Tuesday, April 14
Quarantines for everyone entering Bali + Governor says "not there yet" to lockdown order + COVID-19 tests aren't free + black market cell phones to be banned... and more!
Good evening! Welcome to the COVID-19 Update for Bali for Tuesday, April 14. If you find this information useful, please subscribe and share it with others in the foreigner community on the island.
If you've got a tip on a story that should be included, please contact us at newsletter@migrationmedia.net.
Status Update
Country-wide Numbers:
Source:
Indonesia National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB Indonesia): @BNPB_Indonesia
Official updates are available from the Indonesian Government here.
Bali Numbers:
Confirmed Cases Distribution:
Key: Red = Infected | Green = Recovered | Black = Died
Trends:
Sources:
Infographic comes from Bali Provincial Government COVID-19 Task Force (link).
The geographic breakdown comes from the Bali Provincial Government's data collection department (link).
Charts have been compiled using their data.
The Big News
"New Plan: Everybody Entering Bali Will Be Quarantined By the Government" from Bali Express (Indonesian): The Governor of Bali, coordination with regents, mayors, and district / city secretaries throughout the island, have modified the process by which all all people who enter Bali will be quarantined by the government... For those whose rapid test results are negative, whether those coming from within Indonesia or abroad, quarantine responsibilities for them will rest with the regency / city government. Positive cases will be handled by the Provincial government... "The positive is the province's responsibility. Negative quarantine is the responsibility of the district / city," explained Governor Koster. The voluntary quarantine process that had been carried out in homes by those whose rapid test results were negative will now be directed into designated quarantine facilities by their district / city government.
"President Declares COVID-19 A National Disaster" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): President Joko Widodo officially declared the COVID-19 outbreak a "No-Natural Disaster." The declaration codifies the process by which the President has been overseeing the government's response to the virus, namely the authority of the Task Force for the Acceleration of Handling COVID-19, orders all departments and ministries within the government to closely coordinate their actions, and it directs local and regional governments to "pay attention to the policies of the Central Government."
"Bali Governor Says Island Still Has ‘Long Way to Go’ Before Implementing Large-Scale Social Restrictions Policy" from Coconuts: Bali Governor Wayan Koster yesterday said that the perceived lack of local transmission in the province means that Bali still has a long way to go before it implements the central government’s Large-Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB) policy and will instead emphasize on restricting access to the island... "We continue to monitor every day and actually the local transmission is low in Bali, and so we are far from implementing PSBB. I don't think we should be talking about this yet, I can assure you that’s still a long way to go, don't bring about a scary situation," Koster said yesterday during a live press conference in Denpasar.
Other Headlines
"BUMN Hotels and Jasmine Hotels In Bali Are Proposed to Become Quarantine Sites for Overseas Arrivals" from The Bali Tribune (Indonesian): Chairperson of the Bali Provincial DPRD, I Nyoman Adi Wiryatama, proposed that state-owned enterprises BUMN hotels and Jasmine hotels be used by the government as a quarantine location for returing Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI)... To date, 7,000 PMI have retuned to Bali, with that number expected to reach 20,000 people "We must accept Balinese citizens, and of course we must carry out health procedures so that Bali is really sterile or can reduce the effects of imported cases," he said.
"Police Confirm the Viral Caucasian Party In Bali As A Birthday Event, Was Attended by 15 People" from Kompass (Indonesian): The police have confirmed that the viral video of a group of Caucasians holding a party at a villa, did take place in Bali... Badung Police Chief Adjunct Senior Commissioner Roby Septiadi said that according to an explanation given by the person in charge of the event, "J," the party was a birthday event attended by 15 people. The party was held at a villa in Mengwi, Badung, on Sunday at 8:00 pm "So, the attendance was limited and there were no ticket sales," Roby said.
"Rapid Test At Unud Hospital Is Not Free, Is Considered Not Ready to Serve Patients" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): State Hospital of Udayana University (Unud Hospital) has became the central hospital handling Covid - 19 in Bali, but both those who want to get a rapid test have complained that the hospita is charging for the prcedure... Accoridng to a receipt provided by a man who had recently traveled to Jakarta and who wanted to get a test to make sure that he had not contracted the virus, the fees paid to the BMPH rapid test laboratory was Rp. 50,000 and the screening package was Rp. 150,000. The Director of Unud Hospital, Dr. Dewa Putu Gede, said that the cost of the rapid test is charged to those under the age of 50 and who have no underlying illness.
"7,000 Units of PPE and 4,000 Masks for Handling Covid-19 Arrive In Bali" from Bali Plus: Up to 7,000 units of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and 4,000 masks have been received in Bali. The PPE and mask are assistance from the Central Government to the Bali Covid-19 Task Force... This is the third phase of assistance that was transported using an Indonesian Air Force Hercules C-130 from Halim Perdana Kusuma Air Force Base in Jakarta. The aid arrived at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport on Saturday and was immediately sprayed with disinfectant before being packed in vehicles for transport. This PPE aid will be distributed to hospitals in Bali.
"Starting April 18, Illegal Cellphones Can Not Be Used" from the IDN Times (Indonesian): Minister of Communication and Information, Johnny G Plate, said that the government will impose International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) rules on 18 April 2020. The rule contains a ban on the circulation of illegal cellphones or black markets... Cellular operators in Indonesia wil will use a machine called the Equipment Identity Register (EIR) to carry out the identification and blocking of illegal IMEI numbers.
"Market Created In Parking Garage" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): Prajuru Adat village in Ubud continues to make inroads in their efforts to facilitate their residents maintaining social distancing. Their latest step is to build a new village market in the Monkey Forest Tourist Park parking center... "We are preparing the village market to unravel the density of residents when shopping at Ubud Market," explained Bendesa Adat Padang Tegal Made Gandra, Monday. He said that Padang Tegal residents would be able to go to the new village market to buy their daily needs, where the price of groceries is guaranteed to be cheaper than prices in other markets. "Currently, visitors from outside the traditional village are restricted, this is what we are thinking. But the village market was built for the traditional village to reduce the crowd," he explained.
"Bali Handicraft Workers Only Have Backlog Orders to Complete" from Nusa Bali Indonesian): Bali handicraft industry players are threatened with unemployment due to the lack of new orders for their products that is a result of the global economic paralysis brought on by Covid-19. At present, Bali's craftsmen have finished the remnants of their previous orders from March; there are no irders for delivery from April-June... I Dewa Gede Wirayudha, Secretary of the Bali Association of Indonesian Handicraft Producers and Exporters, said, "There are countries that have become export destinations (for handicrafts), but they are in lockdown." These countries include the United States, France, Italy and several others. "The most we can do now is preparations for later orders."
"I was in Bali when the US released its level 4 travel advisory urging Americans to return home — but I decided to stay put. Here’s what it’s like being a digital nomad during a pandemic" from Business Insider: The risk of getting stranded on the way home, coupled with thoughts of rocking up to a storage unit in a jet-lagged haze, put me off from trying to get back to my homeland. Healthcare in Bali has its own complications for expats, but with the virus progressing stateside, I knew that thousands of people in higher risk categories would likely need that space more than me if I were to fall ill... After several days of anxious deliberation and a 30-day travel insurance purchase for $42.51, I decided that hunkering down in Bali until further notice was my best course of action.
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.
If you are trying to plan travel anywhere, here are two 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 alerts feed into airlines' reservation systems, so it is the most reliable database of flight restrictions around.
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.
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