Tuesday, January 5
Vaccine arrives in Bali; Guv will be first to receive injection + Minister wants 70% of island residents vaccinated before reopening + Imigrasi pauses processing overseas visas & work permits + 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 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
VACCINE UPDATE: Media reported all day yesterday that the first shipments of Sinovac’s Covid-19 vaccine were scheduled to be delivered in the middle of the night and be brought to Bali Provincial Health’s storage facility under a heavy police escort. The first 31,000 doses arrived just after midnight, where officials said they would be able to handle the distribution of up to 600,000 at a time. Governor Koster said that he, along with local militia commander Maj. Gen. Maruli Simanjuntak and Police Chief Putu Jayan Danu Putra, will be the first to receive injections. The government has already identified the 30,320 people who will be inoculated in the first wave, with the list dominated by healthcare workers all across the island. It is still not clear when vaccinations will begin, as the country’s pharmaceutical regulatory agency, BPOM, has not issued an Emergency Use Permit for its use yet. Regardless, both the governor and the head of Bali’s Health Office, Dr. Ketut Suarjaya, made pains to assure the public that the vaccine was safe and that every eligible resident should take it.
"Sandiaga Uno Wants 70% of Bali's Population to Be A Priority for the Vaccination Program" from Merdeka (Indonesian): Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno wants 70% of the 4 million population in Bali to be a priority for Covid-19 vaccine recipients. So that the tourism sector on the Island of the Gods is moving again like in New Zealand. Tourists who want to travel in Bali must be declared clean from exposure to the corona virus. You do this by doing a series of medical tests before entering Bali. "So, those who enter Bali really have to be tested and Bali, like New Zealand, is able to control Covid-19," he said.
"Pause on Work Permit Applications from Ministry of Manpower" from Indonesia Expat: Indonesian Manpower Minister Ida Fauziah has issued a circular regarding the use of foreign workers in an effort to prevent the entry of COVID-19-positive people. The ministry has announced the following:
A temporary suspension of work permit applications for the use of foreign workers for new applications.
Foreign workers who have been employed and are still in Indonesia can be extended based on the submission of an application from the employer.
Context: In addition to banning new work permits for foreigners, Imigrasi has also stopped all visa services for any foreigners who are outside of the country until January 14. (E-visa services for foreigners currently in Indonesia will continue.) You can read Imigrasi’s announcement on the matter - in Indonesian - on their Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages. Their full press statement can be found here.
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Other Headlines
"Indonesia to Release Suspected Bali Bombings Mastermind Abu Bakar Bashir" from The Sydney Morning Herald: Indonesia will release radical cleric and alleged mastermind of the 2002 Bali bombings Abu Bakar Bashir from prison later this week, its government said on Monday, upon completion of his jail term. Bashir, 82, who was among Indonesia's most notorious extremists, is considered the spiritual leader of the al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiah (JI) network. He was jailed in 2011 for his links to militant training camps in Aceh province. Jemaah Islamiah is accused of plotting several big attacks in Indonesia and includes operatives trained in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the southern Philippines. Bashir denied any involvement in the Bali bombings. A lawyer for Bashir did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his upcoming release.
"Nataru Period, Passenger Traffic at Ngurah Rai Airport Decreased 82% Compared to Last Year" from The Bali Tribune (Indonesian): Passenger traffic during the 2020 Christmas and New Year 2021 (Nataru) period at 15 Angkasa Pura I airports from 18 December to 1 January amounted to 1,458,522 passengers, down 61.72% over the same period last year which reached 3,810,093 passengers. "At I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport there was a minus 82% decline in that period when compared to the same period as the previous year," said Taufan Yudhistir, Stakeholder Relation Manager of PT Angkasa Pura I's (Persero) Branch Office at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Bali International Airport. Total passenger traffic in that period was recorded at 196,295 passengers, while in the previous year the same period had served 1,118,665 passengers. Nationwide, cargo traffic actually experienced growth of 10.54% to 19,666,619 kg from 17,790,968 kg in the same period last year.
Context: In addition to the holiday numbers, the country’s Central Statistics Agency (BPS) released final figures for November air traffic and said that overall domestic passenger volume was up 33% from October, rising to 2.97 million compared to 2.22 million. International arrivals in the same period rose 15.80% to 44,700. Final numbers for all of December are not yet available.
"Jembrana Licensing Service is Closed Because Eight Staff Affected by Covid-19" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): The Department of Investment, One Stop Integrated Service and Jembrana Manpower, since Monday (4/1) is temporarily closed for the next week. The temporary closure of the service is due to the Covid-19 transmission of employees serving in the service department. "The service officers in front are all positive," explained Head of the Investment Service, One Stop Integrated Service and Manpower Jembrana, Komang Suparta. A total of 38 service employees will undergo swabs because they are in close contact as well as for officer screening to ensure that no one is positivity and so that services are not interrupted.
"To Intensify River Cleaning to Prevent Overflows, Denpasar City PUPR Service Deploys 16 Trucks" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): The Head of DPUPR Denpasar City, I Nyoman Ngurah Jimmy Sidarta, when confirmed, revealed that the Denpasar City DPUPR through the DPUPR Blue Troops and Natural Resources Controllers carried out river channel cleaning which was carried out in the area of ??Jalan Hangtuah, salter Jalan Moh. Yamin, Tukad Loloan Sanur Kauh, Pemogan River, Waribang River, and Tukad Badung Utara Taman Kumbasari. "The cleaning of the river is an anticipation of water overflow due to increased rainfall and increased waste volume," explained Jimmy Sidharta. In carrying out this cleaning, his party managed to transport 129 cubic meters of garbage with a total fleet of 16 trucks.
"Tofu and Tempe Strikes: Shortages Possible" from Indonesia Expat: Tofu and tempe craftsmen were on a production and sales strike for three days, from 1-3rd January. This action may continue depending on whether the government agrees to increase the prices of tofu and tempe in the market... Chairman of the Indonesian Tempe and Tofu Cooperatives Association, Aip Syarifuddin, said that whether he wanted it or not, he had to make this decision because the price of soybeans had risen abnormally. Currently, the price of soybeans is up to Rp. 9,200 per kilo, with some even being sold for more than Rp. 10,000 per kilo. The normal price is Rp. 6,500-7,000 per kilo.
Context: High soybean prices are having a deleterious effect on tofu & tempeh producers here in Bali, with many having to shrink their output in order to reduce their labor costs enough to cover the new cost of the raw materials, as well as package smaller portions to keep customer costs stable. Retail price hikes have been met with resistance from an already cash-strapped public, putting producers in a tight spot. This situation could result in shortages and/or the businesses that produce these staple products going under.
"ICRG Program Exceeds Target, 16,000 Structures Submerged in the Buleleng Sea" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): A total of 16,000 coral reef structures were successfully submerged in the Buleleng sea under the Indonesia Coral Reef Restoration (ICRG) program. The fragments were dropped off in the waters of Baktiseraga Village, Kalibukbuk Village, Tukadmungga Village, Pacung Village, Bondalem Village, and Tejakula Village, with a depth of 7-15 meters. This area will be managed by residents as a marine park covering an area of ??7 hectares which will produce more fish and become a new underwater tourist attraction. Tens of thousands of coral reef structures were submerged at an average depth of 10-15 meters.
"Bali Police 2021: Achievement & Challenges" from Bali Discovery: Bali’s newly appointed Provincial Chief of Police, Inspector General Putu Jayan Danu Putra, has outlined the five main challenges he will tackle as the head of the Island’s constabulary. General Jayan Putra’s broad focus in 2021 will be on radicalism, intolerance, and gangster activities. General Jayan Putra explained that Bali has one police officer for every 329 citizens. The police’s total personnel in Bali now stands at 12,303 people, with an additional 685 supporting civil servants... Amidst the continuing pandemic, Bali police report that the number of criminal cases in 2020 declined from the previous year by 32.66%. In 2019, police on the Island recorded 2,921 criminal cases, while as 2020 drew to a close, only 1,927 cases were on the books. Police were able to solve 77.09% of the criminal cases in 2019, improving to 88.08% in 2020.
The View from Outside
"Bali's Beaches Buried In Tide of Plastic Rubbish During Monsoon Season" from The Guardian: Bali’s famous beaches are being strewn by plastic rubbish in what experts say is becoming an annual event thanks to monsoon weather, poor waste management and a global marine pollution crisis. Wayan Puja, from the Badung area’s environment and sanitation agency, said: “We have been working really hard to clean up the beaches, however the trash keeps coming. Every day we deploy our personnel, trucks and loaders.”
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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