Thursday, October 22
Crime spiking in Denpasar + Mass outbreak fears as half of all prisoners tested in Kerobokan & Denpasar are reactive + Preparations being made for influx of tourists during holiday + more!
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Weather & Waves
Today’s Weather for Southern Bali
Today’s Tides
Surf Outlook
*NOTE: The Center for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BBMKG) Region III Denpasar predicts that waves in the waters of Southern Bali in the next three days will be categorized as dangerous, especially in the areas of Nusa Dua, Pecatu, Ungasan and the Southern waters of Nusa Penida, with waves reaching a height of 3 meters.
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, trend charts, and a Regency-by-Regency breakdown of yesterday’s local numbers in our evening update.
The Big News
IMMIGRATION UPPDATE: Indonesia Expat has published a simple guide to the new EVisa process, with step-by-step instructions on how to apply. You can check it out here.
"Criminal and Drug Cases on the Rise Due to Covid-19" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): Denpasar Police Chief Kombes Pol Jansen Avitus Panjaitan said that the number of crimes and drugs in the Denpasar Police jurisdiction has increased. Although he did not mention the number, it is certain that there will be an increase. Kombes Jansen said that the increase in crime and drug rates was allegedly triggered by economic problems which are currently plummeting due to the Covid-19 pandemic. To overcome this problem, Kombes Jansen asked for the support and participation of the community as well as traditional villages that have influence in Bali... "The disruption of social security has begun to be felt, there is an increase. This is inseparable from layoffs and a lack of employment opportunities. For that, let's protect our environment together. Hopefully our discipline and actions are in line with government decisions so that Covid 19 can soon disappear. and our lives return to the norm," said Kombes Jansen.
"627 Prisoners in Kerobokan-Bali Prison Declared Reactive After Rapid COVID-19 Tests" from Antara (Indonesian): 627 prisoners (WBP) and six employees who served in the Class II A Penitentiary in Kerobokan, Bali were declared reactive after taking the COVID-19 rapid test. "The plan is that all of the reactive ones will be carried out by a swab test at the latest tomorrow," said Head of the Regional Office Corrections Division. Kemenkumham Bali, Suprapto. The condition in Kerobokan prison is currently filled with a very dense number of residents. The total number of prisoners in Kerobokan Prison is currently 1,315 people, with a capacity of approximately 354 people.
(Ed. Note: Two people have already been confirmed as positive in the prison, which is what precipitated the mass rapid testing. In addition to the possible outbreak in Kerobokan, the women’s prison in Denpasar has put 58 prisoners in lockdown after they returned reactive results. 163 prisoners there were given tests, making for almost the same proportion of possibly infected as has occurred in the Kerobokan prison.)
"Bali Officials Tightening Health Protocols At Tourist Destinations Ahead of Long Weekend" from Coconuts: Officials in Bali say they are strengthening health protocol implementations across various popular destinations as a spike in domestic tourists are expected for next week’s long weekend. “We are anticipating this long weekend to avoid any new clusters, therefore we must tightly implement health protocols,” Bali’s Tourism Agency chief Putu Astawa said... Astawa said his office has sent circulars to over 600 operators of tourist attractions ?— which officials have verified for their health protocols readiness ?— across Bali, expecting them to be more cautious and reminding them that they are only allowed to operate at 25 percent capacity. Should these places fail to follow protocol, they may receive a warning or face closure. “We will give them one to three warnings. If they carry on [violating protocols], we will close or revoke [their permit],” Astawa said.
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Other Headlines
"Vaccines Initially for 18-59 Year Olds Says Government" from Indonesia Expat: Minister of Research and Technology and the Head of the National Innovation Research Agency (BRIN), Bambang Brodjonegoro, said that all vaccines have the same effect but there are special considerations, such as the administration of the dose. It all depends on the results of the first phase vaccine clinical trials. Once the advantages and disadvantages are identified, the vaccines will then be adjusted for children, the elderly, and those with comorbidities.
"Restaurants, Food Stalls Contributing to COVID-19 Transmission: Expert" from Antara: “Right now almost none of the restaurants and food stalls are safe. Almost 30 percent of employees working for a restaurant were (found) infected after taking swab tests,” health expert from Andalas University (Unand), Padang, Dr. Andani Eka Putra, said. Since many restaurant customers and employees do not wear masks, restaurants are now emerging as one of the clusters of COVID-19 transmission, he said. The most effective way to check the spread of COVID-19 at restaurants is to conduct free swab testing of their managers and employees, Dr. Andani suggested.
"Bali has Minimal Tsunami Warning Sirens, Maintenance Costs Reach IDR 1 billion" from The IDN Times (Indonesian): Bali, which makes up only 0.23% of the total area of Indonesia, should ideally have 34 sirens circling the island. However, currently Bali only has 9 sirens located in Seminyak, Kuta, Kedonganan, Tanjung Benoa, BTDC, Sanur, Serangan, Tanah Lot, and Seririt. "We only have 9 [sirens]. Nine of them are in damaged condition in Tanjung Benoa. In the process of being repaired. The repairs are also rather difficult because the items are old goods as a result of assistance from the central BMKG. Apparently it was help from abroad. There are no spare parts," said I Made Rentin, Head of the Bali Province Regional Disaster Management Agency (Kalaksa BPBD).
(Ed. Note: In addition to the degraded warning system, Bali also lacks confirmed evacuation sites for when a tsunami hits. Just one site, which can accommodate only 3,000 people, has been established by the government, and only 28 hotels have been designated as emergency shelters.)
"Ahead Of the Big Demonstration Against the Omnibus in Bali, Posters Appear Calling on Protesters to 'Loot and Burn'" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): Ahead of the massive demonstration against the Omnibus Law of the Job Creation Law on Thursday (22/10) tomorrow, dark posters appeared on a number of electricity poles in the Renon area, Denpasar, Wednesday (21/10). This invitation was quite provocative, inviting riots, including: "Attack, Destroy, Loot and Burn." Regarding the appearance of the dark poster, the President of BEM Unud, Dewa Gede Satya Ranasika Kusuma immediately stated that the poster was not made by his party or the Bali Not Silent Alliance. "What needs to be known is that the characteristics of the posters made and distributed by the Bali Not Silent Alliance consist of only 2 colors, namely black and white and there has never been a narrative calling to riot like the poster that the Bali Alliance is not Silent in," Satya emphasized.
"Waves of Protests Continue Against Jobs Law, Coinciding with Jokowi-Maruf's First Anniversary" from The Jakarta Post: Thousands of students and members of labor unions took to the streets again on Tuesday to continue voicing opposition to the newly passed Job Creation Law, with their protests coinciding with the first anniversary of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s second term. The protestors gathered in the afternoon at the Arjuna Wiwaha monument in Central Jakarta and urged the President to scrap the controversial law. The student protesters dispersed at 4:30 p.m., stating that they would hold a rally again tomorrow at the same location.
"Serangan Denpasar Urban Village For More Two Months Maintains Green Zone" from Berita Bali (Indonesian): Based on data received from the Denpasar's Covid-19 Task Force (GTPP), Serangan Village has maintained its green zone status for more than two months. "The factor that makes Serangan Kelurahan survive in the green zone is due to its geographic location which is separate from other areas," said Dewa Gede Rai, spokesman for Denpasar GTPP. This has made interactions with the outside community somewhat restrained. "It is geographically separated from other villages or kelurahan, so that the interaction and activities of the community are more organized and handling can be more controlled," he said... Currently there are 14 villages / sub-districts that are included in the green zone. However, not all of these regions are in stable condition. Meanwhile, Peguyangan Kangin and Ubung Kaja villages are still in the orange zone. And as many as 27 villages / wards are included in the yellow zone.
"Many Bali Hotels & Restaurants Get No Aid" from Bali Discovery: Although the Indonesian Central Government is providing financial assistance in the form of grants to local hotels and restaurants, hundreds of tourism businesses in Bali’s Klungkung Regency are likely to receive no share of the Rp. 9.7 billion allocated as aid for their region. Many restaurants and hotels in Klungkung have no or hold incomplete operating licenses and, as a result, do not qualify for government assistance. Many hotels and restaurants in Klungkung will receive no share of the aid funds because of their past failure to hold the qualifying operating license valid through August 2020 or have failed to pay hotel and restaurant taxes (PHR) through 2019. The financial aid share will be granted proportionately based on the percentage of the Regency’s total receipt of the PHR tax paid by the companies in the past.
(Ed. Note: In addition to the establishments in Klungkung that are being passed over in the stimulus program, the Head of the Regional Revenue Agency confirmed that 1,311 hotels and restaurants in Badung have not paid taxes as of October 2020, meaning that they will also not be eligible to receive any grants. Badung is receiving the lion’s share of the federal government’s travel industry stimulus money- Rp. 948 billion of the Rp. 1.2 trillion that has been sent to Bali, which is more than 1/3 of the Rp. 3.3 trillion that’s been allotted nationwide.)
"Bali’s ‘Kite Order Task Force’ Reels in Huge Kite Flying Over Ngurah Rai Airport" from Coconuts: Kite season may technically be over in Bali, but kite-related violations are certainly not, as local authorities had to pull down a huge kite near Ngurah Rai International Airport yesterday. Around 10 officers comprising the Indonesian military as well as airport police and security — who are part of a “Kite Order Task Force” — undertook the task, as there were concerns that the kite might disrupt flight traffic. The kite in question, painted to look like an owl and predominantly colored with green and red, was about 6 feet tall.
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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