Tuesday, November 24
AstraZeneca vaccine is 90% effective (kind of) + Govt looks to shorten year-end holiday as country passes 500k cases + E-visas now open to Israelis, citizens of other "high-risk" countries + more!
Good morning! Welcome to The Bali Beat for Tuesday, November 24. 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.
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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: The (relative) explosion of cases in Jembrana over the weekend has been attributed to the mass swab testing of election officials there, with 37 testing positive so far. 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
"AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine Can Be 90% Effective, Results Show" from Reuters: The vaccine developed by Oxford University was 90% effective in preventing COVID-19 when it was administered as a half dose followed by a full dose at least one month apart, according to data from the late-stage trials in Britain and Brazil. No serious safety events related to the vaccine have been confirmed and it was well tolerated across both dosing regimens, it said... AstraZeneca's vaccine can be distributed more easily [than Pfizer or Moderna's vaccines] because it can be kept at refrigerator temperature, unlike the drugs from Pfizer and Moderna which have to be stored frozen. That would make the AstraZeneca shot easier to transport and store globally, particularly in lower and middle-income countries.
(Ed. Note: AstraZeneca is the “primary alternate” source for a vaccine for the Indonesian government after Sinovac, with 100 million doses already pre-purchased for distribution here. From all media accounts, the results from AstraZeneca’s Phase 3 trials are sound, with the vastly lower cost and simpler logistics requirements making it a boon to poor and developing countries. However, there are some caveats. The dosage process that was 90% effective was only given to about 3,000 participants in the study, while the rest went through the process that produced results that were 70% effective. While the 70% mark would still be acceptable by WHO standards, it is not yet understood why the different dosages produced different results, and the relatively small number of people who got the modified doses could delay approval of the vaccine in some countries until more people receive that combination. The New York Times has a comprehensive summary of AstraZeneca’s announcement, which I highly encourage you to read. You can find it here. For those who desire even more details, check out the journal Science’s coverage here.)
"President Joko Widodo May Shorten End-Of-Year Break: Minister" from Coconuts: The president held a cabinet meeting this morning, discussing a plan previously suggested by the National COVID-19 Task Force to shorten or altogether cancel the government-mandated collective leave days from Christmas to New Year’s Day. “In regards to the holiday, the collective leave days at the end of the year, the president has instructed that it be shortened,” Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy said. The government is becoming increasingly concerned about Indonesians seeing out 2020 with health protocol violations. Muhadjir noted the decision is pending an imminent meeting between the ministry and agencies related to the matter. The minister did not say how much the break will likely be shortened by.
(Ed. Note: Another media report said that President Widodo had already decided to shorten the holiday, but has not decided how much it would be reduced by. Also, as part of the government’s study to determine whether to extend, leave alone, or cancel the end of year holiday period, the Finance Minister announced that the long holiday at the end of October did not increase economic activity, but “instead increased the number of Cobid-19 cases.”)
"Indonesia Passes 500,000 Coronavirus Cases" from The Jakarta Globe: The total number of coronavirus cases in Indonesia passed the half a million mark on Monday, or 267 days since the country’s first cases were confirmed on March 2. The grim milestone was reached after 4,442 more infections were recorded in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 502,110. It took 148 days for the country to record its first 100,000 cases, and another 43 days for it to see the total number of cases passing the 200,000 mark. Since then, an additional of 100,000 cases have come in almost every month.
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Other Headlines
"Indonesia to Resume Calling Visa Process for Israel, Seven Other Countries" from The Jakarta Post: Indonesia plans to resume accepting visa applications [via the new e-visa process] from residents of eight countries that require a calling visa for entry starting Monday following a temporary suspension imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic, an immigration official has said. Those on the list were Afghanistan, Guinea, Israel, North Korea, Cameroon, Liberia, Nigeria and Somalia, said Arvin Gumilang, a spokesperson of the Immigration Directorate General at the Law and Human Rights Ministry.
"Qantas Boss Says COVID-19 Vaccination to Be Compulsory for International Flights" from 9 News: The Qantas CEO told A Current Affair host Tracy Grimshaw once a vaccine becomes available, they will be changing terms and conditions for travel. He said while they will have to see what they do for domestic travel, the vaccination will be required for international travel... "For international travellers that we will ask people to have a vaccination before they get on the aircraft. Certainly, for international visitors coming out and people leaving the country we think that's a necessity." And Mr Joyce said it won't only be something required in Australia, but around the world.
"Jokowi Calls for Stringent Health Protocol Implementation On Voting Day" from Antara: President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) reiterated his call, Monday, for home minister, police chief, and COVID-19 task force to specifically prioritize handling the COVID-19 pandemic on voting day of this year's Dec-9 scheduled simultaneous regional elections. "Less than two weeks from now, the voting day will have taken place. This must not disrupt our huge efforts to handle the novel coronavirus pandemic and to recover our economy," he stated.
"Tabanan Education Office Prepares Face-to-Face Learning Scenarios During Covid" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): The Tabanan Regency Education Office (Disdik) has not dared to determine whether face-to-face learning can be implemented or not. The face-to-face learning policy must be agreed to by all parties including the Tabanan Regency Covid-19 Task Force and parents of students. Head of Disdik I Nyoman Putra said, in principle, education policy amid the Covid-19 pandemic is still the same. The health and safety of students, educators, and guardians of students remains the top priority... "We have prepared technical scenarios for the application of face-to-face learning health protocols (prokes). Where each class is only allowed half or 50 percent of the class capacity. The learning model is simplified, especially about the lesson time, which was previously one subject hour to 20-35 minutes," he explained.
"Swab Test Results of 544 Members of the Tabanan Police" from Berita Bali (Indonesian): Hundreds of members of the Tabanan Police have undergone Covid-19 checks with a swab or swab test. As a result 544 members have tested negative. Apart from conducting investigations at the Tabanan Police, this program continues at the polsek. Polri, as the function of guidance and supervision of personnel, continues to appeal to members of the Tabanan Police and their families to continue implementing health protocols. "Always be aware of the spread of Covid-19 , and hope that no member is exposed," he said.
"1,428 People Have Been Fined in Bali, Offenders Using Masks for 3 Months Have Reached 9,359" from The Bali Tribune (Indonesian): From this data, as many as 1,428 violators were subject to a fine of Rp. 100,000 per person. Meanwhile, the other 7,931 offenders were given guidance. The highest number of health protocol violations occurred in Badung, with 2,531 violators.
The View from Outside
"'We Just Wait for A Miracle': Bali Faces Its Biggest Crisis As COVID-19 Leaves Hundreds Starving" from The Sydney Morning Herald: International border closures in April delivered a terminal blow to Bali’s economy, obliterating the tourism industry and leaving a hole worth billions of dollars. Government data places unemployment rates at 7.5%, but not-for-profit organisations estimate the reality to be much higher – closer to 80%, with official statistics unreliable due to the amount of people not registered as either employed or unemployed. The situation has become so dire some are struggling to feed their families, pay bills, or afford essentials like baby formula, nappies, and medicine. Others are selling their cars, scooters, businesses and personal belongings in a desperate bid to make ends meet.
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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