Bali’s reopening for tourism is once again walking the tightrope as authorities have reported a new record high in COVID-19 infections with 9,994 new positive cases on Monday.
At this rate, it is expected the total number of cases will surpass 1 million over the next few days.
As little as a few months ago, Bali was considered a model of success in the battle against COVID-19, particularly in comparison to the rest of the Indonesian territory.
Back in December, Bali’s governor would prize his citizens for their contribution in successfully tackling the pandemic which allowed authorities to start reopening plans.
Additionally, optimistic news about the arrival of an important number of vaccines against the coronavirus gave locals and travelers the impression the reopening was a matter of days.
But, then reality hit. Indonesia has come to the realization that even in countries where vaccines for the entire population are bought, and the vaccination rollout is going as expected, it is likely to be the end of the year before a large portion of the population has been vaccinated.
For months speculation over the reopening of Bali has been a primary focus on travel blogs and news outlets since the island is well known for being a favorite destination for digital nomads and remote workers.
In a bid to bring back the tourism money, Bali’s authorities have pleaded with the national government on multiple occasions to grant international visitors entry to the island as soon as possible.
In the meantime, the island has been preparing. They have adapted facilities and introduced health protocols to ensure the safety of both local and foreign visitors.
They even enlisted the help of international organisms such as the -United Nations- World Tourism Organization to design and implement world-class biosafety measures.
Despite all this, Indonesia has maintained its borders closed to most visitors. The central government is still convinced that a national lockdown is the best bet to keep the virus under control and the new strains out of the territory.
As of yet, only a handful of people are allowed entry for essential reasons. All allowed incoming travelers -national or foreign- are required to bring negative COVID-19 test results.
On arrival, they are being tested and quarantined for five days, after which, they are tested for a third time.
These measures are set to end on Feb. 8, when foreign travelers are supposed to be allowed entry again.
However, considering the rapid acceleration of the pandemic worldwide, it is highly possible the government will extend the current policies to prevent new strains of the virus from reaching Indonesia.
The highly contagious new strains of COVID-19 have rolled back some of the progress made towards a progressive reopening of the island.
Residents of the island and potential visitors hope that the vaccination campaigns that have just started can sway Indonesia’s government towards reopening over the months to come.
