Thursday, December 17
Under pressure, Pres. Widodo declares vaccines free for all Indonesians + Wangaya Hospital "full" from Covid patients + Massive fallout from new travel rules; Guv blames central govt + more!
Good morning! Welcome to The Bali Beat for Thursday, December 17. If you’re not a subscriber, sign up here to get this update delivered directly to your Inbox every Monday-Saturday morning, along with each evening’s Covid-19 update. If you are already a subscriber, thank you! Please be sure to share it with others in the foreigner community on the island by clicking the button below.
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.* However, if you would like to support my work, please consider making a donation of US$5/month by becoming a contributing subscriber at the link above. Or if you prefer to make a one-time donation - in any amount - click here.
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
"Jokowi Decides Covid-19 Vaccine Is Free for All" from The Jakarta Globe: President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has decided that the Covid-19 vaccine would be free of charge for all Indonesians, amending the government's earlier decision to limit the free vaccination program only for healthcare frontline workers and the poor. "I can say that the Covid-19 vaccine for the public is free. Once again, it's free, there's no charge at all," said Jokowi. State-owned pharmaceutical company Bio Farma had expected that a vaccine it produces in partnership with China's Sinovac Biotech would cost Rp 200,000 ($14) a dose. At that price, the vaccine would cost about a day of an average Indonesian's income.
"Wangaya Denpasar Hospital: Since Early December, the COVID-19 Patient Rooms Were Full" from Antara (Indonesian): The head of the IGD Wangaya Hospital, Denpasar City, Bali, Anak Agung Bagus Dharmayuda, said that since the beginning of December 2020, the average room for COVID-19 patients began to fill up. "Earlier this month (December 2020) it increased a lot. The average room is full every day," said Anak Agung Bagus Dharmayuda. "The situation for one room depends on the patient's condition. Only those who are equally positive can be combined. Then, for example, the capacity of eight is filled with five or capacity of 12 is filled with seven," he said. Yuda hopes not to enforce the opening and closing of emergency services. "No and hopefully not (enforcing the opening and closing of IGD services)," he said.
"Hotel Booking Cancellations Surge Following Bali's New Entry Regulations for Domestic Tourists" from The Bali Sun: Deputy Chief of the Indonesia Hotel General Managers Association (DPP IHGMA), I Made Ramia Adnyana, admitted that since the policy was released yesterday, many hotels have received cancelations. He is worried that the situation will get worse in the coming days as more people become reluctant to travel. “We continue to encourage guests, yet I can also understand their reasoning for canceling. PCR tests are quite costly, we can imagine the the added expenses for families of five people” Adnyana said... The Head of Indonesia Hotel and Restaurants Association (PHRI) of Gianyar on Wednesday, (16/12) Pande Adit informed that many hotels in Gianyar also just received cancelations. “This policy really impacted us, especially for hotels that didn’t request a down payment upon reservation. The guests can cancel their bookings without any confirmation from the hotel” Pande said. He added that staff will be hired based on the hotel occupancy.
(Ed. Note: Yesterday, Governor Koster laid blame for the new restrictions at the feet of the central government. "The central government directives, swab tests (to enter Bali) cannot be negotiated. There are no arguments; of course we have to follow,” he explained. He also implored locals to view them as “preparation” for the eventual reopening of international tourism to the island. Deputy Governor Cok Ace said that tourist weren't being banned from Bali; there were merely "new requirements" for travel here. He also said that a post-holiday outbreak would threaten negotiations on travel corridors that are currently ongoing with several countries. Meanwhile, stories abound of tourists cancelling their travel plans in the face of the new travel requirements. Estimates had been that upwards of 15,000 people per day would come during the holiday. Nobody knows what the number will be now, but one industry official, Made Yogi Anantawijaya, Chairman of United Bali Driver (UBD), which represents transportation workers, said that "80% of service users canceled suddenly as soon as this policy was issued.")
>> Classifieds <<
Do you have a message or story that you want to share with the most engaged members of the foreigner community in Bali? Reach an audience that cares as much about living here as you do by placing a classified ad in this space. Click here to learn how.
Other Headlines
"Klungkung Regency is Back in the Orange Zone" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): Klungkung Regency is back in the orange zone, or a moderate risk zone for the transmission of Covid-19. This is because in the last few days there have been additional positive residents of Covid-19, as a result of the increasingly intense tracking of the Klungkung Health Office. "After we had a PCR laboratory, we were deliberately tracking it more aggressively. The impact seems to be an increase in cases,” said I Nyoman Suwirta, Head of Klungkung's Covid-19 Task Force. He said that he had undergone a swab test twice a week. However, for now mass swab has also been carried out in several circles, such as the TNI, Police, and PNS.
(Ed. Note: Tabanan and Gianyar have also seen their infection risk statuses downgraded. Both are now classified as Red Zones.)
"From December 25th, All Vehicles from Java to Lombok Can Avoid the Island of Bali" from Bali Plus: Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi said the crossing on the route from Ketapang, Banyuwangi to Lembar, West Lombok, will be open from December 25, 2020. According to Budi Karya, the new ferry route will effectively reduce traffic congestion on the island of Bali, which often disrupts tourism activities. The travel time for the crossing from Banyuwangi to Lombok ranges from 12 to 13, stated Sumadi.
"COVID-19 Task Force Tells Hospitals Not to Open Registration for Vaccination, Because, Y’know, It’s Not Available Yet" from Coconuts: Indonesia’s COVID-19 Task Force has told hospitals in the country to refrain from taking pre-orders for vaccines amid reports that the practice has become quite widespread. The task force said advertising a potential vaccine is irresponsible at this point since no vaccine has received regulatory approval in the country. “Do not promote or carry out programs related to [COVID-19] vaccination before there’s an official decision from the government. We don’t want there to be a confusion [regarding vaccination],” task force spokesman Wiku Adisasmito said.
(Ed. Note: It was announced yesterday that when it does become available, Garuda Indonesia Airlines will handle domestic transportation of the vaccine via special flights. Here in Bali, Chairman of Bali branch of IDI, Dr. Gede Putra Suteja, shot down rumors that the the vaccine had arrived on the island and was ready for distribution. Also, Karangasem is the first regency to announce the scope of its vaccination distribution plans. They’ll operate their program out of 12 community health centers and 1 hospital.)
"As A Result of the Covid-19 Pandemic, Travel Agencies in Bali Suffer A Loss of Rp. 5 Trillion" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): Until the end of 2020, the loss suffered by travel agents or travel agents on the island of Bali is worth Rp. 5 Trillion and this condition also resulted in thousands of workers in tourist travel agencies (BPW) not being employed anymore. This was revealed by the Chairman of DPD Asita 1971 Bali, I Ketut Ardana during the Musda XIV Asita 1971 Bali 2020 in Nusa Dua. He explained that since the Covid-19 pandemic, as many as 4,000 workers from 400 members, and as many as 50% of them were affected by layoffs and stopped their business activities.
"The Atmosphere of the First Day That Cinemas in Bali Open with Health Protocols" from iNews Bali (Indonesian): A number of cinemas in the Bali region are back operating by implementing the COVID-19 health protocol in accordance with government regulations and recommendations, such as limiting capacity in the studio to 50% and requiring visitors to wear masks.
"EU Allots Rp28.9 billion Funding for COVID-19 Handling in Indonesia" from Antara: European Union (EU) Ambassador to Indonesia Vincent Piket revealed that the 27-nation bloc had apportioned Rp28.9 billion in funds to facilitate handling the impact of COVID-19 in Indonesia via the Indonesia COVID-19 Pandemic Emergency Response (I-COPE) program. The I-COPE program focuses on preventing the transmission of COVID-19 and mitigating its impact on vulnerable children and families in 90 villages in Jakarta, East Java, Ternate City, North Halmahera District in North Maluku, East Sumba District, and Southwest Sumba District in East Nusa Tenggara. The program will target 1.1 million people comprising 12 thousand of the vulnerable group, including children, women, and senior citizens as well as people with disabilities, who are at high risk of contracting COVID-19.
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.
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 try to 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.