Religious rites: Members of a banjar (community) in Badung, Bali, on Sunday clean Ogoh-ogoh — the large, menacing-looking statues — ahead of the Nyepi (Day of Silence) celebrations on Wednesday. The Bali administration has prohibited the Ogoh-ogoh procession, which can potentially create crowds, as part of its efforts to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.(JP/Zul Trio Anggono)

Bali’s provincial administration is urging tourist destinations on the resort island to suspend their operations over the COVID-19 outbreak in the country.

The administration’s regional secretary, Dewa Made Indra, who also serves as the head of the provincial task force for COVID-19, said Governor Wayan Koster told all mayors and regents to close all tourist destinations in their areas, including nightclubs and other entertainment spots.

However, he said the administration would not penalize tourism places that still operated.

“We do not impose punishments. However, we remind all parties that this coronavirus is highly contagious and continues to spread; therefore, we must stay vigilant,” Dewa said on Friday.

“We should prioritize the safety of ourselves and the people around us. We have to avoid contracting the virus and spreading it to others.”

Following the governor’s instruction, the Garuda Wisnu Kencana cultural park in Badung regency was sprayed with disinfectants on Saturday, as reported by tribunnews.com. The park houses the iconic 21-story-tall Garuda Wisnu Kencana monument depicting Hindu deity Vishnu riding the legendary bird Garuda.

Bali’s health authorities have reported three confirmed COVID-19 cases, two of which — both foreigners — died from the disease.

There have not yet been any confirmed cases of local transmission, despite Bali being a hot spot for international tourists.

Many Balinese have made a living from tending and managing tourist attractions and entertainment places across the island, a popular holiday destination for both domestic and foreign tourists.

Even so, Bali Tourism Agency head Putu Astawa said he was in favor of closing the island as an effort to prevent COVID-19 from spreading there, saying such a policy was necessary as the World Health Organization had declared it a pandemic.

“The policy was meant to stop the spread of the coronavirus. This is important to lighten the load on healthcare services,” he told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

Bali is gearing up to shut down to observe Nyepi (the Hindu Day of Silence) on Wednesday. The administration has decided to limit congregational rituals and crowd gatherings ahead of the holy day that marks the beginning of the Hindu New Year according to the Saka calendar.

The Bali administration has corrected its previous report of confirmed COVID-19 cases in its jurisdiction from three to four. The fourth confirmed case left the island for another province in the country.

Dewa said the fourth person had visited Bali for a work-related trip, but the individual later reported to authorities in another undisclosed province.

“Therefore, we have corrected our data, from four confirmed cases of COVID-19 yesterday to three as of today,” said the Bali administration's regional secretary during a press conference in Denpasar on Saturday.

He added that two of the three confirmed patients had died and they were both foreign nationals.

One of the deceased had been cremated while another remained in a mortuary at a hospital, he said.

“We are still in coordination with the general consulate of the country from which the deceased originated, on how to treat the body post mortem. That’s the reason why we still keep it at the mortuary.”

As of Saturday, the administration had also performed contact tracing of the 217 people who had been in close contact with all confirmed cases in the province and asked them to self-isolate at home. He also said the administration was closely observing 95 others suspected to have the disease.

“On the other hand, we can also confirm that 71 suspected patients have undergone COVID-19 tests, with 68 of them having been declared negative and hospitals have allowed them to go home. We are still waiting for the [test results of the] rest,” he said.

Balinese authorities have confirmed that one of the two foreigners who died was a French national.

His body was found on top of a motorcycle on a sidewalk on Jl. Imam Bonjol in Denpasar on Sunday and he tested positive for COVID-19 posthumously.  

“It was the foreign national who was found on Jl. Imam Bonjol,” Sanglah Hospital official I Ketut Sudartana told the Post on Saturday. “It was confirmed after a PCR [polymerase chain reaction] test that he was coronavirus-positive.”

It was initially thought that the 72-year-man had a seizure and died of a heart attack. His body was recovered by medical workers wearing hazmat suits. 

“We are now communicating with the [French] consulate general regarding his cremation,” the head of Bali’s COVID-19 taskforce, Dewa, said, adding that the consulate would contact his family.

Reports of the circumstances of the French national’s death came amid concerns that Bali has been underreporting COVID-19 cases. As of Friday, Bali reported only four confirmed cases, none of which were cases of local transmission, officials said. 

The first case was a British national who died at Sanglah Hospital. Like the French national, she was confirmed to have had the coronavirus after her death. The other two cases are Balinese residents who returned from Italy and Jakarta, two regions that are struggling to contain the virus. 

Experts have said that the low number of cases was “scientifically odd”.   

Bali has been hit hard by the global pandemic, which has hurt global tourism. 

However, the resort island only decided to close its tourist sites yesterday after an instruction from the central government. It also decided to limit congregational rituals for Nyepi. (glh/mfp)