denpasar Agriculture Office on Saturday. This simultaneous vaccination is carried out related to the control of the Rabies virus that still exists in Bali by lowering the limited team due to pandemic conditions... Head of the Animal Health Department of the Denpasar City Agriculture Office, Dayu Wartini, said that in the condition of the COVID-19 virus pandemic, the team assigned was limited. "Because we have to keep our distance, not to cluster with targets in the open by focusing on stray dogs, and if there is time we will target the home dogs," he 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 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.
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. You can see their confirmation of this policy on June 11 here, and see a cringe-inducing PSA here. Follow them on social media to receive policy updates as soon as they are released: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Local travel website Traveloka has a helpful page with a summary of what’s needed to travel to and within the country. You can also order a rapid test or swab (PCR) test via their platform: Link
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.
The EU has launched a website to help travelers stay informed about how member states will be accelerating the reopening of their borders. Through the “EU Re-open” website, travelers can enter the name of the country they wish to visit and find out the rules that will apply after each place's coronavirus lockdown. Information on the EU Re-open website and app will continue to be updated in line with the developments of the coronavirus pandemic.
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.
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.