mass prayers held in bali for reopening from coronavirus lockdown

Mass prayers were conducted in Bali on last Sunday, As Indonesia's Island of Gods prepares to reopen to tourism which was shut down due to corona virus.

The prayer at Besakih Hindu temple in the town of Karangasem was attended by more than one thousand people to express gratitude to handle the new corona virus on the Island and seeking the blessings from the Gods for the start of the "new normal".

Bali has reported 1,849 coronavirus infections and 20 deaths so far, while Indonesia as a whole has recorded 63,749 cases and 3,171 deaths since early March.

The scenic beautiful Southeast Asian Islands will reopen this month gradually for domestic tourists, while focusing on maintaining the strict health protocols to prevent the spread of corona virus. 

Tourism is expected to open in September for foreign tourists by the local government. Tourism is without a doubt the main source of income in Bali. The travel restrictions due to the covid-19 has hammered the economy drastically. 

he occupancy rate at Bali's starred hotels plunged to 2.07% in May, according to Bali statistics bureau data, from 62.55% in December before the pandemic hit and down from 51.56% in May 2019.

"What I hope is the best for Bali and ... all the tourists will come to Bali and everybody will be happy and healthy again," Robin Tesselar, a Dutch citizen staying in Bali, told Reuters after attending the Besakih prayers.

Hospitality Executive Yoga Iswara said that tourism related businesses are geared up for the reopening by implementation of the health protocols and aiming to improve them by the time Bali reopens for International tourism.