Sunday, May 10
Officials tamp down excitement over airlines scheduling flights to Bali in June + Checkpoints start going up & markets are consolidated in Denpasar to enforce mask-wearing & social distancing + more!
Good morning! Welcome to the COVID-19 Update for Bali for Sunday, May 10. Please subscribe and share 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
Country-wide Numbers:
Source:
Indonesia National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB Indonesia): @BNPB_Indonesia
Official updates are available from the Indonesian Government here.
Bali Numbers:
Confirmed Cases Distribution:
Key: Red = Infected | Green = Recovered | Black = Died
Bali 30-Day Trends:
Sources:
Infographic comes from Bali Provincial Government COVID-19 Task Force (link).
The geographic breakdown comes from the Bali Provincial Government's data collection department (link).
Charts have been compiled using their data.
More details on the locations of positive cases within each Regency, as well as the number of suspected cases ("ODP") and people under observation ("PDP"), can be found in charts & infographics on the official websites of each Regency's COVID-19 Task Force:
Badung | Bangli | Buleleng | Denpasar City | Gianyar | Jembrana | Karangasem | Klungkung | Tabanan
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
"Difficult to Predict When Foreign Flights Will Return to Bali" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): News of the publishing of flight schedules to Bali in June by some foreign airlines has caused a stir online and gone viral, sparking hope for the island's beleagured tourism industry. However, these hopes are being tamped down by airport officials who insist that the schedules have been created to plan for a possible resuption of flight operations, and do not represent confirmed service... "We created the plan, but we did not want to rush to be magelekan, just take it. The reason is, whether or not the plan is realized really depends on the development of Covid-19 as a whole, both domestically and abroad," said Deputy Chairman of PHRI Bali I Gusti Agung Rai Suryawijaya.
"Indonesia Reports Highest Daily Rise In COVID-19 Cases for Second Time In A Week" from The Jakarta Post: The Health Ministry reported its biggest one-day rise in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases as it confirmed 533 new cases on Saturday. This occurred just days after the first highest daily rise on Tuesday when health authorities recorded 484 new COVID-19 cases in a day despite the government's earlier statement that the curve was flattening... The ministry’s disease control and prevention director-general, Achmad Yurianto, did not elaborate on the increase at his daily press briefing. However, he asserted that the public should be disciplined in implementing physical distancing measures. "This illustrates our discipline in obeying health protocols as part of [the government's] efforts fighting the COVID-19 outbreak," Yurianto said on Saturday.
"Padangsambian Village Sets Up 25 Checkpoints for Mask Inspections" from The Bali Post (Indonesian): In preparation for the coming Restricting Community Activities (PKM) order form the mayor, officials in Padangsambian Village in Denpasar have set up 25 checkpoints syaffed by 250 people to monitor people's wearing of masks while in the area... This monitoring is expected to minimize the movement of the community and make the community more aware of the importance of wearing masks and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, such as conducting pshycal distancing to break the chain of COVID-19 distribution in Denpasar City. "This is all in accordance with the direction of the Mayor of Denpasar related to the implementation of the PKM," said Padangsambian Klod Village Perbekel, Gde Wijaya Saputra.
Other Headlines
"Market Traders In Denpasar Begin to Be Disciplined" from Antara (Indonesian): Traders from smaller markets in Denpasar have been moved into the Badung Market and Kumbasari Market by officials in order to regulate the distances between each stall in preparation for the enactment of the Mayor's new Restricting Community Activities (PKM) order... "Traders who usually sell at the Kumbasari Market yard have been moved to the Badung Market yard. This is done so that there is a gap [of 1.5 meters] between one trader and another trader so that they do not cram each other before the PKM is put into effect," said Director of the Pasar Daerah Public Company "Sewaka Dharma," Ida Bagus Kompyang Wiranata. "If traders do not wear masks, we will reprimand and if they are stubborn they will not be allowed to sell and visitors who do not wear masks are not allowed to enter the market area," he said.
"Number of Balinese Workers Furloughed Reaches 65,594 People; 2,189 Laid Off" from The Bali Tribune (Indonesian): The number of formal workers in Bali laid off and laid off continues to increase due to the covid-19 pandemic. Based on data from the Office of Manpower and Energy and Mineral Resources of the Province of Bali, the number of formal workers furloughed at present has reached 65,594 people and those laid off hit 2,189 people. The companies that have furloughed or laid off the most workers operate in Badung Regency, Gianyar Regency, and Denpasar City.
"Balinese PMI from Carnival Splendor Finally Returned to Bali" from The Bali Tribune (Indonesian): After having originallly been banned from landing in Bali, the 181 Balinese crew members from the Carnival Splendor have been brought back to their home island via 10 buses after testing negative for Cobid-19 in rapid testing and completing a 14-day quarantine in Jakarta... They will need to go through an additional quarantine procedure in Denpasar befor being allowed to return to their home villages. "We are still waiting for further directions. It looks like we have to quarantine another seven days," said crew member I Nengah Satwika.
"Number of Tour Bus Trips Falls More Than 85%" from Antara (Indonesian): The Chair of Bali's Land Transport Organization, Ketut Eddy Dharma Putra, said that the turnover rate of bus operations in Bali has decreased 85%-100% since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.... "Wow, the 85% drop is because operations have all but ceased of late. Realistically, the drop is more like 100% because starting in February there have been no operations at all, either for passengers goig out or coming in. Employees have also been laid off," Eddy said.
"Koster: President Says Bali's Response to Covid-19 Is the Best In Indonesia" from Detik (Indonesia): Bali Governor I Wayan Koster said that President Joko Widodo praised the islan government's handling of COVID-19 as the best in the country. "The handling of COVID-19 in Bali was even brought to a cabinet meeting by the President and it was stated that the handling of COVID-19 in Bali was the best in Indonesia," said Koster... Patients recovering from COVID-19 in Bali have now reached 65%. The percentage of recovery in the province of Bali is ranked top nationally.
"Bali Zoo Animal Food Supply Is Safe Until the End Of the Year" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): "Animal feed is still sufficient until the end of the year," said Head of Public Relations of Bali Zoo, Emma Candra. According to Emma, there is no reduction in the amount fo food being fed to animals, even after the closing of the Zoo. All feeding continues as usual in accordance with the needs of the animals... For feed management, the zoo is trying to work with local farmers because some of the prices of necessities such as meat and vegetables have started to decline. They are also able to cultivate some reptile and aquatic animal feed themselves. Until now the Bali Zoo management is still using funds from the company's savings to be able to maintain and care for as many as 500 animals across 60 species and also finance operations while the zoo is closed.
"Assessed As Disturbing the Interests Of the Balinese People, Koster Highlights Coastal Areas Controlled by Hotels & Villas" from The Bali Tribune (Indonesian): During a meeting to discuss to Draft Regional Regulations, namely the Spatial and Regional Planning (RTRW) of the Province of Bali, and also the Regional Regulation on Renvana Zoning of Coastal Areas and Small Islands (RZWP3K), Bali Governor Wayan Koster said that the existence of coastal spaces controlled by hotels and villas often lead to unhealthy practices and interfere with the interests of the Balinese in carrying out religious and cultural rituals... "Since I was elected governor, this has also become one of the concerns and issues that I am dealing seriously. Because of the 'takeover' of the coastal areas by a number of hotels , it is as if the beach belongs to the hotel," he said. With the mastery of hotels and villas over the coastal area causes various restrictions for the people who will carry out religious rituals. "This should not be allowed," said the Governor.
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.
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.
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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.
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