Thursday, January 7
Denpasar & Badung to go into semi-lockdown on Jan. 11 + Workers "overwhelmed" by deluge of garbage on Kuta beach, cleaning 200 tons per day + Food prices spiking as inter-island trade drops + 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: Yesterday, the country recorded its highest-ever daily total of new cases - 8,854 - while here on Bali, the 191 new infections are the highest since the Tabanan boarding school outbreak in early December which drove daily totals over 200 for two straight days. Outside of that single incident, only one day has been worse: September 4 (196). That occurred in the midst of the wave that washed over the island after the August holiday- a 14-day stretch of triple-digit infection totals, with eight of those days registering more than150. During the first ten days of that wave (Aug. 31 - Sep. 9), 1,645 cases were recorded. During this current wave, over the last ten days, 1,507 have been identified.
Yesterday’s total in Bali was driven by a record-setting 55 cases confirmed in Jembrana. Local officials said that the infections were found through contact tracing in response to an outbreak in a family and another in an office. Click here to see the national numbers infographic and a Regency-by-Regency breakdown of yesterday’s local numbers.
The Big News
"Minister Announces Tighter COVID-19 Restrictions in Java, Bali" from Antara: Restrictions will be tightened in Denpasar City and Badung District in Bali. The measures are adopted since the regions have met [at least one of] the four restriction parameters:
A death rate above the national average mortality rate of 3%;
A recovery rate below the national average cure rate of 82%;
An active case rate below the national active case rate of 14%; and
An occupancy rate for hospital ICU and isolation rooms above 70%.
The measures comprise restrictions that include:
implementing work from home as much as 75% while applying stringent health protocols;
all teaching and learning activities will be entirely conducted online;
essential sectors related to basic needs are permitted to fully operate by regulating operating hours and capacities and applying strict health protocols;
shopping centers and malls will be allowed to operate until 7 p.m. local time;
restaurants are allowed to open with a maximum space capacity of 25% for dine-in, while takeaways or delivery orders are permitted;
construction activities are fully permitted by implementing stringent health protocols.
places of worship are allowed to open but restricted to only 50% of their capacity and should implement strict health protocols;
public facilities and social as well cultural activities stand suspended;
the capacity and operating hours of transportation modes are regulated.
Civilian security guards, police, military, and local governments will intensify supervision to help ensure that the restriction measures are applied properly.
"Kuta Beach Bali Receives Up to 200 Tons of Plastic Waste Shipments per Day" from The IDN Times (Indonesian): The volume of plastic waste in Kuta Beach currently reaches 200 tons per day. This information was conveyed by the Head of the Badung Environment and Sanitation Service (DLHK), I Wayan Puja when contacted on Wednesday. Currently, his party continues to clean up the debris that has been sent to Kuta Beach. Last year, at the beginning of 2020, he admitted that almost no garbage was sent. DLHK Badung Regency is currently overwhelmed with the waste. Efforts to clean up the garbage eventually involved many parties, both those who communicated directly with DLHK Badung, as well as those who immediately came and helped clean the area. (Ed. Note: See photos here.)
"Supply of Vegetables and Spices from Outside Bali Decreases, Prices Rise " from Bali Express (Indonesian): During the week the price of vegetables and spices has increased drastically. The price increase reached 50% from the previous price. The price hike also overwhelmed traders to make ends meet. Kadisperindag Gianyar Ni Luh Gede Eka Suary said that one of the causes of the increase in seasoning prices was that the supply of goods from Java and Lombok had decreased. "This begins with the drop in supply from outside Bali by up to 40%. The decline in supply is because the vegetable and seasoning farmers failed to harvest," she explained. While on the other hand, farmers from outside Gianyar Regency, such as Bangli, Tabanan and Karangasem, also experienced crop failure. Meanwhile, another factor states that vehicle crews entering Bali, both from Java and Lombok, are required to show a Rapid Test when crossing to Bali.
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Other Headlines
"DPRD Leadership Suggests that the Requirements for Entry in Bali are Tightened During the PSBB, Must Have Swab Test for Both Land and Air Routes" from The Bali Tribune (Indonesian): Deputy Chairman of the Bali DPRD, Tjok Gde Asmara Putra Sukawati, responding to the Central Government's policy, that his party did not object to the steps taken by the Government in an effort to suppress the spread of Covid-19. "If it is necessary, and we see an increase in cases (positive), no problem. Moreover, they want to be vaccinated,” he said. He also requested that the conditions for entering Bali be tightened again by including a Covid-19 free certificate which was proven by a swab test either by land or air. So far, the application of the Rapid Test has been deemed ineffective and inaccurate as a requirement to enter Bali, especially by land.
"Governor Says Hospitals In Bali Are Exaggerating COVID-19 Deaths" from Coconuts: Throughout the pandemic, various uncorroborated claims (which borderline as conspiracy theories, really) have been making the rounds, such as how hospitals are supposedly falsifying COVID-19 deaths, further implying that those numbers are making the public health crisis look much worse than the reality. Koster pretty much implied the same thing last night, as he noted how, in general, many of the recently deceased are those with underlying medical conditions. “Generally those who died are due to underlying conditions. In fact, some of those who didn’t die as a COVID-19 patient are documented as having died due to COVID-19. When in reality, they were in the hospital not because of COVID-19. They go through a swab test after they die suddenly. There are many cases like that,” Koster was quoted as saying.
Context: Local scientists were quick to dispute the governor’s claim. Indonesia does not adhere to the WHO’s definition of a Covid-19 death, which says, in part, that it is “a death resulting from a clinically compatible illness in a probable or confirmed COVID-19 case unless there is a clear alternative cause of death that cannot be related to COVID-19, for example, trauma.” Instead, the reporting standards for hospitals require that only those victims who have tested positive for the virus prior death are added to the government’s official death count. Epidemiologists have estimated that the country’s true number of deaths from the virus may be as much as three times the number that has been reported by the government.
"Regions to Obtain 29.55 million COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Until March" from Antara: "Our target is that for January, 5.8 million (doses of) the vaccine must reach the regions. In February, 10.45 million (doses of the) vaccine must be distributed again to the regions and thereafter 13.3 million (doses of) vaccine must also be distributed in March," the president noted. At a closed-door meeting attended by ministers and governors through video teleconferencing, the head of state remarked that vaccinations would commence next week.
"Entering the Red Zone Again, Traditional Ceremony in Tabanan Becomes a Cluster of Transmission" from The IDN Times (Indonesian): The development of COVID-19 cases in Tabanan Regency continues to increase, and has returned to the red zone. Secretary of the Tabanan COVID-19 Handling Task Force, I Gede Susila, said that from the results of his monitoring, traditional or religious ceremonies became clusters of COVID-19 transmission in Tabanan.
Context: Over the last seven days, Tabanan has added 204 new cases, second-most among all regions. Only Denpasar has had more (289) during this span. The regency is also #2 in terms of growth, as their numbers have risen 10.17%, just below Jembrana, where the recent surge has pushed the numbers up 12.82%. It is not clear whether these figures put Tabanan into the same category as Denpasar and Badung in terms of the new lockdown rules that go into effect on Jan. 11.
"Many Foreigners in Bali Are Stubborn, Don't Use Masks to Break Traffic" from Merdeka (Indonesian): Foreign citizens (WNA) in the Kuta area, Badung Regency, Bali, are still stubborn, not wearing masks and not obeying health protocols. Kasatpol PP Badung, I Gusti Agung Ketut Suryanegara said, from September 7 2020 until now, 150 health protocol violators were not wearing masks and 80% were foreigners. According to him, the foreigners also seemed to underestimate health protocols because they were able to pay fines and did not want to comply with health protocols. "The food, sometimes we feel that our dignity as officers feels humiliated. 'Oh, I'll just pay, '(foreigners say that)," he said.
"Rp. 3.4 billion of Corruption, Former Treasurer of Bali Regional Secretariat Detained" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): Bali High Prosecutor's Office (Kejati) officially carried out the detention for the next 20 days against the former Treasurer of the Regional Secretariat of the Province of Bali, I Wayan Widiantara. In this case, Widiantara, who serves as Treasurer for the Regional Secretariat of Bali Province, is suspected of disbursing the Supply Wage (UP) and GU not based on the bureau need. In addition, check disbursements are also carried out without the approval of the Budget User (PA) and have not made deposits to the regional treasury.
Context: At least one other suspect is being sought in relation to this investigation. Police have identified him only as “a civil servant staff” in the Bali Provincial Secretariat.
"Maintain Tourism Attractions, IHGMA Bali Clean the Beach" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): The spotlight on garbage along the coast in Bali in early 2021 made tourism actors uncomfortable. The DPD Indonesian Hotel General Manager Association (IHGMA) Bali also initiated cleaning activities on January 5-6 2021 by involving the community. Around 1,000 people from the community and community elements moved together along Kuta and Legian Beach on Wednesday. "This beach cleaning activity will be carried out continuously every Tuesday and Wednesday," said I Made Pastika CHA, Head of Social Events and CSR IHGMA Bali. "Hotels that join in this activity are not limited to IHGMA members, but hotels outside IHGMA members also support this activity in order to maintain the cleanliness and sustainability of the beach which is one of the attractions of tourists coming to Bali."
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.
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