We’ve been through this before, but authorities in Bali have once again raided an entertainment establishment for holding a party in which social distancing protocols were evidently ignored in the name of boozy revelry.
Footage from a party at popular beachfront bar Old Man’s in Canggu yesterday are widely circulating online, showing a long queue to enter the venue, the packed scenes inside, and the inevitable moment when police and Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) officers raided the establishment and instructed visitors to vacate the premises.
Antrean kenormalan baru nok. Apa itu protokol kesehatan? 😂@BaleBengong pic.twitter.com/S0saApz1OJ
— gadipramana (@Gadipramana) June 11, 2020
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBQflpOgTiy/
Very few partygoers were seen wearing face masks or observing social distancing measures at the venue.
Old Man’s reopened to the public for the first time since it temporarily shut on March 24 as a precaution against COVID-19. Over the last few days, the beachfront bar promoted its reopening on social media, stressing that entry was going to be limited “to ensure the health and safety of everyone.”
Old Man’s general manager Tudor Morrow confirmed that police raided the venue.
“Unfortunately, due to the amount of people and the fact we were way understaffed, we were totally overwhelmed. We had all COVID-19 health and safety measures in place with regards to hygiene and social distancing but unfortunately couldn’t stop the customers with our few staff,” Tudor told Coconuts Bali.
“Moving forward we will enforce stricter policies at the entrance and limit the numbers inside the venue. I hope this problem will be resolved quickly and Bali [will] recover from the damage that the [coronavirus] has caused to its people and the economy.”
Though the Bali Police have yet to issue an official statement regarding the raid, a source at Satpol PP told us that authorities justified dispersing the partygoers using the National Police’s advisory on social distancing.
There have been no reports of sanctions towards Old Man’s for the incident.
In Bali, social distancing and other restrictions are mostly enforced on the basis of official advisories instead of government regulation. This has resulted in ambiguity both for enforcers and the public, leading to similar incidents such as the raid of a party in April and visitors flocking to beaches despite temporary closures.
Bali is by no means out of the woods with regards to COVID-19. Despite a relatively low caseload compared to other parts of Indonesia, the island has seen a spike in local transmissions, which now make up more than half of Bali’s 640 COVID-19 cases.
