Thursday, September 3
Record deaths as island sets new case record for 3rd straight day + "Collapsing healthcare system" possible as hospital occupancy rate hits 72% + Tabanan City adopts fines for curfew violators + 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: Click here to see the complete breakdown of yesterday’s numbers + trendlines in our evening update.
The Big News
IMMIGRATION ALERT: The Directorate of Immigration has posted a reminder about which kinds of visas are eligible for 30-day extensions. It’s as simple and easy-to-understand a breakdown as you’ll ever see and worth bookmarking. You can find it on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter.
"Bali Records Highest Single-day Spikes of COVID-19 Cases 3 Days in A Row" from Coconuts: Bali recorded 169 new COVID-19 cases [yesterday], giving the province its record daily highs three days in a row. [Yesterday’s] caseload follows 129 and 160 new cases on Sunday and Monday, respectively. It brings the provincial tally to 5,536 cases, including 826 active cases and 75 deaths... Officials have yet to identify the cause of recent caseload spikes or indicate the possibility of heightened restrictions. The popular holiday destination reopened to domestic travelers on July 31, and reportedly welcomed thousands of visitors daily in the first few days. During the Aug. 20 long weekend, Bali reportedly received around 4,900 visitors.
"Patients Crowd Hospitals as Indonesia Loses 183 'Priceless' Medical Workers" from The Jakarta Post: COVID-19 patients are crowding hospitals as bone-tired medical workers continue to bear the brunt of rising case figures, with at least 183 of them having reportedly died of the virus. More than 2,000 daily new cases appears to be the new normal for Indonesia, which on Wednesday recorded 3,075 new cases and 111 deaths. As people flocked to crowded places, COVID-19 patients swarmed hospitals, prompting fears of a "collapsing healthcare system," as described by senior public health expert Adang Bachtiar of the Indonesian Public Health Experts Association (IAKMI)... The provinces with the highest bed occupancy rates -- even as the number of beds increased -- were Bali, where occupancy increased from 59.44% on Aug. 23 to 72.55% on Monday, Jakarta (from 54.62% to 67.25%) and East Kalimantan (from 49.15% to 55.62%).
"Residents of Tabanan City Who Violate Health Protocols to be Fined IDR 250,000" from The IDN Times (Indonesian): As many as 24 Banjar Adat in the Traditional Village of Tabanan City agreed to establish Pararem for the Traditional Village of Tabanan City Number 5 of 2020 concerning Regulations for Prevention and Control of COVID-19. The pararem regulates a number of rules and fines for residents of traditional villages in Tabanan City who do not wear masks, violate the opening or closing hours of traditional stalls and modern shops, and visit after predetermined hours. The plan, this perarem will be implemented starting Wednesday (9/9/2020). The sanctions for violators are:
For residents who do not wear masks, they will be fined IDR 50,000
For traditional stalls that violate closing hours (past 22:00) are fined Rp. 100,000, and modern shops that violate are fined a maximum of Rp. 500,000
For residents who visit past 22:00, they will be fined IDR 250,000 each, both the host and the guest
Residents who wander after 22:00 without a clear purpose will be fined IDR 250,000.
>> Classifieds <<
Business is tough in the best of times, but these days- Wow. Thankfully, there’s a supportive spirit among the foreigners who remain in Bali; this newsletter is proof. If you’ve got a product or service that needs local support to succeed, let this community know about it here.
Other Headlines
"Isolation Rooms for COVID-19 in Tabanan Filled 80%-100%" from The IDN Times (Indonesian): The Director of Tabanan Hospital, Dr. Nyoman Susila, said that the hospital has two isolation rooms, with one at 100% capacity and the other at two beds out of none open. "Currently, the manpower is still sufficient. But if more and more are positive, it will interfere with their performance," he added... UPTD Nyitdah Hospital consists of 26 beds. As of Tuesday, 24 beds were occupied or 84% of capacity. According to the Director of Nyitdah Hospital, Dr. Nyoman Wisma Bratha, based on orders from the Regent of Tabanan, Ni Putu Eka Wiryastuti, UPTD Nyitdah Hospital will add 100 beds to treat COVID-19 patients. "Actually, the infrastructure is ready. Only our human resources (Human Resources) are not sufficient. So that currently the Nyitdah Hospital UPTD is in the process of recruiting health workers," said Wisma Brata.
"With Many Recoveries in Jembrana, Independent Isolation Patients Moved" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): Patients confirmed positive for Covid-19 who are undergoing independent isolation at home have begun to be transferred to the isolation room at the State Hospital. The transfer was carried out because the additional isolation room at the State Hospital could be used and many Covid-19 patients had recovered... Due to the increasing number of recovered patients, 46 people who were still undergoing treatment until yesterday were undergoing treatment at the State Hospital with 18 people, 8 people at the Jimbarwana hotel and independent isolation in their respective homes.
"A Number of Medical Personnel Exposed to Covid-19, Two Puskesmas in Badung Temporarily Closed" from The Bali Tribune (Indonesian): The Badung Regency Government has closed services at two health centers in Gumi Keris. Services that were closed were Puskesmas Mengwi I and Puskesmas Mengwi III. This closure had to be carried out because a number of medical personnel at the two health centers were declared exposed to Covid-19... The Mengwi I Community Health Center, which is in Mengwitani Village, Mengwi District, was forced to close for the next 14 days. However, the closure of services at Puskesmas Mengwi III did not last 14 days, but only 7 days. Temporary services are transferred to the nearest Pustu.
"Video of Hundreds of Karangasem Bali Residents Losing Their Sense of Smell and Taste" from iNews Bali (Indonesian): Hundreds of residents of Kecicang Islam Village, Karangasem, Bali, have lost their sense of smell and taste since March 2020. Although they are not accompanied by flu, cough or fever, this condition makes residents uneasy. They worry that what they are experiencing is a symptom of Covid-19 . Some residents admitted that they had time to seek treatment and undergo an independent rapid test, but the results were non-reactive. As an alternative, residents take traditional medicine and hope to recover by themselves. Meanwhile, the Health Office is still tracing and examining residents who have the same complaint.
"Local Transmission Increases Again, Regent Suwirta Issues Perbup Number 66 of 2020" from Bali Pupa News (Indonesian): Klungkung Regent I Nyoman Suwirta, who is also the head of the regency's Covid-19 Task Force, said that this Perbup was issued so that people could be more disciplined in carrying out health protocols to reduce the spread of Covid-19... If one is found or there is a resident who is not wearing a mask in a public area, the resident will be directly fostered and ordered to go home to get his mask. As for business actors, managers, organizers or people in charge of public places and facilities, in this regulation, they are asked to carry out socialization and education using various information media for handling Covid-19.
"Bangli Regent Waives Fees At Tourism Objects" from Bali Express (Indonesian): Bangli Regent I Made Gianyar has decided to adopt a policy of eliminating [entrance fees] for tourist attractions. The policy was declared following complaints from visitors to Kintamani attractions and tourism actors. Not only is it free to visit Kintamani, but also other tourist objects managed by the Bangli Regency Government. Free visits are valid from Wednesday (2/9) to 31 December 2020. “We provide relaxation. Starting January 1, 2021, pay again," said Made Gianyar.
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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