Beaches located in Denpasar city and Badung regency have reopened to the public this week under “strict health protocols,” joining the Bali provincial government’s first phase of the so-called “new normal.”
According to reports, 13 beaches around Sanur area in Denpasar reopened yesterday with a limit of 75 visitors at a time.
“We’ll give the example of Bali Beach, if 75 people enter the beach, we will close it. When some people leave, we’ll allow the same number of people to enter,” Dewa Gede Rai, spokesman for the COVID-19 task force in Denpasar, said.
Dewa said entrances to the beach are guarded with officers, who will regulate the number of people entering and leaving.
Yesterday marked the beginning of the provincial government’s three-step plan to reopen Bali amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which includes opening up tourism to domestic tourists at the end of this month, and to foreign visitors on Sept. 11.
Related — Bali set to welcome foreign tourists in September amid warnings
In the first phase, activities are expected to gradually return across different sectors while complying with strict health protocols, with the exception of tourism and education. However, a number of select tourist attractions were permitted to reopen yesterday, such as Bali Safari Park in Gianyar regency and Kuta beach in Badung.
“All of this will be evaluated on every phase and we hope that everything will go smoothly as planned,” Bali Governor Wayan Koster said.
Bali reported 53 additional COVID-19 cases yesterday, bringing the provincial total to 2,024.
