Bali Provincial Government Provides 1,834 Free WiFi Points To Support WFH During G20 Summit

ILLUSTRATION/Bali Mandara Toll Road/ANTARA HO Jasa Marga

DENPASAR - The Provincial Government of Bali provides 1,834 free WiFi points spread across Badung and Denpasar to support work and study-from-home (WFH) activities during the G20 Summit (KTT) taking place from 15 to 16 November 2022.

Head of the Bali Province Communication, Information and Statistics Agency, Gede Pramana, said the government was trying to reduce community mobility during the G20 Summit so that several office activities and teaching and learning activities at schools and campuses would take place virtually.

To support this, the Bali Provincial Government conveyed that the public can take advantage of the free WiFi access available for work and school from inside their homes.

"For Internet infrastructure, we, the Provincial Government of Bali, have installed free WiFi up to 1,834 points so that any activity is still carried out online (virtually, ed.), and we have socialized this to the entire community," said Gede.

So far, the Bali Provincial Government through related agencies has held socialization of activity restrictions in offices, schools, and campuses to the public in Badung and Denpasar. However, he said that his party still welcomes employees who really have to go to an office or come to work during the G20 Summit, for example hotel employees.

"Hotel employees (work) serve guests. If they are not served, it will be difficult," said Gede.

The head of the Bali Provincial Information Office is optimistic that no activities will be hampered even though they are held virtually, considering that this method has been carried out by the majority of residents during activity and mobility restrictions since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gede also said that despite the WFH policy during the G20 Summit, public service offices continued to operate to serve the community.

"We have implemented virtual offices before COVID-19, for example for correspondence, the need for signatures, so there is no reason not to work, because work is not limited by time and space," he said.

The public can also access various public services from home through available digital applications or websites.

"In my opinion, it can be implemented, such as Samsat payments can be from home," said Gede Pramana.

The policy of limiting community activities outside the home was one of the requests of the Coordinating Minister for Investment and Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan who led all preparations for the G20 Summit in Bali. The request was also followed up by the Bali Provincial Government, which has currently held outreach to schools, campuses, and offices for 2 days to run virtual activities.

The G20 Summit or G20 Bali Summit is the culmination of G20 activities under the Indonesian presidency which has been going on for almost a year. The President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, will directly chair the meeting at The Apurva Kempinski, Nusa Dua, Badung, from 15 to 16 November 2022.

The state leaders attending the G20 Summit in Bali will not only hold a meeting in the Nusa Dua area, but they are also scheduled to visit the Ngurah Rai Mangrove Forest in Denpasar, and the Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) Cultural Park in Jimbaran, Badung.