Wednesday, August 19
Imigrasi confirms delay of emergency extension & visa application deadline until Sep. 20 + Govt to cap prices for on-demand swab tests + Klungkung hospital sees 6 births by reactive moms + 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)
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.
The Big News
"Foreigners Asked to Apply for Onshore Visas by Sept. 20" from Antara: Foreign nationals holding permits of stay originating from visas on arrival (VOA), single or multi-entry visas, APEC Business Travel Cards (ABTC), or crew members of transport means, and those who have secured emergency/force majeure stay permits (ITKT) need to extend their stay permit or apply for visa approval and report to the local immigration office by September 20, 2020 at the latest... Foreign nationals holding visit visas, temporary resident permits, or permanent resident permits that have expired and cannot be extended in accordance with the law and have secured emergency/force majeure stay permits (ITKT) have also been asked to apply for visa approval and report to the local immigration office by September 20, 2020. (Ed. Note: You can read Imigrasi's official announcement on their Instagram account here.)
"Government Prepares A Low Cost for COVID-19 Swab Test" from Antara (Indonesian): "We immediately set the price so that it is not too high, which has led to objections from the public for the swab test," said Wiku Adisasmito, spokesman for the COVID-19 Task Force. The cost of the swab test using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method will be implemented in private health facilities to accommodate people who want to carry out the test independently... Wiku said the government still eliminates the cost of swabbing patients at government referral health facilities or the cost of swab tests for the purpose of tracing patients' close contacts. "In principle, if the patient is carried out at a government referral health facility, the swab test is free, likewise for contact tracing , the swab test is the responsibility of the government," he explained. (Ed. Note: The government’s announcement does not specify what the price of a swab test will be.)
"Within A Week, Six Pregnant women Indicated by Covid-19 Gave Birth at Klungkung Regional Hospital" from The Bali Tribune (Indonesian): according to Managing Director of Klungkung Hospital, Dr. Nyoman Kesuma, in this week, there were six pregnant women suspected of being infected with Covid-19 ho gave birth at Klungkung Hospital. Before giving birth they have undergone rapid and the results are reactive... "For the results of the Swab, we are still waiting because it has not been released. Thank God, the mothers and babies can be handled safely. Currently the babies are also being treated in a special room, and their vital conditions continue to be monitored," said Dr. Kesuma.
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Other Headlines
"British Foreigner Found Dead in Bali Boarding House Had Negative Swab Test Results" from iNews Bali (Indonesian): A 73-year-old British man was found dead by his caretaker in Denpasar on Tuesday. The victim's body was evacuated by medical officers of the Denpasar Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) to Sanglah Central General Hospital (RSUP) for post-mortem. The cause of death of the victim is not yet known. However, according to residents' information, the victim had undergone a rapid test and a swab test before dying. The results of the victim's swab test stated that he was negative for Covid-19.
"3 Denpasar District Court Judges Test Positive for Coronavirus" from Detik News (Indonesian): Three judges and two substitute clerks at the Denpasar District Court, Bali, tested positive for the Corona virus (COVID-19). Therefore, the Denpasar District Court will be closed for the next 2 weeks, during which spraying of disinfectants will be carried out to prevent the spread of the coronavirus... Trials at the Denpasar District Court for criminal cases whose detention period is about to end will continue, but with very strict health protocols. Meanwhile, for criminal cases where the detention period is still long, the trial will be postponed for up to two weeks. Meanwhile, in civil cases, the majority of the trial was adjourned.
"Kuta Rises from Covid-19, Holds Kites and Surfers Competition on the Beach" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): Hundreds of kites flew on Kuta Beach during the celebration of the 75th Independence Day of Indonesia on Monday. The kite competition, which is held by LPM Kelurahan Kuta, is at the same time coupled with the implementation of the Community Service Month (BBMGR) in Kuta Village. Apart from kite competitions, a surfing contest was also held which was participated by a number of surfers in Bali.
"Number of Red Zones Declines" from Antara: The number of high-risk districts/cities fell to 29, while the number of districts/cities with a moderate risk of infection rose to 237 compared to the previous week. There was a rise in the number of low-risk areas turning into moderate risk areas. Meanwhile, 174 districts/cities were still classified as low-risk areas or yellow zones, a decline compared to the previous week. The number of areas which saw no new COVID-19 cases in the past week, or green zones, stood at 42, while 32 districts/cities were declared free of the disease... “It is worth noting that 18 high-risk districts/cities turned into moderate-risk zones in the past week. This is good development. However, at the same, some 49 low-risk districts/cities turned into moderate-risk zones,” said Wiku Adisasmito, spokesperson for the country's Covid-19 Task Force. (Ed. Note: The government's district-level Covid-19 risk map can be found here.)
"BI Office in Bali Serves UPK Exchange of IDR 75,000 by Drive Thru" from The Bali Tribune (Indonesian): The Bank of Indonesia (BI), has officially issued Independence Commemoration Money (UPK), with a face value of IDR 75,000. The limited-run denomination has seen as many as 75 million notes printed throughout Indonesia, with 1 million sent to Bali. To avoid the spread of Covid-19, KPwBI Bali limits the exchange of UPK75 to be ordered individually and collectively via the link https://pintar.bi.go.id... "After that, the customer will get the queue number and hour. So there is no crowd,” explained Trisno Nugroho, Head of BI Bali. In addition, when exchanging currency for the UPK75 note, customers must bring their original KTP. Because of the limited run, each person will be limited to one note.
"BRSU's Toxic Waste Increases by 35%" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): According to data from BRSU Tabanan, the largest hospital in Tabanan, in 2020 the volume of B3 medical waste reached 6,905.15 kg in January, February 6,463.26 kg, March 5,878.38 kg, April 5,829.99 kg, May 6,286.95 kg, June 7,338.03 kg and July 7,589.86 kg... Head of the Non-Medical Support Division of BRSU Tabanan, Dr. Dodi Setiawan, said that during the pandemic, medical waste has increased by 30-40%. This increase is because now the medical supplies, especially medical personnel, are more than before the pandemic." The total volume of B3 medical waste from January to July 2020 reached 42,291.62 kilograms," he said.
The View from Outside
"'Checkmate': Stranded Australians Tackle Bali's Murky Visa System Since They Can't Afford to Come Home" from The Sydney Moring Herald: Fears Australian holidaymakers would face hefty fines if they didn't leave Bali by August 20 have eased after Indonesian immigration announced it would allow tourists an extra month to be granted new visas... The Indonesian Institute's Ross Taylor said many of the 3,000 Australian short-stay visa-holders in Bali had sought a six-month social visa, which required a local sponsor and meant stepping around the usual laws of immigration; "so it does take you into a slightly murky, complex world. People, I understand, are going to where the accommodation is and get to know the people at the hotel, saying: ‘Look is there someone where we pay you X amount of dollars, would you agree to be an authority that gives us the letter you need?’” Dr. Taylor said.
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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