The COVID-19 crisis in Bali continues to be a matter of national concern this week, after the recent surge in coronavirus cases led to eight of the province’s nine regions being marked as high-risk, or “red zones” for COVID-19, the highest number compared to other provinces in Indonesia.
With the exception of Klungkung regency, all of Bali’s regencies and Denpasar — the only city in the province — were recently declared as red zones.
Bangli, Karangasem, and Tabanan regencies were already considered high-risk zones previously, while Jembrana, Badung, Gianyar, Buleleng, and Denpasar city have now joined the red zones list.
Earlier this week, Indonesia’s COVID-19 task force also highlighted that the highest weekly surge of coronavirus cases across the country was reported in Bali, which saw more than 100 percent increase compared to the previous week.
Deputy Governor Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati said just yesterday that local transmissions in Bali escalated from household clusters and traditional ceremonies, while also making a reference to how the restart of local tourism across the island after months of restrictions have led to many younger people going on excursions and resulting in asymptomatic cases being more widespread.
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