Bali and Java are in a state of lockdown through at least 20 July 2021 under Emergency Limitations on Public Movement (PPKM-Darurat) ordered by President Joko Widodo. As a result of these strict orders, major population centers on the two islands now resemble ghost towns with largely empty streets passing shuttered shops, restaurants, and malls.
When will this economically devastating shutdown end in Bali? Will these limitations on people and public gatherings on the Island be extended beyond the 20 July date? And, when will the long-awaited reopening of Bali to domestic and international tourism take place?
The answers to these questions may be unclear but are, nonetheless, surprisingly straightforward. The Indonesian President and his cabinet are working tirelessly to get Bali and its tourism working again. But any desire on the Island’s and Nation’s leadership to ease restrictions can only take place when the unprecedented increase in new COVID-19 cases begins to decrease.
Balidiscovery.com and Bali Update, with the generous support of talented Ubud-based statistical analyst, Jackie Pomeroy, can present the graphic table accompanying this article that tracks new positive cases of COVID-19 on a daily basis starting from 01 May 2021 through Sunday, 04 July 2021.
The new cases of COVID-19 in Bali have risen sharply since 18 June, reflecting a similar and very worrying trend in new infections across Indonesia.
It is not an overstatement to assert that national and regional policymakers will only relax current shutdown measures and begin considering any reopening of Bali when this chart plateaus and demonstrates a downward slant showing new cases are on the definite decline.
To illustrate the rapid rise in new infections, consider the number of new cases in Bali reported for the period 30 June through 04 July:
- 30 June = 221
- 01 July = 311
- 02 July = 343
- 03 July = 272
- 04 July =279
We hope you find this information of use.
With Jackie Pomeroy’s kind assistance, we will try to update this developing situation in the future editions of Bali Update.