Good News: Bali’s Effective Ways to Face the Covid-19 Virus Pandemic

Good News: Bali’s Effective Ways to Face the Covid-19 Virus Pandemic

Posted by: nesia | Tuesday, 28 April 2020

Good News: Bali’s Effective Ways to Face the Covid-19 Virus Pandemic

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Bali is one of several regions that act as Indonesia's international "entrance". Bali has a high flow of tourists, so the mobility of the island is also very high. However, Bali doesn’t become the epicenter of the Corona Disease or Covid-19 virus pandemic. On the other hand, the number of positive Covid-19 cases and also the death rate from this virus in Bali is low.

In 2018, the number of passengers in the I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport reached 11.1 million people! Whereas in 2019, the number of foreign tourists in Bali was 6.24 million. This is the highest compared to other international airports in other regions in Indonesia. In addition, according to the Bali BPS in January 2020, there were 102,178 tourists from Australia, 111,416 tourists from China, as well as 313,000 tourists from various parts of the world, such as Russia, India, South Korea, Britain, Singapore, Malaysia, and the United States. 

From these numbers, it can be concluded that the Bali region has a high risk of the new Coronavirus or Covid-19 spread. But in fact, Covid-19 patients in Bali were only discovered on March 11, 2020, according to the report from the Ministry of Health. Well, why does the Covid-19 virus case in Bali tend to be low, compared to the capital city of Jakarta which is also an international entrance? The answer, of course, cannot be separated from the role of the Provincial Government of Bali and also the local community. Yes, since mid-March 2020, precisely since the first cases of the Covid-19 virus in Bali, the Bali Provincial Government immediately issued a number of appeals, along with the governor's instructions and circulars. 

Appeals for people in Bali to stay at home, and also prohibit activities involving crowds have been implemented since the beginning of the first cases. For example, the people didn’t do the ogoh-ogoh parade which was supposed to be held a week before Nyepi (March 25, 2020). In fact, at that time, there were only two positive cases of the Covid-19 virus. 

In addition, the Governor of Bali also issued a Governor's circular so that people began to study, work, and pray at home. The night entertainment center was also closed since mid-March 2020. The governor issued an appeal to reduce physical interaction, as well as reduce the number of trips to and from Bali early on. 

These rules, that were issued early, were also obeyed by the Balinese, both local residents, and migrants. The policy of the Provincial Government of Bali was also strengthened by the Surat Keputusan Bersama Pemprov Bali dengan Majelis Adat Provinsi Bali (Joint Decree of the Provincial Government of Bali and the Bali Provincial Customary Assembly), concerning the establishment of the Covid-19 Mutual Assistance Task Force. Thus, the Satgas Desa Adat (Customary Village Task Force) is assigned to prevent the Corona Disease-19 virus, both on a sekala and niskala (scale and noetic) basis. 

On a scale, they were tasked with preparing masks and hand-washing facilities. They also direct the residents to stay at home and are only allowed to go out if there is an important matter. They record every person who returned to Bali and also reports the new ODP cases to the nearest puskesmas (Community Health Center). Whereas in noetic terms, the Customary Village Task Force prayed that the spread of Covid-19 could be prevented. 

To date, the number of positive cases in Indonesia has reached 9,096, with a total of 1,151 patients recovering. While in Bali, the total positive cases of the Covid-19 virus have now reached 194 cases, with a total of 81 patients recovering. 

Good cooperation between the community and the Provincial Government of Bali, completed with the role of local customs, has a good result. It is hoped that the Corona Virus Disease-19 pandemic will soon end in Bali and also in all regions of Indonesia, and also all over the world. So, let's follow the government's appeal by staying at home and praying that the Covid-19 virus will soon disappear from the face of the earth! 

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