Tuesday, August 25
Jembrana & Buleleng propose sanctions for health protocol violators + Jembrana outbreak fills main hospital beyond capacity + HOAX: Sanglah Central General Hospital's Covid ward not full + more!
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Weather & Waves
Today’s Weather for Southern Bali
Today’s Tides
Surf Outlook (animation shows changes from 8:00am - 6:00pm)
*NOTE: A High Wave Warning has been issued for Wednesday. Waves between 1.25-2.5 meters are likely to occur in the Bali Sea and in the Sumbawa Sea.
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. And in case you missed it, check out Sunday’s update for a summary of last week’s overall totals, with perspective on how they stack up against previous weeks + detailed breakdowns of the virus’ spread on a Regency-by-Regency level.
The Big News
"State Hospital Isolation Room Full, Quarantine at Jimbarwana Hotel" from Bali Express (Indonesian): A surge of 20 new cases of Covid-19 on Sunday in Jembrana Regency has added to the burden on the State Hospital which is currently still treating 18 confirmed and suspect patients. The capacity of the isolation room is 20 beds... "Patients who have been confirmed but have not been accommodated in the isolation room of the State Hospital will undergo quarantine at the Jimbarwana Hotel," said Dr. I Gusti Agung Putu, spokesman for Jembrana's Covid-19 Task Force. Furthermore, Arisantha added, the option of adding beds to the isolation room is difficult to do given the limited number of medical personnel who treat them, as one doctor or nurse can only care for a maximum of 5 Covid-19 patients.
"Jembrana Prepares Sanctions for Violators of Covid-19 Protocols" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): Regarding sanctions, the Regent of Jembrana, I Putu Artha, as well as the Chairperson of the Regency's Covid-19 Task Force, has prepared a Regent Regulation (Perbup). The sanctions will be more towards social sanctions and not material. Such as mandatory cleaning for violators. But, the main goal, of course, is citizen awareness to be disciplined in taking care of themselves and others. "Even though it has entered the new normal, it is proven that there is still a surge in cases. This proves that it is not over yet," he said.
"Buleleng Prepares Sanctions for Protocol Violators" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): The draft regulation of the regent is currently being verified by the Bali Provincial Government. In fact, according to Gede Suyasa, Secretary of Buleleng's Covid-19 Task Force, the regulation is planned to take effect and be implemented in September... First, the regional regulation requires every individual and business entity to apply health protocols. Such as the use of masks, providing a sink, and hand sanitizers. Second, the Perbup also regulates sanctions for individuals and business entities who violate them. The application of this sanction is actually a new thing. Asked about the sanctions, Suyasa said that the sanctions imposed were varied. It depends on the type of violation. The sanctions imposed can be in the form of administrative sanctions, social work, fines, or simply reprimands.
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Other Headlines
"Reportedly the COVID-19 Room is Full; Sanglah Hospital: There are Still Empty Rooms" from The IDN Times (Indonesian): An account on Twitter claimed to shine a spotlight on conditions at Denpasar's main Covid-19 referral hospital, saying that it has been filled. The Head of Public Relations at Sanglah Central General Hospital (RSUP), I Ketut Dewa Kresna, told IDN Times that in Sanglah Hospital there was still an empty COVID-19 treatment room out of the four that are used to handle coronavirus patients.
"Indonesia Secures Supply of 340 million Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine" from Antara: China and the United Arab Emirates have made assurance of supplying 290 million to 340 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine until the end of 2021 to Indonesia, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi stated. "We have secured (a commitment of) 80-130 million (doses) in the first quarter of 2021 and 210 million (doses) from the second to fourth quarters. In total, we have secured (a commitment of) 290-340 million doses in 2021," she stated... The short-term efforts encompass securing a commitment of vaccine supplies from the United Arab Emirates and China, while the long-term efforts entail creating self-reliance in the production of the COVID-19 vaccine, she remarked. "That is striving for self-reliance in the production of the red and white vaccine through the national team," she stated.
"Indonesian Ministers Get Flak After Photos Show Them Posing Without Masks in Bali" from Coconuts: A number of Indonesian ministers are drawing ire from social media users in the country, after several photos from a ministerial meeting in Bali last week showed them posing close to one another with no masks on. The ministers appeared to have taken part in a meeting held on Aug. 21-22, which was hosted by the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs... Another tweet from Lapor COVID-19 (Report COVID-19), a civil society coalition that crowdsources coronavirus information from throughout the country, called on President Joko Widodo to punish the officials who attended the meeting, in line with sanctions for health protocol violators laid out on a Presidential Instruction (Inpres) issued earlier this month.
"Banker from Singapore Goes to the Police, Claims to be Imprisoned in a Hotel" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): A banker from Singapore, Perumal Rukesh Varan, 36, claimed to be a victim of confinement and extortion at a star hotel in the Pecatu area, South Kuta. He reported his case to the South Kuta Police on Friday. The victim, who was accompanied by his attorney, Reydi Nobel et al., said that he experienced psychological pressure and lost his wallet and securities... In his report to the South Kuta Police, Varan said that this incident started on Friday (14/8) at around 18.30 WITA. At that time, Varan was visited by the owner of the hotel where he was staying with the initials MAGL from Spain who asked for Rp. 350 million.
"Long Vacation Last Week Sees 18,603 Passengers Entering Bali via Ngurah Rai Airport" from The Bali Tribune (Indonesian): Over the long holiday weekend (the period from August 19 to 23) passenger traffic in the domestic arrivals terminal at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport reached 18,603 passengers, with an average of 4,650 passengers per day reach. Meanwhile, the number of aircraft arrival movements in that period was recorded as many as 225 flights with an average of 56 landing planes per day. For the total number of passenger traffic arriving and leaving Bali via I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport, there were 37,280 passengers with an average of 9,320 pax per day.
"Cornerstone Laid for Gianyar Central Market" from Bali Discovery: The new public market will stand on a 1,297-hectare site with a total development cost. Rp. 250 paid from the Gianyar Regency’s Annual Budget for 2020. The revitalization of the Gianyar Public Market is being undertaken to repair that market’s current image as a dirty and chaotic place to become a modern and user-friendly 7-storey modern shopping area. Two of the seven-storeys will be basement areas with the remaining five-storey reserved for commerce. In all, 1,784 separate commercial units will form part of the new market complex.
"Bali Hotels Seek Government Stimulus to Attract Local Tourists" from Antara: The Indonesian Hotel General Manager Association’s (IHGMA's) Bali Chapter has pinned hopes on the government offering a stimulus to attract local tourists to Bali. "With a reduction in income and some not having any source of earnings, it is impossible for them (domestic tourists) to come to Bali," Deputy Chairman of IHGMA Bali I Made Ramia Adnyana stated. Speaking in connection with the plan to open Bali tourism to foreign tourists from September 11, 2020, Adnyana’s party respects the decision of the Bali provincial or national government. "However, if possible, we suggest that a government stimulus be offered at this time to attract local and domestic travelers to visit Bali," he noted.
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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We do not share rumors.
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