Bali Governor Asks People Not To Panic With Rising COVID-19 Cases

DENPASAR - Bali Governor I Wayan Koster asked the local community not to panic with the increasing findings of COVID-19 cases over the past two weeks in the area.

"I feel there is nothing to worry about in this case, the number of recoveries has also increased and almost none have died," he said in Denpasar, Friday, JULY 1.

Based on data from the Bali Province COVID-19 Task Force, on Friday (1/7) positive numbers increased by 70 cases, on Thursday (30/6) 73 cases, and Wednesday (29/6) 56 cases. Positive case findings tend to fluctuate.

Koster said there were no findings with the latest Omicron COVID-19 case, while the impact on sufferers was not too severe, even without symptoms. Those infected recently are also said to be not native to the area.

The recent row of positive case contributors consisted of foreign nationals (foreigners) who wanted to return to their countries and when they tested positive, they were detected. In addition, they come from residents outside Bali, while the cases experienced by Balinese residents are stable.

"Foreign tourist visits now reach seven to eight thousand (people, ed.) in one day. There are countries that still impose PCR tests and when they come back positive, about 10 but never more than 20 people. When compared to those who came I think it's a very small percentage," he said.

Related to this condition, Koster admitted that he will continue to improve the achievement of a booster vaccination. So far, the third vaccination in Bali has reached 71 percent.

However, even though this percentage is the highest in Indonesia, he sees that public interest in booster vaccination is not as high as before.

"People are comfortable, so they don't need boosters anymore. The first vaccine is 105 percent, the second vaccine is 97 percent, and the booster is more than 70 percent. The target is actually the same as the second vaccine, 97 percent," he said.

Bali Governor Koster admitted that he had coordinated with regents, mayors, and related officials to target booster vaccinations to reach 80 percent by the end of July 2022.