Thursday, December 10
PDIP misses clean sweep in Regent/Mayor votes; Jembrana goes for opposition + Govt to meet Dec. 13 to evaluate restarting intl flights to Bali + Denpasar hedges on school reopening date + more!
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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: Click here to see the national numbers infographic and a Regency-by-Regency breakdown of yesterday’s local numbers.
The Big News
"The Results of the 2020 Simultaneous Regional Elections, PDIP Admits That It Is Left Behind in Jembrana" from The Bali Tribune (Indonesian): The target of a clean sweep announced by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) in the simultaneous regional elections held in 5 districts and 1 city in Bali, Wednesday, could be missed. Based on the provisional results of the simultaneous regional elections in Bali until last night, the party bearing the white muzzle bull was only able to excel in five regions. For one region, namely Jembrana Regency , the PDIP champion is still lagging behind in the provisional vote acquisition.
(Ed. Note: You can follow the results as they are tabulated - in Bali and across the country - by visiting the General Election Commission’s website here.)
"7 Airports Will Serve International Routes [Pending December 13 Meeting]" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): The seven airports are Medan Kualanamu Airport, Batam Hang Nadim Airport, Jakarta Soekarno Hatta Airport, Surabaya Juanda Airport, Manado Sam Ratulangi Airport, Makassar Hasanuddin Airport, and Ngurah Rai Airport. However, there is no definite information about the exact date of starting to operate / serving foreign tourists. According to Surya Darma, the opening is still awaiting a meeting from various ministries which will be held on December 13. “Looks like there's no opening yet. But it still has to be discussed by the Governor, Kemenkum HAM, Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Tourism, on December 13," said I Putu Surya Darma, Head of the Bali Province Public Relations Ministry of Law and Human Rights.
"PGRI Bogor Urges Government to Vaccinate Teachers Prior to School Reopening" from The Jakarta Post: The Indonesian Teachers Association (PGRI) of Bogor has requested the central government to vaccinate teachers prior to school reopening. PGRI Bogor head Muhammad Usman Tonda expressed his hopes for a teachers’ vaccination program during a dialogue with members of the House of Representatives Commission X on Tuesday. Usman said that both the central government and regional administrations should not rush to reopen schools without ensuring the teachers’ health and safety. He argued that reopening schools would put teachers at risk of catching COVID-19. National COVID-19 task force spokesperson Wiku Adisasmito had previously warned of potential new clusters emerging at schools after the central government gave regional administrations permission to resume on-campus learning in January 2021.
(Ed. Note: Yesterday, during a visit from Minister of Women Empowerment and Child Protection, Bintang Puspayoga, the Head of the Denpasar City Education Office, I Wayan Gunawan, seemed to hedge on the timeline for reopening schools there and reiterated that nothing can happen until the Mayor signs off on it. "January and February 2021 are transitional periods, so during the transitional period schools conduct face-to-face learning simulations... Later, when everything is fulfilled, both from the list and simulation, then it will be conveyed to the mayor whether permission is given or not for face-to-face learning," he said.)
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Other Headlines
"13th Bali Democracy Forum to Put Spotlight on COVID-19 Challenges" from Antara: The 13th Bali Democracy Forum (BDF), scheduled for Thursday, will focus on the challenges faced by democratic countries in the Asia-Pacific region amid COVID-19, a high-ranking Foreign Affairs Ministry official said. Initiated by Indonesia in 2008, the annual forum aims to make democracy a strategic agenda in the Asia-Pacific region. For 13 years, the forum, led by Indonesia, has facilitated dozens of meetings and dialogues on democracy and its challenges... "'Democracy and COVID-19’ has been chosen as the main theme of the forum for this year as many countries are currently struggling to control the COVID-19 pandemic and uphold democratic practices at the same time," director general for information and public diplomacy at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Teuku Faizasyah, said on the sidelines of the meeting's preparations on Wednesday.
(Ed. Note: The event, being held at the Sofitel Hotel Nusa Dua, is being seen as a showcase for Bali’s readiness to host international tourists again. As such, it will have extensive health protocols, including a requirement that every participant take a swab test, which could be seen as a harbinger for what people would have to submit to if/when the island is reopened for international visitors. Dozens of provincial police officers have been diverted to provide security.)
"Guarantee 5,649 TPS Safe Covid-19, KPU Bali Record DPT 1,971,425 Voters" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): The Chairperson of the Bali Province KPU (Elction Commission) I Dewa Gede Agung Lid, confirmed that all election workers (KPPS) including PPK, PPS, and KPU members had all received a swab test by [Tuesday]. All those on duty have been confirmed to be negative for Covid-19. "I make sure that no election organizer in Bali has been exposed to Covid-19, at least until [Tuesday]," explained Dewa Lid. The latest data showed that there were 5,649 polling stations set to accommodate 1,971,425 voters in yesterday's election.
(Ed. Note: Preliminary reports from across Bali indicate that turnout was high, and that it appeared that health protocols were being observed at all of the polling places that officials inspected throughout the day.)
"Kuta Beach Sand Arrangement Completed, Traders Not Allowed To Sell" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): Public Works and Spatial Planning Office of Badung Regency has finished arranging the sand along Kuta Beach, Kuta District, Badung on Sunday. However, Ada Kuta Village, the manager of the Kuta Beach tourist attraction, has not allowed any merchant activities in the area. This is because they are still waiting for the process of arranging the merchant stalls. Head of Badung Regency Public Works and Spatial Planning (PUPR), Ida Bagus Surya Suamba, said, "The arrangement of Kuta Beach sand has been completed. We have moved to Legian and Seminyak Beach."... According to Surya Suamba, in arranging the sand on Kuta Beach, his party does not take sand from outside. This is because the sand along the coast is still sufficient for a structuring project. In fact, from previous studies, there is a possibility of a shortage of sand. "Previously, it was planned to take sand from Mertasari, Sanur. But until now the recommendation from the Bali Penida River Hall has not come out. So that we just maximize the sand on Kuta Beach, "said Surya Suamba. He added, it is possible that sand from Mertasari, Sanur, will be used in the Legian and Seminyak areas.
"Klungkung Health Office Has Not Determined a Covid-19 Vaccination Place" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): The Klungkung District Health Office has started to collect data for residents aged 18-59 years and who do not have comorbidities. This was done in connection with the plan for the corona virus vaccine. Although it is not yet known what the mechanism and the amount of the Covid-19 vaccine quota will be given by the central government to Klungkung Regency to date. "There are still more meetings. But what the technicalities will look like, when will it start and how many targets depend on the vaccine received. We have not yet determined where to carry out the vaccine," said Ni Made Adi Swapatni, Head of the Klungkung Regency Health Service... the Director of Klungkung Hospital, dr. I Nyoman Kesuma was confirmed separately, revealing that the Klungkung Health Service had come to the Klungkung Regional Hospital to confirm the readiness of the hospital as a vaccination post. Bearing in mind that in this activity, rooms and facilities are needed to support the implementation of health protocols.
(Ed. Note: Each Regency is making its own plan on where & how to distribute the vaccine once it is approved and delivered by the central government.)
"Hundreds of Prisoners and Detention Centers in Bali Use Their Voting Rights" from The IDN Times (Indonesian): Regional Head Elections (Pilkada) took place simultaneously on December 9, 2020 in six districts / cities of Bali Province. This democratic party was also attended by the Correctional Assistance (WBP) in the Penitentiary (Lapas) and the Detention Center (Rutan). "Before giving their aspirations or voting, all WBPs are required to wash their hands, check their body temperature and sit while waiting for the distance to be set one meter," explained Public Relations of the Kemekumham Bali Regional Office, I Putu Surya Dharma.
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.
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