Bali coronavirus: Indonesia sees biggest COVID spike in months

Bali authorities have been forced to impose stricter measures on anyone entering the popular holiday island, as cases of COVID-19 increase.

Authorities on the popular Indonesian island of Bali have been forced to crack down on

stricter screening measures and a surge in COVID-19 cases, after reopening to domestic tourism in late July.

The holiday island – along with other parts of Indonesia – has seen a significant spike in confirmed COVID-19 cases since attempting to resurrect some form of tourism traffic on the island by welcome Indonesian locals to holiday in popular spots like Kuta, Ubud and Uluwatu.

In the past few weeks alone, Bali has seen more than 1600 cases bringing the total number of confirmed cases to just over 7500 as of Friday. The number of deaths has doubled in weeks with Bali recording 100 fatalities on September 4 and 199 on September 18.

It is understood around up to 4000 people are arriving on the island each day.

According to the ABC, bodies of residents who lose the fight against the virus are being cremated, with the Sagraha Mandra Kantha Santhi facility recording seeing an increase of late.

“Lately we have about eight to 10 bodies a day, but one time we had 18 bodies,” said the head of the facility, I. Nyoman Karsana, according to the ABC. Prior to the pandemic, the facility said they would cremate one body each day.

Since opening to domestic tourism, Bali has seen a serious spike in COVID-19 cases. Picture: Sonny Tumbelaka/AFP

According to The Jakarta Post, co-ordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan said authorities will implement the new measures over two weeks, meaning anyone entering the island will be required to undergo strict testing.

Bali’s Governor Wayan Koster announced last week that limitations on“tourist attractions, including crowded spots” will remain.

“Turns out those have become new clusters,” he said as reported by Coconuts.

“Like Lapangan Renon and Puputan, I have also asked those places to be temporarily closed.”

Bali announced they will not be opening to foreign tourists again this year, due to coronavirus concerns. Authorities had earlier announced overseas visitors would be allowed into the island from mid-September.

But the influx of local tourists has fuelled the spread of the virus, with one expert suggesting the holiday island should be locked down immediately.

“Bali’s reopening has caused a public euphoria for local residents. They think Bali is open now so they’re free to do anything and they flock to tourist destinations,” local epidemiologist Dr I Gusti Ngurah Kade Mahardika said.

“I’ve said this so many times already. A lockdown is needed.

“All the indicators at the time showed the reopening of tourism in Bali should not have been allowed. But they did.”

Authorities will be monitoring certain areas around Bali where clusters of cases have formed. Picture: Sonny Tumbelaka/AFP

The decision, despite being as a protective measure for locals, raised concerns over how the island will survive into 2021 because of their reliance on tourism dollars. Millions of foreigners fly to Bali each year in search of deserted beaches, terraced rice fields and sprawling Hindu temples.

Many of Bali’s 4 million residents have been relying on the tourism industry for generations, but with the holiday island set to stay closed to foreigners until at least 2021, locals are concerned about how they will survive.

According to the BBC, hotels and restaurants have been struggling to survive without tourists, with many resort workers returning home to villages and small towns to earn an income.

“The situation in Indonesia is not conducive to allow international tourists to visit the country, including Bali,” said the island’s governor, Wayan Koster, in a recent statement.