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New curbs keep Bali’s international reopening a distant dream
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Seeing souls: A little boy uses a traditional telescope made of bamboo that is believed to allow the loved ones of deceased to see the latter's souls. The picture was taken during a Hindu funeral in Ubud, Bali, on March 19. (JP/Amahl S. Azwar)
T
he government has called off a plan to reopen Bali to foreign tourists following new curbs on mobility and retail opening hours on Java and Bali to stop a surge in COVID-19 cases and contain the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus.
Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan said the government was focusing on reducing COVID-19 infections while racing to vaccinate Indonesians as quickly as possible.
Luhut has been tasked with coordinating the government’s new policy, dubbed emergency public activity restrictions (PPKM).
“It is impossible to open [Bali to foreign tourists] again with this Delta [variant]. So we’re not thinking about it anymore,” Luhut told reporters during an online press conference on Thursday.
Luhut declined to explain whether his statement meant the plan to reopen the island to foreigners had been postponed or cancelled altogether. When pursued for clarification, a visibly annoyed Luhut replied, “Answer that question yourself!”
Read also: Fears linger emergency COVID-19 curbs may fall short
A second wave of COVID-19 has struck Indonesia over the past few days, resulting in a surge of new daily cases, peaking at 24,836 on Thursday. Medical workers and health facilities are overwhelmed as the hospital bed occupancy in Jakarta and West Java exceeds 90 percent of capacity, while signs have emerged of a shortage in oxygen supplies.
