Wednesday, October 14
Imigrasi announces eVisa process & cancels expired ITAS/ITAPs + Unrest continues over labor law + President to visit island to test vaccine distribution process that is set for December + more!
Good morning! Welcome to The Bali Beat for Wednesday, October 14. 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
*NOTE: BMKG Balai Besar Region III Denpasar has issued a High Wave Warning for today. Ocean waves as high as 0.25-2 meters are estimated to occur in the northern waters of Bali, 1.5-4 meters in the southern waters of Bali, 1-4 meters in the Bali Strait, and 1-4 meters in the Lombok Strait.
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: With recoveries outpacing new infections for 9 of the last 10 days, the number of active cases has fallen below 1,000 for the first time since September 4. Click here to see the national numbers infographic, trend charts, and a Regency-by-Regency breakdown of yesterday’s local numbers in our evening update.
The Big News
IMMMIGRATION UPDATE: Imigrasi has posted two new updates - one on the “soft launch” of the e-visa system, and the other the cancellation of expired ITAS/ITAP visas for those who are outside of Indonesia. For e-Visas, everything can be done online and from outside the country, with your visa sent to you via e-mail. You’ll still have to check-in at an Imigrasi office after arrival/issue. The announcement can be seen on Imigrasi’s Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages... Holders of expired ITAS/ITAP visas who are outside of Indonesia will no longer be allowed to enter on those documents. You must apply for a new visa using the e-Visa system. See the announcement on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
JOBS LAW UPDATE: Hard-line groups such as the Islam Defenders Front and the 212 Alumni Brotherhood rallied in Jakarta yesterday, but larger labor unions and student groups decided to hold off, keeping the crowds limited to just a couple thousand participants. Hundreds were arrested when the peaceful demonstration turned violent as the crowds began to disperse. Large sections of the city’s mero system ground to a halt as service was suspended in response to the unrest. (The bus stations that were damaged during the protests last week had all been repaired and reopened before the shutdown order.) More groups are expected to demonstrate today, and the city has deployed over 9,300 security personnel in preparation for the larger crowds. Here in Bali, the Bali Traditional Village Council has issued a letter banning protests within traditional villages. Chairman of the Bali Legislature, Nyoman Adi Wiryatama, declined to say explicitly whether he was for or against the bill ("No law is perfect”), but he encouraged any “polite” groups who wish to register complaints or discuss ways to improve it to visit is office. Meanwhile, Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto says foreign interference is behind the series of nationwide rallies against the Job Creation Law and called out protesters for falling for disinformation. And Finance Ministry Fiscal Policy Agency head Febrio Kacaribu said that the new law’s tax reforms will incentivize investment in the country.
"Indonesia to Begin Vaccine Programme in November 2020" from Indonesia Expat: The announcement was made by Minister of Health Terawan Agus Putranto after visiting China last weekend where the government has finalised the purchase of several vaccines. Terawan said that detailed preparations for the vaccination programme are being made, with priority given to health workers and security forces who are at the forefront of handling COVID-19... Indonesia will use vaccines from three companies, namely Cansino, G42/Sinopharm, and Sinovac. These have entered the final phases of their clinical trial third stage and are in the process of obtaining Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) in a number of countries, while already obtaining the EUA from the Chinese government in July 2020.
(Ed. Note: While the “programme” is set to begin in November, actual distribution of the vaccine is expected to commence in December. President Widodo will travel to Bali to participate in a “simulation” of the vaccination process to raise awareness. Bali will be one of the first areas to receive the vaccine, with recipients prioritized as follows: Front-line health & safety workers; followed by local religious and community leaders, such as village heads; then teachers; after that, government officials; and then the rest of the general public.)
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Other Headlines
"Mangusada Badung RSD PCR Laboratory is Ready to Be Tested for COVID-19" from Antara (Indonesian): A Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) device for wiping test to detect COVID-19, which is a grant from the Government of Bali Province for Mangusada Regional Hospital (RSD), Badung Regency, Bali, is ready to be tested on October 17. "We estimate that on October 17, the PCR lab will be tested. Before the trial, we will conduct training to Human Resources who will operate," said RSD Mangusada Director, dr. I Ketut Japa. With this tool, the hospital will be able to conduct an examination of 90 samples every day. According to Ketut Japa, with the PCR laboratory at RSD Mangusada, they can perform swab samples in the morning with the results of the inspection that can be known as quickly as possible in the afternoon in about 8-9 hours.
(Ed. Note: This will the 2nd new PCR testing facility to open in Bali within the last month, joining the new lab at Tabanan Hospital that began operations on September 23. Together, these labs will have added the capacity to handle an additional 150 samples per day. In addition, it was announced yesterday that Klungkung Hospital will be receiving a new PCR testing machine, with a capacity of 96 samples per day, from the national government. No word on exactly when that machine will be delivered, though.)
"Swab Test Prices Have Not Decreased At Several Hospitals in Bali" from The Bali Tribune (Indonesian): According to a circular letter from the Ministry of Health regarding the highest tariff [price] allowed for real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) checks, it is IDR 900,00. The tariff limit applies to people who carry out RT-PCR examinations at their own request. However, several hospitals and clinics in Denpasar and its surroundings were still observed to have not reduced the cost of the PCR Swab Test. One of them is Kasih Ibu Hospital... The independent PCR swab test at Kasih Ibu Hospital is currently still charged IDR 2,450,000 for 1-2 days of taking the test results. Director of Kasih Ibu Hospital Denpasar, dr. Wayan Kesumadana Sp.OG (K-Fer), when confirmed, said that the cause of the swab test rates had not been reduced because Kasih Ibu Hospital did not have PCR swab test kits. "Actually, we have taken the PCR swab test, but we are still cooperating with several other clinics and hospitals. Like the Prodia Clinic to send the results of the swab tests," he explained.
"'I Caught Covid19 In Bali'" from The Yak: After I got the result it was suggested I do self isolation at home for four weeks and that I should sleep in a different room from my husband and my son. The health workers were very helpful and my doctor checked up on me every day to see the progress... You can easily tell the difference between a normal cold and this virus. It feels completely different. I had dengue fever last year and the symptoms were almost the same except there was a lot more pain in the lungs, and I couldn’t smell or taste anything.
"Bali Primary School Teacher Apologizes After ‘Unintentionally’ Sending Porn to Students On WhatsApp Group" from Coconuts: A primary school teacher in Bangli regency recently sent an obscene video to his students on a WhatsApp group, which the teacher said was purely accidental. The students of a primary school in Kintamani district were attending an online class conducted via WhatsApp when they suddenly received the pornographic video from their teacher. The students went on to report the incident to their parents, who filed complaints to the school. Sulhadi, a spokesman from the Bangli Police, has confirmed the incident, explaining that the teacher has been summoned to a meeting with the parents, where he apologized for what happened. No further charges were filed against the teacher.
"BMKG Projects Above-normal Rainfall in 27.5% of Indonesian Territory" from Antara: "Above normal means it is out of the ordinary. The 27.5% regions comprise several areas in Sumatra, for instance, in Lampung, South Sumatra, West Sumatra, parts of Bengkulu, Riau, parts of North Sumatra, and parts of Aceh,” BMKG Head Dwikorita Karnawati stated. Almost all regions in Indonesia must be aware of the impact of high rainfall due to La Nina in October and that La Nina is estimated to peak in December 2020.
"Hotel Kuta Paradiso Auction Lacks Bidders" from Bali Discovery: Due to the lack of even a single bidder, the Bali Courts, on behalf of the Denpasar State Property and Auction Service Office (KPKNL-Denpasar), suspended an auction of three land use permits (SHGB) held by PT Geria Wijaya Prestige/GWP (Hotel Kuta Paradiso) and comprising the 250-room 5-star Hotel Kuta Paradiso in Bali.
"Indonesia Adds 8 More 'VAT collector' Tech Firms, Including Alibaba Cloud, Microsoft" from The Jakarta Post: Indonesia has added eight more technology companies to a list of "VAT collectors" – businesses that must charge 10 percent value-added tax (VAT) on all goods and services sold in the country – following the implementation of a digital tax policy earlier this year. The Finance Ministry’s Taxation Directorate General on Friday added Alibaba Cloud (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Microsoft Corporation, Nexmo Inc. and Microsoft Regional Sales Pte. Ltd. to the list, along with GitHub Inc, UCWeb Singapore Pte Ltd, To The New Singapore Pte. Ltd. and Coda Payments Pte Ltd.
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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