Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment 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!”

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.

The hike in cases was largely caused by the Idul Fitri holiday, which traditionally sees millions of Indonesians travel out of major cities to their hometowns for family gatherings. The arrival of the Delta variant has exacerbated the situation.

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