Bali Prepares Steps To Prevent COVID-19 At Christmas And New Year

PHOTO DOC VIA ANTARA/Melasti Beach Badung Bali

DENPASAR - Towards the turn of 2022, Balinese people can at least breathe a sigh of relief because COVID-19 cases have been sloping and additional daily cases are also in the single digits.

As was the case on Sunday, December 19, three additional daily COVID-19 cases were reported and 87 active cases or patients are still being treated.

The additional daily and active cases of COVID-19 on the Island of the Gods towards the end of this year have decreased drastically compared to the conditions in Bali in the July-August 2021 period.

At that time, the average number of new cases of COVID-19 every day was 1,000 people, and even in a day, it was approaching 2,000 people, while the number of active cases was above 12,000 and the number of deaths per day had touched more than 70 people.

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan during a visit to Bali last August had given the government a target of a week to be able to reduce the number of COVID-19 cases.

"If you can do it in other places, why can't you do it here? It means that friends in Bali don't take care of the trust of outsiders to come here," said Luhut.

At that time, Luhut asked the Governor of Bali, the Deputy Governor of Bali, the regents/mayors, the Pangdam IX/Udayana, the Bali Police Chief, the chancellors, and all parties to work together and be united in suppressing the spread of COVID-19 cases.

Various efforts made by Bali, for the time being, have been bearing fruit and the COVID-19 case can be controlled. Nine regencies/cities in the province also have yellow zone status or a low risk of spreading COVID-19.

Likewise, Bali's economy has begun to grow along with the increase in domestic tourist visits to the Island of the Gods, which has touched the figure of 13,000 per day.

Hotels that previously really missed the presence of tourists, now here and there are already inhabited. Likewise, a number of tourist attractions and shopping centers have been seen as crowded with visitors.

Even though the COVID-19 case on the Island of the Gods has been sloping, Bali Governor Wayan Koster reminded that the activities and mobility of the community during the 2021 Christmas and New Year 2022 holidays still have the potential to increase the spread of COVID-19 transmission in the local area.

Therefore, it is deemed necessary to make efforts to prevent and overcome COVID-19 through limiting community activities during the 2021 Christmas and 2022 New Year Holiday periods.

The Governor of Bali has issued Circular No. 20 of 2021 concerning Prevention and Control of COVID-19 at Christmas in 2021 and New Year in 2022 in Bali Province.

In the SE, it is stated that during the 2021 Christmas Holiday and 2022 New Year Holidays, from 24 December 2021 to 2 January 2022, in order to optimize the function of the COVID-19 handling task force in each environment, both at the district/city, sub-district, village/village levels. and traditional villages, starting December 20, 2021.

Then apply stricter health protocols with the 6M approach, namely wearing standard masks correctly, washing hands, maintaining distance, reducing travel, increasing immunity, and obeying the rules.

In addition, continue to carry out 3T (testing, tracing, and treatment) and consider ventilation factors, air, duration, and interaction distance to reduce the risk of transmission in activities.

"In order to then coordinate with the district/city regional leadership coordination forum (forkopimda) and other stakeholders to increase prevention efforts and enforce discipline in the application of health protocols," said Koster.

The Governor of Bali also requested that there be tightening, monitoring of health protocols, and increasing the use of the PeduliLindung application in public activities, such as public facilities, entertainment facilities, malls/shopping centers, restaurants/restaurants, tourist attractions, places of worship and other public facilities.

Lastly, stakeholders at the entrance to Bali (airport and ferry port), and Terminal Type A to implement the terms and conditions of travelers during the 2021 Christmas Holiday and 2022 New Year holidays.

Provisions as stipulated in the Instruction of the Minister of Home Affairs Number 66 of 2021 and Circular of the Head of the Task Force for Handling COVID-19 Number 24 of 2021 along with the Addendum, by activating the integrated command post.

"Celebrating New Year's 2022, as much as possible with families in their respective places, prevent/avoid crowds and avoid long-distance travel," said Koster, while giving a press statement on Saturday, December 18.

It also prohibits parades, carnivals, processions, celebration parties, and other New Year's celebration activities that have the potential to cause crowds.

Furthermore, the operational hours of malls/shopping centers and restaurants/restaurants start at 09.00 - 22.00 central Indonesia time, with restrictions on the number of visitors not exceeding 75 percent of the total capacity of malls/shopping centers and the implementation of strict health protocols.

In addition, the number of visitors at tourist attractions is limited to no more than 75 percent of the total capacity, with the implementation of strict health protocols

Supervision collaboration

Quoting Antara, Monday, December 20, in order to control the sloping COVID-19 case in Bali, guarding at the entrances is also one of the "steps" taken so that local people can be safe from COVID-19 attacks.

The Bali Province Civil Service Police Unit in synergy with the East Java Provincial Satpol PP will conduct joint surveillance at Gilimanuk Port, Jembrana Regency, and Ketapang, Banyuwangi, during the 2021 Christmas and 2022 New Year holidays.

The head of the Bali Provincial Satpol PP Dewa Nyoman Rai Dharmadi emphasized that the joint supervision was not to limit people who want to go in and out of the islands of Bali and Java, but to screen them, whether they have followed the provisions as stated in Inmendagri No. 66 and 67 of 2021.

His party also carried out a "thickening" of personnel along with the ranks of the transportation service, TNI, Polri, and ASDP Gilimanuk.

Regarding the requirements that must be met by domestic travelers (PPDN) through land and sea routes, including having received two COVID-19 vaccine injections and bagging a negative rapid antigen test result.

"The Health Service has also prepared free COVID-19 vaccination facilities at Gilimanuk and Ketapang ports. In addition, a number of outlets are available to conduct rapid antigen tests," said the bureaucrat who is also the Acting Head of the Bali Province Kesbangpol.

With a number of supervisions carried out by Satpol PP in synergy with relevant stakeholders, it is hoped that tourists entering Bali via land and sea can be monitored properly, according to health protocols.

In order to avoid crowds, the Bali Provincial Satpol PP has reminded nightclub business actors in the local area not to bring in artists to welcome the Christmas and New Year's 2022 holidays.

Likewise, limiting the number of visitors to a maximum of 75 percent of capacity and operating time or opening a maximum of 01.00 central Indonesia time. Fireworks are also not permitted in restaurants, bars, and nightclubs.

To equalize the perception of the rules for welcoming Christmas 2021 and New Year 2022 so as not to cause a new cluster of COVID-19, the Bali Satpol PP has gathered 34 nightclub and restaurant-bar entrepreneurs in Badung Regency, Gianyar Regency, and Denpasar City.

He also reminded business actors to implement the PeduliLindung application and prepare an internal COVID-19 task force that can monitor visitors when they intentionally ignore health protocols and do not keep their distance.

"We together with the Satpol PP in three regencies/cities have agreed to give strict sanctions for business actors who violate a number of provisions," said Rai Dharmadi.

For light category violations, the sanction is in the form of operational pauses, while for serious violations it is in the form of temporary to permanent closure.

"All parties must be committed and have an obligation to keep Bali safe from COVID-19 and comfortable as a tourist destination," he said.

On the other hand, to protect the Balinese people from COVID-19, the local government also continues to intensify COVID-19 vaccinations.

To achieve community immunity, the Bali Provincial Government targets the COVID-19 vaccination to target 3,405,130 people.

As of December 19, 2021, the coverage of the COVID-19 vaccination for the first dose of injection has reached 101.93 percent (3,471,012 people) and the second dose of injection has reached 90.40 percent (3,078,305 people).

The latest effort is to boost the implementation of COVID-19 vaccination for children aged 6-11 years. Bali Governor Wayan Koster targets the COVID-19 vaccination for children aged 6-11 years to reach the range of 35,000-40,000 people every day, so that the first dose of injection can be completed by the end of December 2021.

"I am sure I can achieve the target because the children are enthusiastic and it is easier to mobilize," said Koster while attending the opening of the COVID-19 vaccination for children aged 6-11 years at SDN Besakih, Karangasem Regency, recently.

In total, there are 398,743 children aged 6-11 years in Bali who are targeted for vaccination. The details are Badung Regency 45,406 people, Bangli Regency 24,733 people, and Buleleng Regency 85,070 people.

Furthermore, in Gianyar Regency 40,787 people, Jembrana Regency 31,773 people, Karangasem Regency 55,599 people, Klungkung Regency 20,034 people, Tabanan Regency 35,215 people and Denpasar City 60,126 people.

Head of the Bali Provincial Health Office, I Ketut Suarjaya, added that to vaccinate children aged 6-11 years using the coronavac vaccine from Sinovac which is confirmed to be safe with the recommendations of the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI) and the Indonesian National Food and Drug Administration.

Children also undergo strict screening and observation before giving the vaccine injection. "Sinovac has been proven safe and the effect on the body is not too heavy," said Suarjaya.

Child vaccination is useful for preventing serious illness and death in infected children, preventing transmission to family members and relatives who have not been vaccinated or who are at risk of infection.

In addition, vaccination for children aged 6-11 years certainly supports the implementation of face-to-face learning and minimizes transmission in schools or education units.