Sunday, June 14
New death recorded + Member of Governor's staff tests positive + Large study shows importance of wearing masks + Updates on cluster testing & a new one emerges + more!
Good morning! Welcome to the COVID-19 Update for Bali for Sunday, June 14. 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 find this content useful and would like to support my work, please consider taking up a voluntary subscription at US$5/month. Thanks!
Status Update
National Numbers:
Bali Numbers:
New Infections by Regency
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
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.
The Big News
"In Bali, One Covid-19 Patient Dies" from Antara (Indonesian): "The patient who passed away previously underwent treatment at Bali Mandara Hospital, Denpasar," said Dewa Made Indra, Chief of Bali's Covid-19 Task Force. "This patient also has concomitant acute kidney infection and diabetes mellitus." His body has been cremated in accordance with Covid-19 protocols at Taman Mumbul Crematorium in Badung. (Ed. note: This is a new death and does not account for the two victims who passed last week. Those have yet to be included in the island’s official tally. It is not clear if those deaths are being ascribed to the victims’ previous health conditions instead of Covid-19.)
"Expert On Bali Governor's Staff Tests Positive for Covid-19" from Kumparan (Indonesian): One of the Bali Governor's expert staff has tested positive for Covid-19 and is undergoing quarantine at BPK Pering, Gianyar Regency. When asked, the head of the Bali Provincial Health Service, Ketut Suarjaya, did not specify how many people may have been in contact with the patient, though contact tracing us underway. "We immediately made contact tracing, and the people who have been in contact with the person concerned we took the swab this morning," he explained. Asked whether there is a possibility that the expert staff make contact with the Governor, Wayan Koster, Suarjaya said that over the last month the patient never had contact with the Governor.
"Masks Significantly Reduce Infection Risk, Likely Preventing Thousands Of Covid-19 Cases: Study" from Reuters: Mask-wearing is even more important for preventing the virus’ spread and the sometimes deadly Covid-19 illness it causes than social distancing and stay-at-home orders, researchers said, in the study published in PNAS: The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA... Infection trends shifted dramatically when mask-wearing rules were implemented on April 6 in northern Italy and April 17 in New York City - at the time among the hardest hit areas of the world by the health crisis - the study found.
Other Headlines
"After Hospital Staff Test Positive for Covid-19, Gianyar Task Force Investigates" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): After 7 medical staff from Ganesha Celuk Hospital, and one medical officer who served at UPT Gianyar II Public Health tested positive with Covid-19, Gianyar's Covid-19 Task Force has taken notice. After consulting the Province, it has been determined that there is no reason to close the hospitals, as there has been no violation... For now, hospitals are being advised to close sections where patients have tested positive, and to continue operating the sections where no cases have been detected.
"186 Denpasar Kumbasari Market Traders Tested, 7 Reactive People" from The Bali Tribune (Indonesian): After conducting swab tests on 33 traders in Denpasar's Kumbasari Market, rapid tests were conducted on 186 additional traders, with 7 merchants returning reactive results. "The 7 people have already immediately taken a swab test. The results are at least 3 more days out," said IB Kompyang Wiranata, Director Sewakadarma Perumda City Market Denpasar. The goal, he said, is to complete testing on all traders and workers by Monday so that the night market can be reopened immediately.
"Day 2 Of Mass Rapid Testing Of Gianyar Market Traders Finds Three Reactive" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): The second day mass rapid testing at the Gianyar Market saw 273 people, with 270 being non-reactive. Those who showed as reactive have self-isolated and are awaiting the results of follow-up swabs tests.
"Hundreds of People Take Rapid Tests At Galiran Terminal In Klungkung Regency" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): As many as 200 more people who have been found to have a history of direct contact with one of Galiran Market traders who tested positive for Covid-19 have undergone a rapid test. The results are pending. These tests are in addition to the rapid tests that have also been conducted on 142 traders and Galiran Market employees.
"316 Santri from Bali Rapid Test Before Returning to East Java" from iNews Bali (Indonesian): A total of 316 students from various regions in Bali took part in a mass rapid test. Rapid test results are needed to facilitate their return to various boarding schools in East Java. All rapid test participants got nonreactive results. The students plan to return to their respective schools on Tuesday next week.
The View from Outside
"[Aid to Bali Slowed by Expensive Money Transfer Options]" from Yahoo Finance: When Chef Bagus closed the doors to his restaurant in the Balinese tourist resort of Kuta, the only thing left in the kitchen was the hallmark aroma of his world-famous BBQ ribs... With more than 75% of Bali’s GDP derived from tourism, the fallout of COVID-19 has been brutal on the locals. With his business out of action until further notice. Despite the huge financial losses he’s incurred over the past few months, Chef has channeled his energy and money into buying and assembling packages of eggs, noodles and rice to be personally delivered to poor families around the Kuta area. "I believe in karma,” says Chef, with a smile. “Helping others during this situation is good for them and good for us as well," he explains, with deep conviction. His optimism is infectious. (Ed. note: Due to a Yahoo editing error, the headline for this article got mixed up with another, more salacious one. If you're curious to read that story as well, you can find it here.)
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.
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.
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.