Local News

40 hotels and restaurants in Bali reject proposed gov’t bailout saying it’s not enough

The Indonesian Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry allotted a combined grant of USD264,285 (IDR3.7 billion) to 120 hotels and restaurants in Klungkung District. Out of which, 40 have declined the government aid stating it’s simply not enough.

91 hotels and 29 restaurants were qualified by the central government to receive the cash assistance.

Accordingly, only 59 hotels and 21 restaurants came forward to accept the grant.

The Head of Klungkung Tourism Agency, Anak Agung Gede Putra Wedana described the situation on Thursday (7/1).

“According to our data, USD7800 (IDR109.1 million) hasn’t been delivered to the qualifying accommodation businesses” said Wedana.

The Tourism Agency attempted to contact the businesses to complete the process by providing required documents to collect the funds.

“We have contacted those who did not submit disbursement documents before the specified deadline. They did not submit the documents or refused because the value of the grant was relatively small,” Wedana explained.

The amount of funds the business is qualified to receive is calculated based on the tax they paid the previous year. Thus the amount would vary at most USD3528 (IDR49.4 million) to merely USD1.2 (IDR16,543).

“Based on rules from the Tourism Ministry, we will send back the rest of the money to the central government” Wedana concluded. (Thebalisun.com 11/01/2021)

 

Balinese flight attendant was on board Sriwijaya flight that crashed

A Bali native and Sriwijaya Air flight attendant, Mia Zet Setiani Wadu, was on board flight SJY-182 as it lost contact with Air Traffic Control (ATC) four minutes after takeoff from Jakarta on Saturday (9/1).

The flight was delayed due to weather conditions as it departed from Soekarno-Hatta Airport at 2:36pm with 43 adult passengers, 7 children, 3 infants and 12 crew members.

Indonesian Transportation Minister, Budi Karya Sumardi explained that the radar lost contact with the aircraft seconds after the pilot asked ATC to change its altitude to 29,000 ft.

“The airplane was officially lost from our radar at 2:40pm” said Budi during a virtual press conference on Saturday evening (9/1).

SJY-182, which was scheduled to fly from Jakarta to Pontianak, West Kalimantan, disappeared from the radar off the coast of Kepulauan Seribu, north of Jakarta.

Government officials immediately deployed Search and Rescue (SAR), Marine Force and Coastal Police to begin the search.

Cabin crew member, Mia Zet Setiani Wadu from Denpasar, Bali was on duty during the incident.

“Mia was on board as cabin crew. Please pray for her,” said Mia’s uncle, Johny Lay on Sunday (10/1).

Mia had been working as cabin crew for Sriwijaya Air for nearly five years leading up to the incident.

Prior to the incident, Sriwijaya Air had been using the Boeing B737-500 since 1994.

Officers continue their search for the missing aircraft and its passengers, while family members of the victims wait anxiously for answers. (Thebalisun.com 11/01/2021)

 

Gov’t to Impose Stricter Restrictions in Several Cities in Java, Bali

The government has decided to impose stricter restrictions in Java and Bali starting on Jan. 11 to Jan. 25, following the surge in new Covid-19 cases. Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said in a statement on Wednesday.

Airlangga said the restriction on people’s activities would only apply to several municipalities and districts in Java and Bali, including Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, and Denpasar.

Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian had issued a ministerial instruction on the stricter restriction, which details the four-parameter and affected regions.

A region can restrict public activities if they meet one of the following parameters.

The first is if the death rate surpasses the national average. Followed by if the recovery late falls below the national average. The parameters also include if the active case rate is above the national average, and if the bed occupancy rate for ICU and isolation exceeds 70 percent.

The ministerial instruction stated all municipalities and districts in Jakarta will become a priority for this social restriction. In West Java are Bogor and Bekasi districts, Cimahi, Bogor, Depok, Bekasi municipalities, and the Greater Bandung area.

Furthermore, Badung district, Denpasar municipality, and its surroundings will become a priority for Bali’s restriction.

Shopping malls will have an earlier curfew at 7.00 p.m. Restaurants must limit their capacity to 25 percent while take-aways and delivery orders can remain open. Constructions can run at full capacity under strict health protocols. Places of worship are restricted to 50 percent.

Also, the government will temporarily close public facilities. Transportation modes will also be further regulated. (Jakartaglobe.id 09/01/2021)

 

Foreigners defy authorities in Bali, refuse to leave restaurant despite curfew

Local authorities and a number of foreigners got into an argument last night as the latter group allegedly refused to leave a restaurant in the Petitenget area after closing time, amid ongoing restrictions to curb coronavirus transmissions on the island.

A video of the quarrel has widely circulated on Instagram, showing a number of officers in what appears to be an attempt at explaining existing regulations to at least two foreign nationals, one of whom can be seen without a mask in the video below:

I Gusti Agung Ketut Suryanegara, who heads the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) in Badung regency, said the foreigners insisted that they were not done with their meals.

“There were foreign tourists who insisted that they were still [dining]. We said it was 9pm and [restaurant] operations must be closed. There’s no way around it, if they want to continue to eat they have to wrap it up and take it away,” Suryanegara said, adding that the argument lasted for about half an hour.

Indonesia began tightening restrictions throughout Java and Bali until at least Jan. 25 under new regulations set by the central government known as Enforcement of Restrictions on Public Activities, or PPKM for short.

In Bali, PPKM is enforced in Denpasar, Badung, Gianyar, Klungkung and Tabanan, during which shopping centers, malls, and restaurants are required to close by 9pm.

Suryanegara said 15 businesses in Badung were given warnings for disobeying the curfew since PPKM went into effect yesterday. In addition, 28 people were caught without masks, 20 of whom were identified as foreign nationals. (Coconuts.co 12/01/2021)

 

Those who refuse vaccine in Bali could face up to one year in prison

The regional government of Bali announced that people who refuse COVID-19 vaccination can face a sentence of up to 1 year imprisonment.

The Deputy Minister of Law and Human Rights, Edward Hiariej made the official announcement on Saturday (9/1).

“There will be sanctions for the people who refuse to get vaccinated, as it is our responsibility to stop this pandemic” said Hiariej during a webinar on the Indonesian Doctor Association YouTube Channel.

The Deputy Minister, who is also a professor of criminal law at Gadjah Mada University, said that criminal provisions for vaccination opponents are regulated in Law Number 6 of 2018 concerning Health Quarantine.

Article 93 of the law states, every person who does not comply with the administration of health quarantine and/or obstructs the implementation of health quarantine, causing a public health emergency can be sentenced to a maximum imprisonment of one year and/or a maximum fine USD7142 (IDR100 million).

“When we state that the vaccine is an obligation, a penalty will await the disobedient. They could be imprisoned or fined or maybe both,” Hiariej added.

He also admitted that the sanction will be the last resort. He will try a lighter approach while introducing this policy, preparing the people beforehand.

Meanwhile President Joko Widodo is scheduled to get vaccinated this week as officials anticipate Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the Food and Drugs Administration. (Thebalisun.com 12/01/2021)

 

Bali gov’t to distribute financial aid to families in Badung during lockdown

Badung Regent, Nyoman Giri Prasta, has announced that he will distribute cash assistance to every household in Badung during the upcoming partial lockdown.

As many local businesses will be heavily impacted by new restrictions, the regency hopes the program will lighten the burden.

The partial lockdown is set to be implemented in Java and Bali from January 11 – 25 as decided by the central government.

Due to the increase in active COVID-19 cases and lack of isolation space in local hospitals, Badung and many other regions are to restrict public activity in efforts to control transmission of the virus.

During an interview held in Badung Central Government Building (Puspem) on Friday (8/1), Giri Prasta initiated the cash assistance program for residents in Badung.

The amount is yet to be calculated.

“We will provide cash assistance to every household in Badung, but we haven’t determined how much. We’re still trying to figure it out” Giri Prasta said.

He added that in accordance to the constitution, the regional government is authorized to provide financial aid in times of crises.

The cash assistance will be given to the head of each family.

He preferred cash rather than goods, so that families could spend the money based on their current needs.

He hopes to maintain some form of economic activity in Badung District considering many local businesses will be impacted by the lockdown.

As per the restrictions, operational hours and capacity will be heavily reduced during the two week span.

“If the central government plans to extend the partial lockdown after two weeks, then we will extend our cash assistance program as well” Giri Prasta concluded. (Thebalisun.com 11/01/2021)

 

Australian national found dead on Suluban Beach

A foreigner identified as a male Australian citizen was found dead on Suluban Beach earlier this morning, with early reports indicating that the deceased had a bloody nose and a bruised chest.

A spokesman from the Denpasar Police, I Ketut Sukadi, has confirmed the discovery.

“He was already dead by the time he was found,” Sukadi said.

The deceased, identified as TS, reportedly lived not too far from the beach. He was found lying face down under a cave on Suluban Beach by a local resident who had gone out to surf this morning.

Police arrived at the scene not too long after receiving a report, and TS was then taken to Sanglah General Hospital for further examination. At the time of publication, authorities have yet to reveal more information on the case.

 

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