Wednesday, July 8
Govt says 35k swab tests have been conducted (5.5% positive rate) + Deputy Director of Unud Hospital blames "selfish" people for virus' spread + Hospitals say 2,000 more Covid beds are needed + more!
Good morning! Welcome to the COVID-19 Update for Bali for Wednesday, July 8. Please subscribe and share it with others in the foreigner community on the island. 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.* When signing up, select the "None" option and you'll get it delivered to your Inbox each day. If you would like to support my work, please consider making a voluntary contribution of US$5/month. Supporters receive an early update on the government’s daily infection & recovery numbers each night within an hour or so of their announcement… plus my enduring gratitude!
SPECIAL RECOMMENDATION: Yesterday's episode of The Daily, a podcast from The New York Times, featured an excellent overview of the latest developments in Covid-19 research:
Infection rates broke records across the United States over the holiday weekend, with many of the most severe surges in areas that reopened fastest. One thing that seems to have played a factor: transmission indoors, such as in restaurants and bars. We break down the risk and look at what else scientists have learned about the coronavirus and how it spreads.
It’s a U.S.-centric program, but the scientific research discussed comes from -and applies- the world over. The data is presented in a very easy to understand way, with proper context and caveats (where needed). You can find The Daily wherever you get your podcasts, or listen online here.
Status Update
National Numbers:
Bali Numbers:
Regency Numbers:
Confirmed Cases Distribution:
Key: Red = Infected | Green = Recovered | Black = Died
30-Day Trends:
More details on the locations of positive cases within each Regency, as well as the number of suspected cases ("ODP") and people under in-patient observation ("PDP"), can be found in charts & infographics on the websites of each Regency's Covid-19 Task Force:
Badung | Bangli | Buleleng | Denpasar City | Gianyar | Jembrana | Karangasem | Klungkung | Tabanan
Sources:
The national update comes from the Indonesia National Disaster Management Agency: @BNPB_Indonesia
The Bali Numbers infographic comes from the Bali Provincial Government COVID-19 Task Force (link).
The Confirmed Cases Distribution map & Regency Numbers figures come from the Bali Provincial Government's data collection department (link).
NOTE: While the national government includes daily testing totals in its infographic, Bali’s provincial government does not routinely release this data, so it is not included.
The Big News
"Bali Task Force Has Conducted Covid-19 Rapid Tests On 161,526 People" from Antara (Indonesian): The Chair of Bali's Covid-19 Task Force (GTPP), Dewa Made Indra, announced that the Province has conducted 161,526 rapid tests on people as part of their contact tracing process, "While 34,974 people have been swab tested," he said... Dewa Indra said that there were 730 patients in the care category without symptoms (OTG) under quarantine. They were quarantined at Bapelkesmas, UPT Nyitdah, Wisma Bima, Ibis Hotels, Gran Mega Hotels and BPK Pering. While as many as 151 patients are being treated in 14 referral hospitals spread across 9 regencies / cities throughout Bali.
*Ed. Note: Given the swab testing figures announced, the 1,940 confirmed cases of Covid-19 on the island represent a 5.5% positivity rate. This is below Indonesia's average of 11.5%, and just above the 5% level that the WHO says a region needs to maintain for 14 days in order for them to safely reopen from lockdown. Unfortunately, Bali's government does not provide regular updates on their testing numbers, so we have no way to tell if the rate of positives has been falling, climbing, or holding steady- or for how long.
"Dr. Arya: Medical Staff Overpowered Due to Recalcitrant Community" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): From a stubborn community comes overwhelmed medical personnel. This statement was conveyed by the Deputy Director of Medical and Nursing Services at Unud University Hospital Dr. Arya Biantara. The doctor asked all parties to open their eyes and hearts in response to the death of the Director of Puri Raharja Hospital Dr. I Nyoman Sutedja MPH due to Covid-19 infection at Unud PTN Hospital... "Medical personnel are overwhelmed by unbelief. The capacity of the hospital may also be insufficient because there are more local transmissions with parents who are very susceptible," he said.
"As Covid-19 Skyrockets, ARSSI Suggests Bali Provincial Government Add 1,000 Beds" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): In anticipation of the growing number of patients, had of the Indonesian Private Hospital Association (ARSSI) Bali, Dr. IBG Fajar Manuaba, Sp.OG, MARS has requested the Government of the Province of Bali to prepare 1,000 beds for the care of positive patients with Covid-19 and another 1,000 beds as a backup in the form of quarantine... "If not all have symptoms, but they are positive, they can still transmit the virus to others. So they must be strictly quarantined, up to twice the negative Swab-PCR test results." However, at any time this condition could be unstable. Moreover, the Bali Provincial Government has planned a new normalcy (the new normal) starting on July 9, 2020 "which should have been well prepared especially in terms of speeding up the capacity of the treatment room and quarantine for the Covid-19 case," said Dr. Fajar.
Other Headlines
"Difficulty in Breathing, a 19-Year-old PDP Died in Klungkung District Hospital" from The Bali Tribune (Indonesian): A 19-year-old male patient from Gegelang Village, Manggis District, Karangasem breathed his last breath at Klungkung Regional Hospital, Tuesday. The teenager was a patient under surveillance (PDP), because he had been experiencing symptoms of coughing, fever, shortness of breath, and difficulty breathing. The patient entered an unstable condition with symptoms of fever, cough for 4 days, shortness of breath to difficulty breathing.
"Enthusiastic People of Abianbase Indigenous Village Take Rapid Tests, 3 Reactive People" from The Bali Tribune (Indonesian): Badung's Covid-19 Task Force conducted rapid tests on 683 residents in the second phase of its survey of Abianbase Adat Village in Badung after 383 were tested in the days prior. 3 people returned reactive results and have been isolated pending the results of follow-up swab testing.
"Hundreds of Foreigners Stuck in Gilis, Lombok" from Indonesian Expat: Hundreds of foreign citizens are stranded on the three Gili islands, North Lombok. They haven’t been able to return home since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Indonesia in March. “These are tourists who have not been picked up by their home countries, ” said Head of the North Lombok Culture and Tourism Office Vidi Eka Kusuma... The foreigners, said Vidi, came as tourists, workers, and business owners. Although Gili is quiet, their lives there are guaranteed. “They get benefits from their countries,” he explained. He guaranteed that the foreigners are not neglected. Some restaurants and hotels are now open and serving those still in Gili.
Non-Covid News of Note
"Yogi Barred from Indonesia for 2 Years" from Bali Discovery: Wissam Barakah – the 45-year-old Syrian Yogi and life coach based in Ubud has been deported from Indonesia and banned from re-entering the country for two years. Barakah was formally placed on a plane by immigration officials on Friday, 3 July at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport.
"As of August 1, Transactions at 6 Digital Companies Are Subject to 10% VAT" from Kompas (Indonesian): The Director General of Taxes has appointed six global companies that meet the criteria of collecting value added tax ( VAT ) on digital goods and services sold to customers in Indonesia- Amazon Web Services Inc., Google Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, Google Ireland Ltd, Google LLC, Netflix International BV, and Spotify AB... "With this appointment, digital products and services sold by the six business actors will be subject to VAT collection starting August 1, 2020," wrote the Director of Counseling, Services and Public Relations at the Directorate General of Tax Hestu Yoga Saksama.
"Volcanic Activity at Mount Agung Dims, Danger Zone Changed to 2 Km" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): The status of Mount Agung is still at level III (standby). This was confirmed by the Head of BPBD Karangasem IB Ketut Arimbawa regarding an evaluation meeting of Gunung Agung's activities. Eruptions that may occur at this time can be in the form of stone / lava incandescent, ash rain or volcanic gases of dangerous potential around the peak area.
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 fund 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.
Resources
Important information for foreigners who are staying on the island, such as designated COVID-19 hospitals and emergency contact numbers, can be found by following this link.
The government has cancelled its visa-on-arrival process and rolled out enhanced entry requirements for people traveling to Indonesia; they have also granted automatic extensions to most foreigners who are still in the country on temporary stay visas. You can see a (translated) list of all of the relevant regulations on the Directorate General of Immigration & Ministry of Law and Human Rights' website here. You can see their confirmation of this policy on June 11 here, and see a cringe-inducing PSA here.
Local travel website Traveloka has a helpful page with a summary of what’s needed to travel to and within the country. You can also order a rapid test or swab (PCR) test via their platform: Link
The British Embassy in Jakarta has recently posted a great summary of the Indonesian government's travel restrictions on their Facebook page. You can read it here.
The EU has launched a website to help travelers stay informed about how member states will be accelerating the reopening of their borders. Through the “EU Re-open” website, travelers can enter the name of the country they wish to visit and find out the rules that will apply after each place's coronavirus lockdown. Information on the EU Re-open website and app will continue to be updated in line with the developments of the coronavirus pandemic.
If you are trying to plan travel anywhere, here are some of the best up-to-date resources that can help you:
IATA Travel Center Update - The International Air Transport Association is the global lobbying body for the aviation industry. Their Travel Information Manual Automatic (Timatic) database feeds into airlines' reservation systems, so it is the most reliable list of flight restrictions around.
Revolver Maps' Travel Restrictions Database - This list pulls directly from IATA's Timatic database and arranges the countries in lists that are easier to navigate and creates share-able links for every country. NOTE: This is a third-party service and they warn that the updates to their system can be delayed by several hours for certain countries.
Al Jazeera Travel Restriction & Border Shutdown Tracker - A companion list that includes less technical summaries of each country's travel restrictions, beyond just flights and airport access.
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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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 will polish the excerpt and/or write a short summary in proper English to help clarify the details.
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