Officials have shared more details regarding a potential “free COVID-19 corridor” plan this week, with Nusa Dua and Ubud named as priority destinations to roll out the program in the near future.
Read Also — Indonesian officials setting up COVID-19 ‘green zones’ in Bali
Bali Governor Wayan Koster said during a virtual event yesterday that the possibility has been discussed with the Health Ministry and the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry, which would initially entail focusing vaccination on the two designated areas.
Koster explained that a total of 120,000 vaccine doses will be required to inoculate the population and workers in the two areas, and said that his administration aims to finish the vaccination phase of this plan by this month, before potentially reopening to domestic tourism later in May.
Indonesians from other parts of the country are not prohibited from visiting Bali at this time, though they are required to present either a negative PCR or antigen rapid test result, depending on the mode of transportation, to reach the province. In regards to the “free COVID-19 corridor” plan, however, it seems that domestic tourists will serve as subjects in trial runs before potentially opening up to foreign tourists.
“We want to be even more prepared as COVID-19 cases decline in Indonesia and especially in Bali, so we initiate these green zones so we can start reopening tourism for several countries, such as China [and] Singapore,” Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno said.
Both Sandiaga and Koster emphasized that the current reopening plan is only feasible after Bali records fewer than 100 daily COVID-19 cases. Should it reach that point, officials can then start planning the actual reopening of Indonesian borders.
Bali reported 167 coronavirus cases today, bringing the provincial tally to 34,699. This includes 2,117 in treatment and 939 deaths.
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