Tuesday, December 15
Minister says vaccine authorization process could begin today + Facing backlash, govt increases amount of free vaccines + Swab tests to be required for all domestic air passengers to Bali + more!
Good morning! Welcome to The Bali Beat for Tuesday, December 15. If you’re not a subscriber, sign up here to get this update delivered directly to your Inbox every Monday-Saturday morning, along with each evening’s Covid-19 update. If you are already a subscriber, thank you! Please be sure to share it with others in the foreigner community on the island by clicking the button below.
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.* However, if you would like to support my work, please consider making a donation of US$5/month by becoming a contributing subscriber at the link above. Or if you prefer to make a one-time donation - in any amount - click here.
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 national numbers infographic and a Regency-by-Regency breakdown of yesterday’s local numbers. 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
"BPOM Awaits Test Result to Issue Authorization for Vaccination" from Antara: Drug and Food Control Agency (BPOM) awaits clinical test result for COVID-19 vaccine and data from China's Sinovac Biotech before issuing vaccine authorization, COVID-19 Handling and National Economic Recovery Working Committee Chairperson Airlangga Hartarto stated. "We are optimistic of the BPOM soon issuing the emergency user authorization, and now, it still awaits data from Sinovac and the result of clinical trial conducted in Bandung (West Java) and Brazil scheduled for completion on December 15," Hartarto, concurrently the coordinating minister for economic affairs, noted.
"Gov't Raises Free Vaccination Target to 53m People After Public Pushback" from The Jakarta Globe: The government has raised its target of providing the Covid-19 vaccine for free to 53.5 million people [50% of the targeted population] from just 32 million people [30% of the targeted population] earlier, Widodo Muktiyo, the director-general of information and public communication Communication and Information technology Ministry said on Monday. The announcement came following public outrage in social media about the government's earlier decision to sell the Covid-19 vaccine to most Indonesians instead of providing them for free. Indonesia is the only country among the world's most populous democracies that decided to commercialize the vaccine. India, the United States, and Brazil decided to give the Covid-19 vaccine for all at no cost.
(Ed. Note: The final cost of the vaccine for those who are required to pay has still not been determined. There has been no word yet on how doses will be made available or administered to foreigners who reside in the country, or if they’ll be required to take it as a condition of staying.)
"Want to go to Bali? Land Roads Require Antigen, Aircraft Require PCR" from CNBC Indonesia (Indonesian): The government will change the testing standards for the corona virus (Covid-19) for tourists who take land transportation to Bali. The government will require the use of the Antigen rapid test, replacing the regular rapid test that has been used so far. In addition, aircraft users must use the PCR swab test. To regulate the mechanism, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, asked the Minister of Health, Head of BNPB, and Menhub to immediately regulate the procedure. "I ask that today the SOP for the use of rapid antigen tests be completed immediately," said Luhut.
(Ed. Note: This statement came the day after an investigation by The IDN Times uncovered widespread fraud and lax enforcement of the current rapid test requirement for all ferry passengers arriving on the island. On the other hand, screening measures at Bali’s airport have been hailed as exemplary, with South Korean authorities going so far as to certify the facilities and processes in the International Terminal as being good enough to establish a travel corridor between the two countries. Currently, air passengers traveling to Bali are only required to present proof of negative rapid test results before flying, so the new swab test requirement is a significant new hurdle.)
>> Classifieds <<
Where is everyone? If you’re looking for people who care about Bali, you’ve found them! Every day, The Bali Beat is delivered to hundreds of people’s inboxes + hundreds more find it via organic sharing. If you’ve got a message to send to foreigners on Bali, they’re right here.
Other Headlines
"Ahead of the New Year, Inspections of Entertainment Places are Intensified" from Bali Express (Indonesians): Dewa Rai, spokesperson for Denpasar's Covid-19 Task Force, said that the government did not hold a New Year's event. "We will continue to monitor crowded places such as cafes or other entertainment venues, will be investigated and if we violate it, of course we will be disciplined," he said. "The strategy is to streamline the task force's supervision and patrol involving TNI Polri units implementing health protocols, as well as limiting community activities that involve the public," he said... "In essence, we do not prohibit people from doing activities, including doing business and trading, but health protocols must be implemented in an effort to create a productive and safe Covid-19 society. So, policing is to support the discipline of implementing health protocols in the community," explained the Head of Denpasar City PP Police, I Dewa Gede Anom Suyoga.
(Ed. Note: This represents a shift in tone from last week, when Dewa Rai said that all New Year’s gatherings in the city would be broken up, and comes just days after Putu Astawa, Head of the Bali Tourism Agency, contradicted him when he said that parties would be allowed, provided that venues limit their capacity to 50% and health protocols are followed. At the same time, at his press briefing yesterday, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, said that the government has decided to “ban crowds and New Year celebrations in public places,” and “asked that activities that could potentially gather large numbers of people, such as celebrations and religious events, be restricted or banned” from December 18 - January 8. However, it was not clear from the translation of the article if he was talking specifically about Jakarta, or all 8 provinces - including Bali - that have been designated as high priority by the government and have seen a sustained increase in new cases since the last holiday period.)
"PCR Machine Broken for A Week, Tabanan Sends Samples to Bali Health Lab" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): One PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) machine with a capacity of 94 samples once running at the PCR Laboratory at BRSU Tabanan was damaged. The breakdown of a PCR machine also caused a little disturbance in the examination of the patient's direct contact (tracking) swab sample test. "Because the PCR machine was damaged, we had to send the swab specimens to the provincial health lab," admitted the Director of BRSUD Tabanan, Dr. I Nyoman Susila. "Last Saturday the replacement machine came to Tabanan and the installation will soon be carried out for further use," he said. "If the installation process runs smoothly, hopefully on Wednesday the PCR machine can operate to test the patient's swab samples again."
"Govt Hopes to Reopen Bali to International Tourism, But Plan Hinges on COVID-19 Containment" from The Jakarta Post: Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry spokesman Prabu Revolusi said the government aimed to be ready to reopen tourism on the island at any time but that COVID-19 remained the main consideration. “We are prepared, but it’s just about how Bali can control COVID-19 cases,” Prabu told The Jakarta Post, adding that no date had been set for the reopening. Prabu said that if new daily cases ceased to appear in the province, it was possible the island could be reopened soon. The ministry was awaiting further instruction from President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.
(Ed. Note: While national politicians continue to talk about how they want Bali to reopen to international tourism ASAP, Governor Koster has seemed to have had enough of the topic. At the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Sanur Port, when he was asked about the comments being made by various ministers about restating international tourism in Bali, he retorted, "Don't ask that. Handling and implementing health protocols must be getting better. That's all.")
"After Two Days of Rain, the Beach Trash Swells" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): After it rained for two consecutive days, the West coast area of ??Badung was hit by the garbage. Trash, which is dominated by tree branches, is scattered from Parerenan Beach, North Kuta to Jimbaran Beach, South Kuta. Currently, officers from the Badung Environment and Sanitation Service (LHK) are still cleaning gradually. The rubbish that arrived after the heavy rain was dominated by tree branch rubbish, around 70% Meanwhile, 30% is plastic waste. To clean up the rubbish, the LHK Department deployed heavy equipment. The garbage is collected at a certain point, then transported to TPA Sarbagita (TPA Suwung), South Denpasar.
"Denpasar City Government Officially Establishes Sister City Collaboration with Perth, Australia" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): The Denpasar City Government has launched a sister city cooperation agreement with Perth, Australia. The inauguration of the collaboration was marked by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Mayor of Denpasar, IB Rai Dharmawijaya Mantra, and the Chief Executive Officer of Perth City, Michelle Reynolds, virtually from Graha Sewaka Dharma, Denpasar City. "The agreed scope refers to the creative economy ecosystem which consists of tourism and creative economy (Ekraf), the Business Incubator (Inbis) program and curriculum as well as sharing knowledge and technology development (IPTEK)," said Rai Mantra. Follow-up collaborations will be carried out between universities in Denpasar City and Perth City University in terms of developing a creative economy ecosystem that is carried out by start-ups or entrepreneurship.
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.
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 try to 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.