In an effort to keep you posted on the current COVID-19 situation in Indonesia, we will post additional updates here. Amending our original post from March 19th, 2020.
UPDATED MARCH 28th 2020
In light of the global covid-19 pandemic and the various travel restrictions, efforts to encourage the population to stay at home, work from home, stop all non-essential travel, social distancing, and limit public gathering, our management team closed our resort on March 22nd 2020. We made the decision at the time based on information we received from the local government, marine police unit, the central government of Indonesia and the Canadian Embassy in Jakarta.
Below you can find the official decrees from the various government units which lead to Indonesia closing its border on March 20th, and the official lockdown of the Nusa Islands effective March 28th until further notice.
Nusa Islands Closing Announcement on March 21st
1. All Communities to restrict visiting / closing activities in their respective regional tourism objects both managed by the Government / Regional Government, as well as tourism objects managed by Private, Village, Community until March 30, 2020 and see further development of COVID-19 cases .
2. Instructing Private, Villages, Communities that manage Tourism objects to close their activities in managed Tourism objects starting on Saturday 21 March 2020 until 30 March 2020 and seeing further developments of the COVID-19 case.
3. To Perbekel in the District of Nusa Penida, to instruct the management of tourist objects in their respective village areas.
4. Referring to points 1, 2, and 3 in the Nusa Penida Sub-District Circular, we, Lembongan Village Perbekel instructed the entire Lembongan Village Community to manage tourist businesses both in groups and independently, as well as the Lembongan Village Community who are trying in tourism objects in the area. Lembongan Village to close activities in each tourist attraction starting on Saturday, March 21, 2020 until March 30, 2020 and seeing further developments of the COVID-19 case. Thus this Circular is submitted for follow-up as it should, for your attention and cooperation, we thank you. Lemboer March 21, 2020 Division of VILLAGE EMBASSY PERKEKEL I Ketuf Gele Arjaya KECAMATAN Tembusan delivered to Dear: HUSA PEN 1. Nusa Penida Sub-District Head in Sampalan as a Report. 2. Bendongan Customary Lembongan in Lembongan. 3. The Lembongan-Jungutbatu police chief in Lembongan is requested to conduct Supervision and Monitoring in Lembongan. 4. Chairman of the BPD Lembongan Village in Lembongan 5. Complaints Br. Dinas all over the Lembongan Village in Lembongan. 6. Archive. GOVERNMENT
1. Instructed to the entire community to visit / close activities in Regional Government objects, as well as attractions that can be borne by Private, Village, Community until tourism objects in Lembongan Village and Jungutbatu Village are well managed by the Government / Unspecified time limit and see further developments of the COVID-19 case and for Vessel operators who are still active not transporting and or exploring foreigners / locals from outside the Bali Region from Sanur, Kusamba, Nusa Penida and other ports as the entrance to Lembongan Village and Jungutbatu Village.
2. For tour owners or managers to stop tourist visits / close accommodations and hold tourist visits to / appoint health notification from their country or region of origin. and are obliged to have their visitors / tourists checked by a Government-appointed Hospital (Puskesmas NP II) and are required to carry out Independent Isolation for 14 days from their arrival.
3. For the owner / manager of the boarding house is encouraged to not accept new residents requested from outside Bali and if the manager / owner of the boarding house continues to receive new residents, the manager / owner of the boarding house is obliged to check the new occupants to the hospital requested by the Government (Puskesmas NP II) and are required to carry out Independent Isolation for 14 days after arrival.
4. For foreigners / local people outside Bali who still live in the villages of Lembongan and Jungutbatu are encouraged to stay / not travel out of the villages of Lembongan and Jungutbatu and must have left the villages of Lembongan and Jungutbatu so people who are not transferred to the villages of Lembongan and Jungutbatu go unspecified time limit and see further development of COVID-19 cases.
KLUNGE Lembongan, 28 March 2020 KARUPATE Pr Perbekeos Jungutbatu bes Dembongan INTANorbekel PERBEKEL D LEMBONGA PERBE EL DESA JUNGU KETUTGEDE ARJAYA INYOMANPREDITA, ST Cc sent to Yih 1. Nusa Penida Sub-district Head in Sampolam as an alternative. 2, Kapols Sub-Sector Lembongan purple one in Lembongan 3. Archive.
UPDATED April 12th, 2020
As of today, we have 3,842 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Indonesia (327 dead).
* The Canadian Embassy sent this email on March 25th, 2020):
“The COVID19 situation in Indonesia is very serious and getting worse quickly. As of today, the number of confirmed cases is relatively low at 790, but a credible United Kingdom-based study estimates as few as 2% of Indonesia’s COVID cases are reported. Based on consultations with public health experts, the Embassy assesses that the situation in Indonesia will get considerably worse over the coming weeks and months. Access to professional health care for any issue, related to COVID or not, is already very limited. The health care system in Indonesia will soon be overwhelmed. The ultimate number of fatalities will be very high.”
Daily data is posted on the official Indonesian COVID-19 websites https://www.covid19.go.id keep in mind that we have limited tests in Indonesia and limited lab facilities to process these tests.
Previous announcements
Official Central Government Policy Effective 20th March 2020
* ADDITIONAL GOVERNMENT POLICY IN INDONESIA *
* RELATED TO PEOPLE’S CROSSING FROM AND TO INDONESIA *
1. The government continues to pay close attention to reports from WHO regarding the development of the spread of COVID-19.
2. Bearing in mind that more and more countries have been infected with COVID-19, the Government strongly urges Indonesian citizens to limit their travel abroad except for urgent matters which cannot be postponed.
3. For Indonesian citizens who are currently traveling abroad, they are expected to return to Indonesia immediately before experiencing further flight difficulties.
4. A number of countries currently have policies to restrict traffic. Therefore, all Indonesian citizens are requested to keep a close watch on information in the safe-travel application or contact the nearest RI representative hotline.
5. Regarding foreign visitors from all countries, the Government of Indonesia has decided that the Visa Free Arrival (BVK), Visa on Arrival and Free Diplomatic / Service Visa policies are suspended for 1 month.
6. Therefore, every foreigner who will visit Indonesia is required to have a Visa from an Indonesian Representative in accordance with the purpose and purpose of the visit. When applying for a visa, you must attach a health certificate issued by the health authority in each country.
7. In addition to the above, there are special policies that concern the following countries:
8. First, the policy towards China is still valid according to the statement of the Minister of Foreign Affairs on 2 February (https://kemlu.go.id/portal/id/read/1128/siaran_pers/peritif-pers-kemlu-tentang-update-prepulang-wni -from-wuhan-as well-policies-pemri-concerning-arrivals of travel-travelers-from-rrt) and Permenkumham number 7 year 2020 (https://www.imigation.go.id/uploads/14-15-07-PERMENKUMHAM_NOMOR_7_TAHUN_2020_TENTANG_PEMBERIAN_VISA_DANIZUS_YU_US_US_CYLE_US_COM_GREG
9. Second, the policy towards South Korea for Daegu City and Gyeongsangbuk-do Province is still in accordance with the Foreign Minister’s statement dated March 5, 2020. https://kemlu.go.id/portal/id/read/1104/berita/indonesian-government- policy-on-the-development-of-covid-19-outbreak
10. Third, migrants / travelers who within the last 14 days visited the countries below are not permitted to enter / transit to Indonesia. These countries are:
a. Iran;
b. Italy;
c. Vatican;
d. Spanish;
e. France;
f. German;
g. Switzerland;
h. English
11. Fourth, all arrivals / travelers must fill out and submit a Health Alert Card to the Port Health Office prior to arrival at the entrance of the Indonesian International Airport.
12. If the travel history shows that in the last 14 days the person concerned has visited these countries, then the person concerned may be refused entry to Indonesia.
13. Fifth, for Indonesian citizens who visit the aforementioned countries, an additional inspection will be carried out by the Port Health Office upon arrival in the homeland:
a. If additional investigations find the initial symptoms of Covid-19, there will be an observation at a government facility for 14 days;
b. If no initial symptoms are found, it is strongly recommended that the person perform an independent quarantine for 14 days.
14. Extension of residence permit for foreigners / travelers who currently reside in Indonesia and has expired, then the arrangement is carried out in accordance with Permenkumham No. 7 in 2020.
15. For KITAS / KITAP holders and holders of diplomatic / official residence permits currently residing abroad and their entry permits will expire, the arrangements are also in accordance with Permenkumham No. 7 in 2020.
16. This policy will take effect on Friday 20 March at 00.00 West Indonesia Time.
17. This policy is temporary and will be evaluated in accordance with developments.
Based on the above decree and recommendations from global governments and health authorities, we will be closing our resort effective March 22nd until further notice.
As a small family own dive resort, we are feeling the full impact of this global crisis. Our entire business, team, respective families, local community, and our guests are directly affected by this situation. We must put in place special procedures to ensure that we are safe, we do not endanger our co-workers, friends, families and our communities.
Having faced a barrage of emails, WhatsApp messages, and calls in the past few days, we wanted to formulate a response to the various questions and put in place a crisis management plan and policies for our business. We would like to answer the most frequent questions asked by our guests.
1) What is the covid-19 situation in Indonesia?
We do not have accurate up-to-date information. Indonesian President Jokowi said the following yesterday (Sunday March 15th 2020):
“Under the current conditions, it’s time for us to work from home, study from home and worship at home,” Jokowi said at a press conference at Bogor Palace in West Java on Sunday. “It’s time for us to work together, to help each other, to unite and cooperate. We want this to be a community movement, so that the covid-19 problem can be addressed to the fullest.”
Indonesia has announced more than 180 confirmed covid-19 cases, five of which have ended deadly. Regional heads in a number of areas – including Jakarta, Banten and West Java – have decided to temporarily close schools and public areas in an effort to contain the coronavirus.
Jokowi said he would leave the decision whether or not to declare a state of emergency up to the respective regional head.
“As a large country and an archipelago, the spread of covid-19 varies from region to region,” he said.” Therefore, I ask all governors, regents and mayors to continue to monitor their respective regions and consult with medical experts and the National Disaster Mitigation Agency [BNPB] to determine the emergency level in their regions.”
He added that the government guaranteed it had enough stocks of staple goods to meet everyone’s needs.
“We have also prepared economic incentives, as has been announced by the Coordinating Economic Minister, so that the business world can carry on as usual,” he said.
Jokowi said that while Transportation Minister Budi Karya had tested positive for the virus, the rest of the Cabinet would continue to work hard to address the effects of the pandemic.
“I ask all the people of Indonesia to stay calm, not to panic, to stay productive and to be more alert, so that we can slow down and stop the spread of covid-19,” he said.
2) Global travel restrictions, border closures and quarantines. What is happening in Indonesia?
We realize that the current situation is evolving rapidly and the various news outlet and government response team have different messages and information, sometime changing several times in one day. Many nations around the world including Indonesia have closed their borders and either imposed some form of quarantine or limitation on travel.
We would recommend you look at your own national resources to get the latest update on this situation. We would recommend you contact your airlines to see if your flights and indeed operating as normal.
See above for the new entry rules for foreigners traveling to Indonesia starting March 20th.
3) Is there a covid-19 emergency action plan in place in Bali and on Nusa Ceningan/Nusa Lembongan?
As you know the Nusa Islands are a set of 3 small remote islands on the east coast of Bali, we are part of the Klungkung regency, Bali. We have 2 clinics and a couple of doctors, these are basic facilities. Whenever we have a medical emergencies on the Nusa Islands, we transfer the patient to Bali for more adequate care. The Bali health authorities released the following statement: “If anyone around you or even yourself are known / suspected to be affected by the coronavirus, please call 112 or (0361)233333 to connect to Bali medical team who specifically treat covid-19. The medical team will come to the person’s home to do covid-19 medical check procedure (WHO standard) and if the person is proven to have covid-19 symptoms, the team will take the person to Sanglah or Wangaya hospital for further observation. Please share the numbers to your friends and family who live in Bali.”
4) Can we get a refund for our upcoming booking?
The short answer is no, the current financial impact of this global crisis has put a heavy strain on the entire tourism industry, including our small business, our local staff and their families. We do not have the capacity to offer refunds, We understand this is also impacting you and your travel plans, so as an alternative, we are offering you the following option: You can postpone your upcoming trip without penalty, your deposit will be applied to your upcoming dive vacation with us, we are placing no limit on the timeframe you can us your credit, you can transfer it to someone else if you wish. As long as we have availability for the new dates, we will apply 100% of the deposit we received to your new booking.
5) Are we ok? (Thank you for asking)
Yes, we are doing ok, same as you we imagine. Dealing with a lot of uncertainties, stress and the logistics and fear of watching our entire industry collapse. Our team is doing oka, we are healthy, in good spirits, we have roofs over our heads and provisions in case we need to quarantine ourselves for the next few weeks or months.
Moving forward, It is an important reminder as we face this global pandemic together, we must all make the right decisions to distance ourselves socially, wash our hands with soap for 20 seconds frequently, avoid touching our eyes, nose, and mouth and ensure we limit our exposures and eliminate the spread of corvid-19.
We understand these are trying times, we hope that everyone remains safe and healthy, we look forward to welcoming you in Nusa Paradise in the future.
Feel free to email us, for more information. We appreciate your patience as we prioritize our replies and move forward with our own contingencies preparations. The Ceningan Divers and Ceningan Resort team.