Wednesday, September 23
Tabanan reimposes commerce restrictions, all restaurants now take-out only + Country sets new infection & death records (again) as govt official warns healthcare system on verge of collapse + more!
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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: Click here to see the Regency-by-Regency breakdown of yesterday’s numbers + trendlines in our evening update.
The Big News
"As Covid-19 Cases Spike in Tabanan Again, Regent Eka Restricts Economic Activities Again" from The Bali Post (Indonesian): The latest policy regulates the operating hours of restaurants and similar businesses. They may remain open, buy buyers are not allowed to eat at the location but instead order food to take away. The current Circular is not much different from the previous rules, especially in relation to the operating hours of traditional markets and modern stores. The only difference is that restaurants may not provide seating for customers. In addition, all managers of public markets, supermarkets, and other trading businesses are required to carry out preventative measures such as disinfecting their premises regularly.
"Indonesian Health System Might Collapse Soon: COVID-19 Task Force" from The Jakarta Post: “We really need the public’s help to implement the health protocols. If we continue this [poor] situation, the nation’s health system will hit the ground,” the task force’s coordinator for medical volunteers, Jossep William, said. He also said the health system in Indonesia had been overwhelmed by the crisis. Once the system collapses, it will be difficult to overcome the COVID-19 issue in Indonesia.
"Indonesia Sets another Record in Daily Number of Coronavirus" from The Jakarta Globe: The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Indonesia has set a new record in the last 24 hours, with 4,176 new cases to take the country’s total to 248,852. It’s only for the second time since the outbreak that daily number of newly cases has exceeded 4,000. The country has added more than 74,000 new cases since the beginning of the month. The death toll rose by 124 for a total of 9,677. It’s the eighth day in a row that the country saw a three-digit daily death toll. New cases are surging at the fastest speed this month, during which Indonesia has beaten its own record five times. Hotspots like North Sumatra, Bali and East Kalimantan have been averaging between 126 and 129 cases since the beginning of the month, also indicating a significant surge from last month’s growth.
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Other Headlines
"Bali Epidemiology Expert Dies, Had Sent Warnings About Pandemic" from The IDN Times (Indonesian): Epidemiology expert at Udayana University, Prof. dr Dewa Nyoman Wirawan, passed away at the Sanglah Central General Hospital (RSUP) in Denpasar, on Tuesday. Prof. Wirawan was admitted to the intensive care unit at the hospital on September 9 and had been on a ventilator since September 11... Head of the Udayana University Public Health Study Program, I Made Ady Wirawan, said that he considered Prof. Wirawan as a person who is very thorough, hard-working, consistent, very idealistic in applying scientific principles, and always provides 100% guidance for juniors and students.
(Ed. Note: Dr. Wirawan worked tirelessly on the HIV/AIDS epidemic and was a pioneer in the area of family planning, as well as the inclusion of marginalized communities, such as LGBTQ people, sex workers, and those with Substance Abuse Disorder, in health studies. You can read more about his work in this report.)
"Traditional Ceremonies in Bali Become New Covid-19 Cluster, Number of Cases Reaches 2%" from iNews Bali (Indonesian): Traditional and religious ceremonies in Bali are a new cluster for the spread of Covid-19. Although the number is still minimal, it is feared that it will increase if it is not addressed. "The religious ceremony cluster has appeared at 1-2% [of new cases]. This needs to be addressed, otherwise it will increase," said Coordinator of the Badung Regency Covid-19 Task Force, I Nyoman Gunarta... According to him, early anticipation action is needed because currently Bali has entered the season of religious and traditional ceremonies such as Galungan and Kuningan. The emergence of clusters of religious and traditional ceremonies in Bali lately is because the community has not been disciplined in applying health protocols when holding various yadnya activities.
"As Covid-19 Soars, Adding Isolation Room to [Jembrana] State Hospital is Still Thumbs Up" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): Director of the State Hospital, I Gusti Bagus Ketut Oka Parwata, said that the capacity of the State Hospital isolation room to treat Covid-19 patients was 42 beds. The isolation room, in addition to treating positive confirmed patients, also treats suspect and probable patients. "There is still not enough beds," he said... Spokesperson for Jembrana's Covid-19 Task Force, I Gusti Agung Putu Arisantha, said, "There are still those who are isolated independently. Because as a rule, independent isolation at home is allowed,” he explained. However, the Jembrana district government made a policy so that all patients confirmed positive for Covid-19 must be treated in a hospital isolation room. Unless the hospital is full, patients can isolate independently at home. However, with a note, in terms of independent isolation places, they are closely monitored by officers.
"Study Suggests Dengue May Provide Some Immunity Against COVID-19" from Reuters: A new study that analyzed the coronavirus outbreak in Brazil has found a link between the spread of the virus and past outbreaks of dengue fever that suggests exposure to the mosquito-transmitted illness may provide some level of immunity against COVID-19. The not yet published study led by Miguel Nicolelis, a professor at Duke University, and shared exclusively with Reuters, compared the geographic distribution of coronavirus cases with the spread of dengue in 2019 and 2020... Places with lower coronavirus infection rates and slower case growth were locations that had suffered intense dengue outbreaks this year or last, Nicolelis found. “This striking finding raises the intriguing possibility of an immunological cross-reactivity between dengue’s Flavivirus serotypes and SARS-CoV-2,” the study said, referring to dengue virus antibodies and the novel coronavirus.
"Not Yet Granted A Permit, New PCR Machine in Buleleng Has Been Delayed" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): The Buleleng Covid-19 Task Force (GTPP) will not be able to use the new PCR (polymerase chain reaction) machine to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus in early October as originally planned because there are equipment and permits that are still pending... "After we had the process, if the PCR machine was to be operationalized, it had to have permission from the Minister of Health. At the initial stage, we have to prepare the space and supporting tools first. When it's ready, just ask for the Minister of Health's permission,” said GTPP Secretary Gede Suyasa. It is estimated that the new engine will be used in early 2021.
"Second Bali Jani Festival of Arts Will Be Held Virtually from October 31 - November 7" from Antara (Indonesian): "This festival carries the main hashtag #BaliArtsVirtual, the entire series of activities is carried out through virtual media, and / or a combination of live and virtual performances [caried on the Bali Province Disbud YouTube channel], while still prioritizing health protocols as part of the implementation provisions," said the Head of the Bali Provincial Culture Office, Prof. Dr. I Wayan " Kun "Adnyana... "This is not just an art festival, but also a joint effort to maintain public optimism amidst the news about COVID-19. Through a well-planned, well-managed, and well-executed art program, it is hoped that community solidarity is expected to care for others," he said.
"In Response to Viral Racing Videos on Social Media, Denpasar Police Prepares Night Patrols" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): Large mobile gatherings of young people have started to run rampant in the Denpasar area. Hundreds of teenagers recently rode motorbikes and posted their actions on social media on Monday night. After being investigated, it turned out that they were watching illegal racing in the area of ??Jalan Sunset Road, Kuta. Responding to this, the Head of Denpasar Police, AKP Adi Sulistyo Utomo, confirmed it. He said that his party had been monitoring viral illegal racing on social media. In the future, said AKP Adi, the police will aggressively carry out patrols at night in order to prevent these illegal races. "We will intensify the routine patrols at night in areas prone to racing," he 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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