Thursday, January 14
Vaccinations start as Pres. Widodo receives 1st dose; Gov. Koster gets his today + Bali official says no fines for refusing vaccine + More patrols, more foreigners cited for not wearing masks + more!
Good morning! Welcome to The Bali Beat for Thursday, January 14. If you’re not a subscriber, sign up here to get this update delivered directly to your Inbox every Monday-Friday 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.
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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: Indonesia once again set new records for cases (11,287) and deaths (306) in a single day. The number of daily new cases nationwide has now topped 10,000 four times- and all of those have happened over the last five days. Click here to see the national numbers infographic and a Regency-by-Regency breakdown of yesterday’s local numbers.
The Big News
"Jokowi Receives His First Dose of Sinovac Vaccine" from The Jakarta Globe: The president was injected with the vaccine developed by China's Sinovac Biotech on camera. His vaccination took place after the Food and Drug Control Agency (BPOM) gave their seal of approval to the vaccine for emergency use. Before the vaccination, Jokowi first had his blood pressure and temperature checked. The president also had to answer questions regarding his medical history and if he had symptoms such as coughs or fever. Presidential doctor Abdul Muthalib then injected the vaccine to Jokowi's left arm.
Context: Millions watched the injection live, with many noting that the administering physician appeared nervous, his hands shaking as he brought the needle towards Jokowi’s shoulder. Several other officials received their first jabs as part of the event, which is meant to demonstrate government leaders’ confidence in the vaccine’s safety & efficacy. Bali’s vaccination efforts will kick off today with Governor Koster receiving his shot at 08:30 local time. You can watch the livestream of the event by clicking here. On Friday, the process will start in earnest, with regency and city officials taking their doses publicly before local medical centers begin inoculating healthcare workers. Notably, Denpasar’s Mayor, Ida Bagus Rai Dharmawijaya Mantra, and Deputy Mayor, IGN Jaya Negara, will not participate, as they have each been infected with Covid-19 previously and therefore do not meet the government’s standard for high priority status.
"Officers Net 508 Prokes Violators" from The Bali Post (Indonesian): The enforcement of Community Activity Restrictions (PKM) has been going on for three days. And during that time, the Task Force for Handling Covid-19 in Tabanan district through the field of law enforcement and discipline netted 508 offenders spread across ten sub-districts in Tabanan district. Of these violations, the dominant one was due to masks. Head of Satpol Tabanan, I Wayan Sarba, said that out of a total of 508 offenders who were caught, 471 were given verbal warnings, 27 were physical actions such as push-ups, 7 were fines and 3 were written warnings.
Context: Large-scale enforcement actions continue across the island. Yesterday’s media reports included news on patrols and punishments meted out for businesses not following heath protocols in Denpasar, as well as people not wearing masks across the city. Also noted were patrols near Batu Bolong Beach, where it was said that many foreigners were not complying; in other areas around South Kuta, Kuta and North Kuta, 28 foreigners were cited; temporary police outposts were set up in Singaraja; and in Bangli, which has just reentered Red Zone status (see below), police were out in force. Jembrana police have also set up a secondary checkpoint along Jalan Denpasar near Gilimanuk Port to screen people traveling to and from the ferries for proof of negative swab tests.
"No Fine for Those Who Refuse Covid-19 Vaccination in Bali: Official" from Coconuts: “For Bali there will be no sanctions, we will prioritize raising awareness and we hope the public will do it voluntarily for our collective good,” head of the Bali Health Agency Ketut Suarjaya said yesterday. Just on Monday, however, deputy minister for Law and Human Rights Edward OS Hiariej said that Indonesians may face up to one year in prison and a maximum fine of IDR100 million (US$7,100) for refusing to be vaccinated, according to the 2018 Health Quarantine Law.
Context: While he did not mention punishments for non-compliance, the Health Minister said yesterday that the government’s goal is for 70% of the country’s population to receive the vaccine.
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Some Covid Context
In this new, occasional, section I’ll share interesting or insightful stories from around the world that I come across that inform issues we’re facing here. Today, it’s the debate surrounding school reopenings.
Over the past 10 months, debates have raged over how to keep the coronavirus in check. What to open? What to close? Where does the virus spread, and where are we relatively safe? Through it all, one kind of space in particular has been the subject of vigorous debate — and, starting a few months into the virus, a kind of unexpected conventional wisdom emerged: that schools were relatively safe. In the midst of the darkness, it brought some welcome light: kids are safe! They can go to school! While other institutions closed, countries around the world — particularly in Europe and the UK — kept their schools open.
And yet, in response to rising rates and a new, more contagious variant, many of those same countries have since closed their school doors. It turns out that, if you believe the epidemiologists, schools do, in fact, bring risk of transmission. How could we ever have thought otherwise? Rachel Cohen has been covering the debates around school closings and openings, most recently at The Intercept. In this week's podcast extra, she tells Brooke about how the school transmission narrative has evolved since the beginning of the pandemic, and how our understanding of the issue came to be so muddled.
NOTE: Click on the embedded player above to listen or open the episode in Spotify. You can also find it in your favorite podcatcher by searching for “On The Media,” or you can listen to it on the program’s website here. If you’ve heard a podcast or watched a video that you think can inform issues that we are facing here in Bali, let me know at newsletter@migrationmedia.net.
Other Headlines
"Bangli Is Back in the Covid-19 Red Zone" from Bali Express (Indonesian): This is the second time Bangli has had a high-risk status, after previously having spread Covid-19. "At the beginning there was a red zone, then orange. Now it's red again, never yellow," said Wayan Dirgayusa, Spokesperson for Bangli's Covid-19 Task Force. Currently there are 51 people being treated for exposure to Covid-19. However, he admitted that the local district government has not decided what strategy should be done after hitting the red zone. Most likely it will follow the handling strategy set by the Bali Provincial Government, because cases are increasing on average in all districts / cities in Bali.
"30 Residents Exposed to Covid-19, Banjar Pangembungan Is Closely Monitored by the Police from Radar Bali (Indonesian): The explosion of the Covid-19 case in Banjar Pangembungan, Pejeng Kangin Village, Tampaksiring District received a tight guard from police officers. One form of police supervision is the establishment of a post in the banjar. In addition to establishing a post, local residents are also asked to obey the quarantine. The goal is to avoid other activities that can increase the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Meanwhile, according to plan, the implementation of the rapid antigen test for the residents of the banjar will be held [today]. 30 people who had been exposed to Covid-19. Of that total, two of them had to be hospitalized. The rest, 28 people, are undergoing quarantine.
"The Governor of NTT Is Positive for Covid-19" from Republika (Indonesian): The Governor of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Viktor Bungtilu Laiskodat tested positive for Covid-19. Currently, Viktor is undergoing treatment at the Gatot Soebroto Army Central Hospital, Jakarta. NTT Provisni Regional Secretary Benediktus Polo Maing said the NTT Governor was in good condition. "Physically, he is healthy, there is nothing extraordinary, but he chose to isolate himself in the hospital," he said. Benediktus said that the Governor of NTT was suspected of contracting Covid-19 while in Jakarta. The reason is, before traveling to Jakarta on Friday (8/1), he underwent an examination and the results showed he was not infected with the corona virus.
"The Ministry of Transportation Checks All Boeing 737 Classics Aircraft" from Antara (Indonesian): The Directorate of Airworthiness and Aircraft Operations (DKPPU) of the Ministry of Transportation will appoint a team to carry out special checks on the operation of all Boeing 737 Classics [series 300/400/500] aircraft. These inspections include AD compliance, routine inspections and major inspections with approved maintenance , including component replacement status , CPCP, SSID, SIP, ELT inspection. The Sriwijaya Air SJ 182 Boeing 737-500 aircraft is one of the Boeing Classics series which is known to have been produced in 1994, so is 26 years old.
"Meeting With a Real Trash Hero on the Island of the Gods" from Indonesia Expat: This ex-tour operator and travel agent knows a thing or two about how to motivate his fellow islanders to keep the tourist side of Bali clean and attractive. It all started some years ago when, as a guide, he kept hearing holiday-makers complaining about the sight of beautiful Bali beaches spoilt by garbage. In 2017, Wayan Aksara decided to join Trash Hero, the Swiss-based NGO, by creating the Saba chapter after contacting their local office in Ubud. As they say about their actions around the world, Trash Hero is “a volunteer-led movement that drives change within communities”. Something the typical Balinese would always easily understand, he adds with a smile.
"World's Oldest Known Cave Painting Found in Indonesia" from The Guardian: Archaeologists have discovered the world’s oldest known cave painting: a life-sized picture of a wild pig that was made at least 45,500 years ago in Indonesia. The finding, described in the journal Science Advances on Wednesday, provides the earliest evidence of human settlement of the region... Co-author Maxime Aubert, of Australia’s Griffith University, told AFP it was found on the island of Sulawesi in 2017 by doctoral student Basran Burhan, as part of surveys the team was carrying out with Indonesian authorities. The Leang Tedongnge cave is located in a remote valley enclosed by sheer limestone cliffs, about an hour’s walk from the nearest road.
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.