Wednesday, May 27
Garuda & Citilink to require swab tests, entry permit for all Jakarta flights + Stricter requirements imposed for Bali entry + Final Rapid Tests conducted in Badung outbreak, with 27 reactive + more!
Good morning! Welcome to the COVID-19 Update for Bali for Wednesday, May 27. 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. But if you would like to support my work, please consider taking up a voluntary subscription at US$5/month. Thanks!
Status Update
National Numbers:
Bali Numbers:
Regency Numbers
Key: Blue = Infected | Yellow = In Treatment | Green = Recovered | Red = Died
Map of Confirmed Cases Distribution:
Key: Red = Infected | Green = Recovered | Black = Died
Bali 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 Total Confirmed Cases Distribution map & Regency Numbers figures come from the Bali Provincial Government's data collection department (link).
The 30-day trend charts have been compiled using daily government data.
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.
The Big News
"Garuda to Require Entry Permits from Jakarta-bound Passengers" from The Jakarta Post: National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia will require Jakarta-bound passengers to present an exit and entry permit (SIKM) for the city prior to boarding from Tuesday onward, as the country attempts to curb COVID-19 transmission while reopening the economy... All passengers who wish to board flights to Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport must also show medical letters from hospitals stating that they are COVID-19 negative based on a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, according to a circular letter issued by the company on Tuesday. Passengers can file a SIKM request via the Jakarta administration’s website at https://corona.jakarta.go.id/id/izin-keluar-masuk-jakarta. Garuda’s low-cost carrier subsidiary, Citilink, is also preparing to announce the same requirements for its passengers, the company's president director Juliandra Nurtjahjo said. (Ed. Note: There is no information in this piece about whether there are accommodations in the entry permit requirements for passengers who intend to change terminals in order to transit through the airport, nor if other airlines plan to impose similar swab test restrictions. Check with your airline if you have any plans to travel!)
"Terms of Entry to Bali Are Getting Tighter" from The IDN Times (Indonesian): A Rapid Test is an absolute requirement for anyone who will enter the island of Bali. Especially for migrants who have the potential to return to Bali post-Eid. Bali Province regional secretary, Dewa Made Indra, said that his office had coordinated this with the Banyuwangi Regency Government to tighten the entrance through the Ketapang Port. In addition to these conditions, the following are other conditions that must be met in order to enter Bali:
COVID-19 Free Certificate
Personal identity
Kipem
References letter
Must fill in data in the Self Check application .
Those who do not meet the requirements will be turned around.
"Residents of Mount Lempuyang In Badung Finally Take Rapid Tests, 27 Are Reactive" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): After briefly refusing to submit to Rapid Tests, residents of the Lempuyang Mountain Alley community, Banjar Sayan, Werdi Bhuana Village, Mengwi District, Badung finally agreed to be tested by the Badung District Health Office as part of its effort to test all 1,200 people in the area... "The results of the examination as a whole, declared 27 people Reactive and all have been submitted to the Sloam Hospital in Denpasar," said Mengwi Police Chief Commissioner I Gede Eka Putra Astawa.
Other Headlines
"Task Force Prepares Two Checkpoints" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): In anticipation of return of people to the island after Eid, Jembrana's Covid-19 Task Force has prepared an inspection site in Gilimanuk. Head of the Jembrana Maritime Transportation and Fisheries Office, I Made Maharimbawa, said that the task force was ready for the Idul Fitri 2020 backflow. Bali has issued regulations related to the movement of people whose purpose is unclear and that mandatory negative rapid test results were required for anyone seeing to cross over. "The test is excluded for health, logistics, service and security officers," he said... As for those who have returned home, he continued, must carry a certificate of origin and a letter of rapid test. "We are asked to check and monitor the people who cross to Bali. Those who have been crossing over are checking body temperature or rapid tests. If service users are found positive, from Java it will be returned," he said.
"Bali Reopening to Tourists: Everything You Need to Know" from The Bali Sun: There has been plenty of talk and confusion on Bali reopening to tourism. Here is everything you need to know about when and how Bali will open to tourists. First things first: When will Bali open their borders to international tourists? There is no official date that has been announced by the Indonesian or Bali governments. Speculation has ranged between June and October... "If the infection curve continued to improve, the tourism ministry is looking to revitalize destinations and do promotional work for some parts of the country, including Bali, between June and October," Ni Wayan Giri Adnyani, secretary of the ministry, said in a statement.
"Bali Is Still Compiling New Era Bali Life Protocols" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): Bali Governor Wayan Koster said that the Provincial Government is working on the process for opening the island to a "New Bali Era" and that the rules will not pose a risk to the public and will have no impact on causing Covid-19 transmission... The process is being seriously considered and prepared as if Bali had already begun to open, and they will map which sectors would be opened in stages. According to him, the sector that was opened first was the safest, the risk was the smallest and there was no transmission. "We want the implementation to proceed with prudence. Be extra careful. There is no risk of causing the emergence of a second wave of cases later which will have a worse impact. Then also the mental readiness of the community. We will map out the eight regencies / cities in Bali," said the Governor.
"Denpasar City Government Imposes Sanctions On PKM Violators" from Antara (Indonesian): The Government of Denpasar City, has decided on how to impose sanctions in accordance with the mandate of Perwali Number 32 of 2020 concerning Restrictions on Community Activities (PKM) on the people who gathered in crowds over the weekend during the Covid-19 pandemic... "In accordance with Article 19 paragraph 1, 2 and 3 of the PKM, officers who regulate sanctions, it is clear that the application of regulated sanctions is administrative sanctions, which will be applied through reprimands, both oral and written, as well as direct coaching," said I Made Toya, Chairperson of the Denpasar City Covid-19 Task Force.
"Tabanan Will Not Open Tourist Sites" from The Bali Post (Indonesian): Tabanan Regent Ni Putu Eka Wiryastuti said that the most important thing now was how to provide health insurance to the community. Moreover, Tabanan is currently focusing on organizing after the holiday, with the hope that no new cases will emerge. And of course, inviting people to continue to do health procedures well such as wearing masks and applying social distancing, and there is a joint commitment if you really want to be able to return to normal conditions soon. The public was asked to be able to protect themselves more and to create normal conditions, said Regent Eka, the local government certainly needs the support of their own communities... "I do not want to risk my community, because people without symptoms are still wandering around. Who knows if someone [infected] comes to a tourist attraction? Then suddenly there will be a new cluster," he said.
"1,160 PMI from Tabanan Tested, 4 Confirmed Infections Have All Recovered" from The Bali Post (Indonesian): A total of 1,160 of the 1,165 Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI) from Tabanan regency who returned to Bali before March 22, have undergone rapid testing. Of them, 16 people showed reactive results and received a swab test, with 4 confirmed to be positive. All have undergone treatment in the isolation room at Nyitdah Hospital. "Everything is from Penebel sub-district and now all have been declared cured," said Putu Dian Setiawan, Spokesperson for Tabanan's Covid-19 Task Force... Only 5 PMI remain to be tested. "So there are only five people who have not yet had a rapid test, but will soon be scheduled," he said.
"Bracing for New Normal Tourism, Bali Beefs Up Health Protocols" from Tempo: Tourism players in Bali under the Indonesian Hotel General Manager Association (IHGMA) are gearing up for the new normal tourism in the province amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “An impartial new normal tourism must be developed in Bali, and we will support [the efforts] to make it happen,” said Bali IHGMA deputy chairman Ketut Swabawa. Swabawa said it was necessary to avoid a situation where hotels are built adhering to the COVID-19 health protocols but the transportation and the food supply sectors failed to follow suit. He also said a hotel with quality health standards would charge more than other hotels... IHGMA central board’s deputy chairman I Made Ramia Adnyana, meanwhile, said the Bali Tourism Agency was presently formulating an standard operating procedure (SOP) to ready the province for the new normal tourism. "The SOP will be distributed to all industries to brace for the new normal, beginning from anticipating arrivals at the airport, the immigration's health protocols, the transportation, checking-in at hotels, and so on," he said.
Non-Covid News of Note
"Nyi Roro Kidul Statue Placed In Nusa Dua ‘For Kicks’ Triggers Bali Residents" from Coconuts: The discovery of a Nyi Roro Kidul statue at the Waterblow tourist attraction in Nusa Dua made headlines and caused quite a stir over the weekend, leading to a public apology by the woman who said she placed it there more than a month ago. "The person might have done it just for the kicks," Yusak Agustinus, who heads South Kuta Police, said... Nyi Roro Kidul is an Indonesian goddess who is said to be the queen of the southern sea in both Javanese and Sundanese mythology. She is believed to have been the mythical spiritual consort of the sultans of Mataram and Yogyakarta.
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.
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.
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.
Common abbreviations to be familiar with:
PMI: Indonesian migrant worker
PSBB: Policy of extreme social distancing. Officially restricts forms of transportation and prohibits certain types of business from operating. Requires any permitted businesses to enforce strict social distancing guidelines.
OTG: Possible cases, with no symptoms.
ODP: Suspected cases, being monitored. People with fever or respiratory symptoms such as congestion, sore throat, cough, travel in countries or areas with local transmission, or contact with a confirmed case of Covid-19. Tracked and placed under out-patient observation.
PDP: Probable cases, under observation. People with acute respiratory illness with at least one symptom such as cough, sore throat, congestion, light or heavy pneumonia, and travel in countries or areas with local transmission, or contact with a confirmed case of Covid-19. Usually placed under observation in an isolation ward at a designated hospital pending swab testing results.
About This Newsletter
This newsletter is a product of Migration Media, the hub for stories from and about the international migrant experience.
Our standards
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.
For any questions, comments or tips, please contact us at newsletter@migrationmedia.net.