Tuesday, March 9
Island sets goals of 20k vaccinations per day, Phase II completion in June & herd immunity by Dec. + With Nyepi on Sunday, Christian services to be held virtually + Chili prices top 120k/kg + more!
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NYEPI REMINDER: The annual Hindu holiday will be observed this coming weekend, on Sunday, March 14. All travel and commerce will be paused, and people are expected to observe a “Silent Day” from 06:00 local time on Sunday until 06:00 local time on Monday. During that period, all broadcast TV, radio, and data (cellular 4G) services are scheduled to be stopped. Home internet + some public wifi service is set to continue as normal. Traditional processions will be allowed so long as participation is limited to 50 people, but regular Sunday services for Christians will be held virtually. You can find more information on Nyepi and the regulations surrounding it here. NOTE: The Bali Beat’s morning news edition will not publish on Monday, March 15 in observance of the holiday, but the evening Covid-19 update will publish as normal.
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: The island's numbers new case numbers got back up to the 200 level yesterday (barely). Recoveries stayed higher, so the In Treatment number continues to fall. Deaths inched back up, but not to the high levels seen last week.
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
"Bali Targets 20,000 Injections of Vaccines Every Day" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): The Bali Province Covid-19 Handling Task Force aims to advance the completion of vaccinations for the state civil servants (ASN), TNI / Polri, and the elderly (Elderly). In the future, 20,000 vaccine shots are targeted per day in Bali, so that the entire vaccination program can be completed in December 2021. Secretary of the Bali Province Covid-19 Handling Task Force, I Made Rentin, targets the vaccination for ASN Bali Provincial Government to be completed between April and June 2021.
"Papuan Student Demonstration in Bali Disbanded Police and Pecalang" from iNews Bali (Indonesian): Police and pecalang groups broke up the demonstration of dozens of Papuan students in Denpasar, Bali. Dozens of students fought back when asked to dismiss the action. "We from the police took firm action but were still humanist," said Denpasar Police Chief Kombes Jansen Avitus Panjaitan. Jansen said that the dissolution was because Denpasar is currently implementing Restrictions on Community Activities (PPKM). Police have briefed the students to cancel the demonstration.
"Nyepi Celebration Fall on Sunday, Christian Service Via Virtual" from Bisnis Bali (Indonesian): Christian worship in Gianyar to coincide with the celebration of the 1943 Caka New Year Nyepi Day on March 14, 2021, which will be held virtually. Gianyar Regional Secretary I Made Gede Wisnu Wijaya said the policy was related to the Nyepi prohibition that did not allow people to leave the house. The decision to virtually worship has received mutual agreement. "Given that the celebration of Nyepi Day, people are not allowed to leave the house, Christians really respect this and carry out worship virtually," he said.
Context: Authorities have said that traditional melasti processions may proceed on Sunday, so long as they are limited to 50 people. Police have said that they will not send out patrols to enforce this rule.
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Other Headlines
"The Capacity of the Prison to Replace 1,000 Inmates, the Kerobokan Prison to Become a Detention Center" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): Head of the Corrections Division (Kadivpas) of the Bali Regional Office of Law and Human Rights, Suprapto, said that the relocation of Kerobokan Prison was purely for the development of law enforcement. Currently, Kerobokan Class IIA Prison is inhuman. "Honestly, in Kerobokan it is no longer humane. Kapastias 300s inhabited 1,500 people. It was very crowded inside, they didn't wear clothes because of the heat, ”said Suprapto. It also cannot refuse new prisoners because the crime continues. If this new prison is built, its capacity can accommodate more than 1,000 people. The new prison will be upgraded to first class. Meanwhile, the Class IIA Kerobokan prison was converted into a first class detention center. "Ideally, a provincial city like Denpasar has a prison and detention center. Denpasar as the provincial capital does not yet have a remand center," he said.
Health Protocols (Prokes) & Patrols
Badung: "In This Area, Many Cafes Found Violating Prokes" from The Bali Post (Indonesian)
Buleleng: "Thousands of Prokes Violators Netted in Buleleng, Thousands Unable to Pay Fines" from The Bali Post (Indonesian)
Gianyar: "Covid-19 Still High, Nyepi in Gianyar Bali Implements Strict Prokes" from iNews Bali (Indonesian)
Vaccination Update
"Health Ministry: Public Vaccination Starts September" from Indonesia Expat: After the vulnerable groups, the general public will receive the vaccine from September. The total target is about 194 million doses for 97 million people. Indonesia’s vaccination program is targeted to be completed in March 2022, noting the availability of vaccines. If the vaccine arrives sooner and the Red and White vaccine is produced early, the process will be faster. However, if the opposite happens, the vaccination process may take longer.
More...
Nation: "Indonesia Gets Over 1 mln Astrazeneca Shots Under Covax Scheme" from Antara
"Tens of Thousands of PMI Failed to Go Abroad" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): Data from the Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Agency (BP2MI) delivered by the Head of the Legal and Public Relations Bureau, Sukmo Yuwono, said that in 2020, 200,000 Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI) who worked in a number of sectors around the world returned home. In addition, there were also 87,000 PMIs whose departure had been postponed due to the pandemic situation. He also did not deny that many PMIs came from Bali. “Bali has many PMIs who work on cruise ships, spa therapists, agriculture, and marine fisheries as well. We hope that our fellow migrant workers will remain enthusiastic and we hope that they will work again abroad through official channels, after the pandemic has subsided,” said Sukmo.
"Bali Robusta Coffee Demand Increases Drastically" from Bali Bisnis (Indonesian): Robusta coffee producers from Bali have experienced an increase in demand by 30% in 2020 along with the number of shops that offer the latest iced milk coffee drinks. Robusta coffee has a more bitter taste than Arabica coffee, so it is chosen as a mixture of contemporary drinks. This year, the demand for Robusta coffee is predicted to continue to increase. This is due to the fact that Robusta coffee is more affordable in terms of price, and coffee lovers in the form of contemporary drinks continue to grow along with the proliferation of new coffee shop outlets.
"Pandemic and Gender Development in Bali Province" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) of Bali Province released one of the indicators of gender development development, namely the Gender Development Index (IPG). This index is calculated with reference to the new methodology recommended by the United Nations Development Programs (UNDP) in 2010 by considering three dimensions, namely the dimension of longevity and health, the dimension of knowledge, then the dimension of a decent life. The IPG of Bali Province in 2020 was reported to reach 93.79. This means that the achievement of the female population from the three aspects taken into account in the IPG tends to be lower than that of the male population. The highest IPG was recorded in Denpasar City which reached 96.77. A value that is close to 100 indicates that the inequality between men and women is not too far away or tends towards balance.
"The Price of Chili in Denpasar Has Skyrocketed to Reach Rp120,000 Per Kilogram" from iNews Bali (Indonesian): The price of chilies in Denpasar Bali has skyrocketed to Rp120,000 per kilogram. Both traders and buyers felt the impact of this increase. For traders, the skyrocketing price of chilies caused sales to drop dramatically. Buyers only buy chilies in small quantities. The information obtained shows that the increase in chili prices in Denpasar Bali is related to crop failure in a number of chili supply areas due to bad weather.
Of Interest
"Floods in Jimbaran, Kuta-Nusa Dua Traffic is Paralyzed for 3 Hours" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian)
"‘Cina’ to ‘Tionghoa’: Why Do Indonesians Use English to Talk About the Chinese?" from The South China Morning Post
"How Disney+’s Indonesian Rivals Plan to Fight Back" from Tech in Asia (Paywall)
"Bali Police Officer Arrested For Stealing Jewelry" from The Bali Sun
"Flight Delayed after Passenger Opens Emergency Window" from The Jakarta Globe
"In Bangli, Dozens of Dog Bite Cases Reported in 2020" from The Bali Post (Indonesian)
"Speeding Gilimanuk - Mengwi Toll Road, National Park Proposes to Build Animal Corridors" from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
"Construction Of The Southern Ring Road, Plans To Start Work In 2022" from Bali Prawara (Indonesian)
The View from Outside
"The Year Bali Tourism Stopped" from ABC News: Just over a year ago, at the peak of the boom, Wayan and his wife Riza borrowed money and poured their life savings into a holiday bungalow in Lembongan. Riza would manage the business while Wayan earned a stable wage in a high-end resort. They had hardly welcomed their first guest when COVID struck. “After the pandemic hit us, we were in the throes,” he says. “What should we do to be able to survive?” The answer would reveal just how much Wayan and the people of his islands had come to rely on a seemingly endless stream of visitors to Bali: “We had no choice but to go back to nature.”
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 TheBaliBeat@outlanders.global.
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