Is it true that Bali is immune to covid-19?

Blogs

Exciting Bali Traveling Insights &
Healthcare

For the beginning period into the Covid-19 pandemic and there is little to suggest that the Indonesian resort island of Bali is in the grip of a pending public health disaster with only 86 cases and two deaths.

That’s despite the fact the wider archipelagic nation is now widely seen as Southeast Asia’s slow-ticking coronavirus time bomb with the region’s highest number of cases at 4,839 as of April 14. Infections to date have been heavily concentrated on populous Java island. “I find it puzzling too because it doesn’t make sense,” says Rio Helmi, a long-time Balinese resident who writes a regular blog on life around the mountain town of Ubud about the low number of cases on Bali. “We don’t have the data, but there’s been no sign of a spike in deaths.” Nor are there stories of hospitals overflowing, a sharp increase in cremations or any other anecdotal evidence that the coronavirus is running rampant on the Hindu-majority island’s 4.2 million population, among them thousands of foreign residents.

In fact, there is no one that immune to Covid-19. Bali seems to have less case because the society imposing and obey the rules very well. Example the Bali capital of Denpasar has four crematoriums which don’t appear to be any more active than usual, even if Balinese do sometimes temporarily bury their dead to wait for an auspicious day to perform traditional funeral rites. Also, a lot of ceremonial event has been cancelled due to the spread of the pandemic. The discipline of the society giving good result toward the case of pandemic in Bali.

In the recent time Denpasar city on the resort island of Bali is set to impose its own kind of mobility restrictions starting Friday in an effort to clamp down on the transmission of the coronavirus. The curbs, officially called restrictions of community activities (PKM), aim to limit people’s daily activities, make masks mandatory in public, tighten security at all of the city’s entry points and enforce a policy of physical distancing. Though most of the measures have been in place over the past two months, the new restrictions will officially be stipulated in a Denpasar mayoral regulation and coupled with sanctions.

“Under the PKM, people don’t have to close their businesses. All economic activity keeps running with several conditions imposed,” Dewa told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday. The new policy allows all businesses, including warung (sidewalk shops), restaurants, malls, traditional markets and grocery stores, to keep operating and other social activities to keep running normally.

However, Dewa said, all of them should strictly implement health protocols and comply with the limited operating hours.  Denpasar city on the resort island of Bali is set to impose its own kind of mobility restrictions starting Friday in an effort to clamp down on the transmission of the coronavirus.

The curbs, officially called restrictions of community activities (PKM), aim to limit people’s daily activities, make masks mandatory in public, tighten security at all of the city’s entry points and enforce a policy of physical distancing. Though most of the measures have been in place over the past two months, the new restrictions will officially be stipulated in a Denpasar mayoral regulation and coupled with sanctions.

The city administration opted to impose community activity restrictions rather than the generally favored large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) as they wanted to keep the local economy running, said Dewa Gede Rai, the spokesperson of Denpasar’s COVID-19 task force. “Under the PKM, people don’t have to close their businesses. All economic activity keeps running with several conditions imposed,” Dewa told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

The new policy allows all businesses, including warung (sidewalk shops), restaurants, malls, traditional markets and grocery stores, to keep operating and other social activities to keep running normally. However, Dewa said, all of them should strictly implement health protocols and comply with the limited operating hours.

Since last month, the city administration has required all traditional markets, grocery stores, shopping centers and all businesses to run only until 9 p.m. at the latest. Authorities have conducted inspections to monitor compliance with the policy. “Without the PKM we could so far only urge people [to obey], but without sanctions. Now [under the PKM], we are able to sanction those who ignore the measures,” Dewa said, adding that the sanctions varied starting from only a reprimand to the withdrawal of operation permits.

While the restrictions are in place, restaurants have been urged to maximize takeouts. “They should reduce the seat capacity to implement physical distancing. So, we urge them to prioritize takeaway,” he said. Students and civil servants will continue to study and work from home. Citizens are required to wear masks while going outside.

Authorities previously would give free masks to those found not wearing one while out in public. However, Dewa said, under the PKM, the violators would just be told to return home. Denpasar will also tighten supervision at the city’s entry points and only allow outsiders to enter the area for important reasons. Authorities are set to conduct random COVID-19 rapid tests in the borders.

Not only Denpasar but all of the region in Bali tighten their security towards the citizen. They encourage all of the citizen to do the prevention action by doing washing hands, social distancing, and wearing a mask whenever they leaving the house.

The government and society through non-government organization also actively providing free cloth mask in the street for those who are still not wearing mask when they go outside of their house. This whole action proved completely that can flatten the curve of the pandemic in Bali itself.

We all know that Bali is really famous with culture and religion which are really strength. This also can be a factor for this to happen. As the research suggest religions provide comfort and sense of security throughout the history of human civilization. By believing that God will guide us going out from this pandemic, the Balinese people giving all of they can to protect their family and avoiding the number of case being higher than before.

The drops in tourist arrivals during late February and March 2020 have made the tourism industry one of the first and hardest hit businesses sectors [29]. The Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) reported a loss of about US $ 1.5 billion due to the corona virus outbreak since January 2020.

The Indonesian Travel Agent Association (Astindo) reported that since February 2020, there was relatively no income for the travel agent industry. The loss experienced by the travel industry in the form of 80% of potential passenger cancellations is likely to continue to grow in the future. Nationwide, Indonesian business sectors including tourism have limited business continuity plans and management (BCPM).

This also becoming a major issue in Bali, because we know Bali depends so much on Tourism activities. However, instead of choosing to be a rebel, the Balinese people thinking how to survive even though they are losing their job. Balinese people start to using the online platform to sell their products so they still get money but in the same time they are obeying the rules that has given by the government. This also can be some educations towards Balinese People on how to survive even during the pandemic.

Bali continue to growing besides of the COVID-19 virus itself. Actually no one is immune towards this virus. What makes Bali different is the citizen of Bali are willing to cooperating with the government to protect each other and flatten the curve of the disease.

Bali still need the cooperation between the citizen and government for COVID-19 since we are proceeding into new normal era. The Guidelines provide that government, the private sector and the community must cooperate and collaborate in efforts to mitigate and control COVID-19. The roles of health offices (Dinas Kesehatan), employment offices (Dinas Ketenagakerjaan), health centers (Puskesmas), hospitals/clinics, offices and industrial workplaces, and workers are all laid out in the Guidelines.

Offices/industrial workplaces shall:

  1. Provide a safe and healthy work environment for workers by implementing various measures to mitigate and control COVID-19 in the workplace. These measures shall be integrated with other occupational safety and health measures.
  2. Coordinate with their local health office in preventing the transmission of COVID-19 in the workplace.
  3. Report to the health office if workers are exposed to COVID-19.
  4. Facilitate self-quarantine/self-isolation facilities for workers classified as OTG, ODP or PDP (if necessary).

The involvement of all parties – the government, businesses and the community – in the mitigation and monitoring of COVID-19 in the workplace can help minimize the impact of the virus on the sustainability of business, and can help to suppress and control the spread of the virus in the community. Workers play a significant role in breaking the chain of transmission due to their large numbers and high mobility and interaction. It is therefore crucial that the Guidelines are implemented as intended.

Languages