Thursday, June 11
New death in Denpasar + Lion Air flying again while AirAsia delays + On country's & Bali's worst day for infections yet, foreigners crowd beaches; Gov reiterates his order to close them + more!
Good morning! Welcome to the COVID-19 Update for Bali for Thursday, June 11. Please subscribe and share it 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
National Numbers:
Bali Numbers:
New Infections by Regency
Overall Confirmed Cases Distribution:
Key: Red = Infected | Green = Recovered | Black = Died
Bali 30-Day Trends:
More details on the locations of positive cases within each Regency, as well as the number of suspected cases ("ODP") and people under in-patient observation ("PDP"), can be found in charts & infographics on the websites of each Regency's Covid-19 Task Force:
Badung | Bangli | Buleleng | Denpasar City | Gianyar | Jembrana | Karangasem | Klungkung | Tabanan
Sources:
The national update comes from the Indonesia National Disaster Management Agency: @BNPB_Indonesia
The Bali Numbers infographic comes from the Bali Provincial Government COVID-19 Task Force (link).
The Total Confirmed Cases Distribution map & Regency Numbers figures come from the Bali Provincial Government's data collection department (link).
The 30-day trend charts have been compiled using daily government data.
How You Can Help
Each weekday we'll let you know about an organization or a person who is trying to make a difference for the people of Bali in these difficult times, and how you can pitch in.
Solemen: Giving aid to people on the island since 2011, and having been personally endorsed by Former Governor Made Mangku Pastika and the Bali Government Tourism Office, Solemen is one of the most respected and trusted charities in Bali. In response to the economic emergency brought on by the Covid-19 outbreak, they are providing continuing support to the 500 families that they have been helping, in addition to providing food packs and medication to others in need. They are accepting donations via their website where they also detail what your money will buy (link). You can also drop off donations of food at several drop-off points, including at some supermarkets- find the list of places here. Follow updates on their activities on their Facebook page.
Please visit this page to see a list of all of the efforts that we've featured so far. If you know anyone who is raising funds, delivering food, organizing volunteers, or otherwise trying to rally people to the cause of assisting our neighbors here in Bali, please let us know by sending an email to newsletter@migrationmedia.net.
The Big News
"Number of Covid-19 Patients Who Have Died In Bali Increases by 1 Person" from Kumparan (Indonesian): A 37-year-old man from Kesiman Kertalangu, East Denpasar died while being treated as a positive patient of Covid-19 at Wangaya Hospital. Acting Managing Director of Denpasar Wangaya Hospital, Dewa Putu Alit Parwita, said that the patient had a comorbid condition, namely diabetes. The cause of death was because Covid-19 made his diabetes worse. (Ed. note: This patient's passing is not yet reflected in the government's tally.)
"Lion Air Starts Flying Again, While Airasia Postpones" from The Seminyak Times: Lion Air, Wings Air and Batik Air, members of Lion Air Group, have started operating flights again to Bali and the rest of Indonesia. According to a circular from Lion either a swab or rapid test will be required for travel based on the destination. Confirmed rapid test resultss are valid for three days, while the PCR has a validity period of up to seven days. The swab test is still the only valid test when arriving to Bali... AirAsia Indonesia has adjusted its plans again to re-operate flights to Bali in stages starting from June 19, 2020. AirAsia Indonesia President Director Veranita Yosephine Sinaga explained they were paying attention to the easing of travel restrictions and the development of positive cases in the Airasia network.
"18 Traders At Kumbasari Market In Denpasar Positive for Covid-19" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): After a child who was working in a stall helping his parents sell fish fell ill and tested positive for Covid-19, 43 traders at surrounding stalls and others who had direct contact with the child were given swab tests, and today 18 have been confirmed to be positive... Managing Director of Denpasar Sewakadarma Market, IB Kompyang Wiranata, said that to prevent wider transmission, Kumbasari market will be closed until Monday, meaning that the 425 traders who occupy shanties in the market will have to stop selling for a while. In addition, officers will also track any traders there who have been in direct contact or their booths close to 18 traders who tested positive today.
Other Headlines
"Koster Affirms the Beach Should Not Be Opened" from Bali Express (Indonesian): Regarding the existence of several beaches that reopened, such as Canggu Beach, Bali Governor Wayan Koster reiterated his policy regarding the tourism sector during the Covid-19 pandemic and stressed he would ask the Bali Provincial Tourism Office to immediately communicate this. "I will order the Department of Tourism. The beach can't be opened yet," said Koster. He also stressed that this provision does not only apply to one place or tourist attraction- it applies everywhere. "Tourist sites have not (opened)," he said.
"450 Traders In Samplangan Market to Undergo Rapid Testing" from Bali Express (Indonesian): 450 traders in the Samplangan Relocation Market in Gianyar will undergo rapid testing on Thursday following the confirmation of a positive case of Covid-19 in Godoh and coffee traders from Samplangan Village.
"As Local Transmission Increases, Sanglah Hospital Has 23 Beds Remaining for Covid-19 Patients" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): Head of Public Relations for Sanglah Hospital, Lord Kresna, said that the treatment room for Covid-19 patients at Sanglah Hospital was still sufficient. "We have a 71-bed capacity for Covid-19 patients at Sanglah Hospital," he said. As of today only 48 beds were filled, leaving 23 beds for Covid-19... Across Bali, the remaining 193 patients were scattered across 12 hospitals.
"Isolation Room Capacity of Klungkung Regional Hospital Is Limited" from The IDN Times (Indonesian): Increased local transmission in Klungkung Regency makes the availability of isolation space for COVID-19 positive patients in the Klungkung Regional General Hospital increasingly limited. Currently, the hospital is treating 14 Covid-19 patients, while the isolation room capacity is only able to accommodate 18 patients. "The capacity in the isolation room is actually only 15 patients. But if maximized it can still treat 18 patients," said Dr. I Nyoman Kesuma, Managing Director of Klungkung Regional Hospital. "We have prepared a respiratory disease isolation room with a capacity of eight beds for additional, if the isolation room is currently full," Kesuma explained. In addition, the Covid-19 medical team at Klungkung Regional Hospital will be added if there is a surge in patients.
"Over the Past Two days, 9,158 People Have Entered Bali Through Gilimanuk Port" from The Bali Tribune (Indonesian): According to data recorded by the Bali Regional Police, the number of people entering Bali from Tuesday to Wednesday was 9,158 people. The number of motorcycles that entered Bali was 895, along with 367 family vehicles, 37 buses, and 3,508 logistics vehicles. Meanwhile, there were 6,201 people who left Bali over the past two days. (Ed. note: This count is in addition to the 47,000 noted in yesterday's newsletter. Those numbers were the total since May 24, or ~3,100 per day.)
"Govt to Build COVID-19 Hospital In Bangka Belitung Islands" from The Jakarta Post: The national Covid-19 Task Force has secured a 5-hectare plot of land in the Bangka Belitung Islands for the construction of the country’s third Covid-19 hospital... "The hospital building might only need 1 hectare, but there are 5 hectares of land available to the west of Ir Soekarno General Hospital," Bangka Belitung Islands Covid-19 Task Force chief Armayani Rusli said. He said the construction of the hospital would commence in July and was expected to be completed in one month.
The View from Outside
"Post-Pandemic, Will Bali Rethink Tourism?" from The Diplomat: Wulan Saraswati, an author and Indonesian language teacher for international students, believes "we need to stop looking at Bali only as a source of foreign exchange, as if Bali only comes from foreigners who bring money. Why don’t we also look at the other potential that lies within Bali itself?"... After the massive decline in tourism caused by COVID-19, which many say is worse than the downturn after the 2002 Bali bombings and the 2017 Mount Agung volcanic eruptions combined, Koster has declared that developing other sectors of the economy, such as agricultural exports, will now be a government priority.
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.
The British Embassy in Jakarta has recently posted a great summary of the Indonesian government's travel restrictions on their Facebook page. You can read it 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.
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 will 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.