is bali still safe? concerns raised after migrants from east java entered

Amid the covid-19 crisis, Bali appeared to be one of the safest places in Indonesia with low count of affected patients and casualties. However one would argue that if it is still the case? 22nd May was marked as the start of Idul Fitri holidays, it has always been the most prominent holiday of Indonesia. This is when people mudik or travel back to their original home towns and villages. Even though government banned the mudik travel till 31st May, a loophole has created relaxed travel, whereby those with three specific certificates are given.

This raised the question of the safety of Bali, this may be an Islamic holiday however people from all background journey back home. As per an estimate around 1,971 vehicles entered Bali with around 2291 people through Bali’s Gilimanuk port from Banyuwangi, East Java, according to cnnindonesia.com (official data from PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry).

Majority of these travelers traveled across through the strait on the 27 ferries that are still operational with unlikely measures taken for social distancing even though Bali administration has assured that there were strict and increased health protocols being followed.

Many of these immigrants have been working in different towns/villages/cities spread through East Java, they were unfortunately forced to come home due to unemployment. The most concerning part after the unemployment is that East Java is the second hardest affected and hit province after Jakarta and is still struggling to control the infection spread.

On 21st May, East Java broke the record with the most reported cases in one day as 502 people were confirmed positive with the virus. East Java has now been dubbed as the 

 “new epicentre of the outbreak in the country”. The region has seen a 70 percent spike in weekly cases. 

So in the same period thousands of people enter Bali from East Java, East Java shows an enormous spike in cases — and with busyness of the ports, close contact with infected is highly probable. 

So what does that mean for Bali?

This means that the entries of the 2000+ new people in Bali from Eastern Java can now undermine all the good work Bali has done to keep the curve flat. The case of Bangli Regency is an example where few returning from cruise ship employees resulted in infecting a whole village which was made an instant red zone. It is a situation that we should learn and keep as an example for.

There though is no certainty of what percentage of those 2200 people are infected or became infected, but there is definitely a need of being cautious. Many businesses have recently reopened due to the necessity and to maintain the economy. However if you see and observe that any business is not taking the required precautions and measure you have to make an informed decision yourself.