Traditional village authorities in Denpasar are proposing that the Denpasar city government implement the central government’s Large-scale Social Restrictions (PSBB) protocol, as the city records the highest number of positive COVID-19 cases compared to other regions in Bali.
“Looking at the positive cases in Denpasar, I suggest that Denpasar implements PSBB. PSBB itself doesn’t require any budget nor include any obligation of providing daily needs to the residents, it’s different from a lockdown,” said Wayan Subawa, chief of Pagan traditional village, during a meeting in Denpasar today.
Wayan Dudik Mahendra, an official from Sesetan traditional village, reportedly echoed a similar sentiment during the meeting.
“Based on what I have seen in Denpasar everything looks the same, as if there is no COVID-19, the streets are still crowded, and we see near the traffic lights how many residents are out and about,” Dudik said, as quoted by Tribun.
He added how patrols in Sesetan just this morning found that 240 people were not wearing masks.
As of today, Bali has confirmed 140 COVID-19 cases, 32 of which are patients treated in Denpasar.
Denpasar Mayor Ida Bagus Rai Mantra welcomed the suggestion, but said that such an approach would require more assessment.
“This is my question: will it be effective if it’s just Denpasar implementing PSBB, considering how local transmissions are occurring in almost all regions in Bali?” Rai Mantra was quoted as saying.
Bali Governor Wayan Koster today reiterated how Bali has no need to implement PSBB just yet, considering the relatively low number of local transmissions cases in the province.
“The update in Bali as of April 19, there are only 25 cases of local transmission. If we look at the day-to-day developments, there are only one, two, three or four additional cases, no local transmission,” Koster said, adding that most cases in Bali are imported cases.
He also explains that PSBB involves a number of requirements, such as a large number of cases and exponential growth, and that the return of many migrant workers from abroad due to the coronavirus outbreak has also contributed to an increasing number of COVID-19 cases for the island.
