A leaked memo has detailed Bali’s tourism re-opening plans. On Friday, November 6th a government meeting took place at the Astor hotel between Bali’s airport authority, Director General of Indonesian Health, and Minister of Maritime Affairs. The memo details the plan for Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport to begin accepting international tourists on December 1. Bali’s Governor confirms the meeting.
The plan outlined at the meeting:
- Covid-19 PCR swab test on arrival
- Arriving passenger receives a QR code with which to receive their test results
- Passengers are transferred to quarantine hotels to wait for results, which are supposed to take 3 to 4 hours
- Once a negative test is received, travelers are released from quarantine. Passengers receiving a positive test will have to quarantine for 14 days.
- Testing and quarantine is at passenger’s expense, though cost wasn’t outlined.
On Saturday “airport and government authorities were running tourist arrival simulations..to check how long the arrival process will take including the PCR test, transfer to hotel and getting test results back.”
However Bali’s plan doesn’t have final approval from Indonesia’s government. Bali sought to re-open in September but Indonesia’s federal government rejected the plan. Discussions with the Minister of Transportation and Coordinating Minister took place in Bali on Monday.
(HT: Drew J.)
Correction: If you test positive, bribe your way out to freedom!
Any plan which will result in 0.5-1% of tourists stuck in quarantine due to a positive test is DOA. We will get daily videos of dozens of tourists throwing angry tantrums not trusting the test results wanting to break quarantine and go back home etc, plus lots of bribe options to quarantine hotel staff to be able to leave sooner.
Gary,
There is no federal government in Indonesia since we are one single republic. Sure, the provincial governments have a certain amount of autonomy (some more than others) but nothing like the powers of the states/provinces in the USA/Canada.
I can’t believe anyone would go and chance a positive or false positive. 14 days in jail basically.
Total non-starter. I don’t mind having to show a negative test before I board the plane but to have to risk being thrown into a two week quarantine in a foreign country? Not a frickin chance. Of course, being that more people are currently hospitalized with COVID in the US than at any point in the pandemic, non-essential travel right now sounds incredibly stupid and selfish, especially when its only going to get worse in the next month or two.
Tourism is already reopened in Mianus.
Australians are not allowed to travel for tourism until a vaccine is developed. They make up the majority of Bali travelers. Bali could form a “travel bubble” agreement with Singapore to allow in tourists from safe countries. That would be the better option than a potential quarantine. I wouldn’t dare risk a vacation on “swab on arrival”.
@Ed Wow I didn’t know that Australia flat out denies people the option of going to Bali.
Sheraton Lombok has posted the below:
https://twitter.com/sheratonlombok/status/1326102314801897472
@Clive
This tweet is focused on the domestic Indonesia traveler. The rapid test which the Sheraton Senggigi mentioned 4 times in the their Twitter post refers to a (useless) antibody test that is mandated by the national government in Jakarta for each and every domestic air and sea passenger. It is a minimum requirement for inter-province travel designed more as compromised “roadblocks” to discourage people to defer non essential travel at the peak of the Covid craze in the northern hemisphere. It was apparently decided to continue using this useless “screening” method as a compromise between the business survival needs of the domestic airlines/the hospitality & tourism industries vs the Indonesian Health Ministry representing the need of public health after several provinces including Bali (and West Nusa Tenggara where the island of Lombok belongs to) decided to impose a negative PCR test result as an entry requirement. This move was heavily opposed by the airlines trade group who viewed it as a real impediment for travel demand as getting a PCR test in Indonesia — at the time — was both very time consuming and expensive.
Bali’s “plan” is about as helpful as blowing on an ice-cube to keep it cold. It has so many things that will not work. My first thought was about “the plan” for those who test positive upon arrival. Locking them up in a hotel for two weeks. This seems like a very bad advertisement for coming to Bali. Come to Bali and enjoy your very own lock up at an undisclosed hotel. The price doesn’t include meals or freedom. And if they leave the hotel, will they be forced to move to Kerobokan Hotel. Which could be a better deal as meals are included. Or.. They could be deported with the knowledge that they are positive. This will surely improve Indonesia standing with its’ allies. And by the way, chances are you’re now at high risk if you have just traveled on a plane with people who tested positive for the virus upon arrival. These people will be able to to travel freely through out Bali?
Perhaps it time to stop making plans based on pressure from the self-centered tourist businesses. The Balinese are willing to wait longer to protect their love ones and the island of Bali. I’m sorry but opening up against the odds with a weak plan doesn’t give me any sense confidence that the government is truly considering all possible outcomes.
On the Island of the Gods it seems appropriate to end with this:
Man plans.. God laughs
Fake news
What you screen every comment .
I live in Bali n yr spreading fake news