Last updated 1 Dec 2020

We know many of you are wondering what is the situation with COVID-19 in Indonesia. You might have questions such as, ‘Will it be safe to travel to Indonesia when international travel reopens?’ and ‘What steps have been taken to limit the spread of the disease?’. We thought that providing the latest information about COVID in Indonesia would help give you some of the answers to questions such as these.

Latest update Dec 1  – latest numbers and update on Bali airport reopening. Also our Bali centres have passed the govt Health and Safety Audit (compulsory for all tourists businesses to operate in the “new normal” – Lombok and Manado are expecting to be auditted soon.

Dedicated Covid-Info Email Addrress

We have setup a dedicated email to answer any questions that you may have about COVID, visa requirements, which area is open for diving, etc. Just email us direct on Covid-Info@TwoFishDivers.com

What is the situation at our locations?

Manado

Lembeh and Bunaken are both open and welcoming guests.

Lombok

Our Gili Air centre is temporarily closed, we are open as usual in South Lombok.Travellers arriving to Lombok must show a negative Covid-19 test, PCR no older than 14 days or Rapid Test no older than 14 days (the same goes for arrivals by sea). Travelling inter-regionally around NTB (Lombok, Sumbawa, Gili Islands) no further documentation is needed.

Bali

Our Sanur centre is open.

In Amed we are able to take divers and courses, although we are in the process of moving our base there. Nusa Lembongan is open for diving but not accomodation in the short term, although we can of course arrange accomodation for you on the island.

Bali Airport is planning to reopen for international flights with a new system- inbound travellers will be tested at the airport (PCR test) with results back in 3-4 hours. For that time you will be able to relax in a govt quarantine hotel. If the test is negative then you can continue on without quarantine. The system has been tested and Bali is waiting for clearance from the central government to operate in this fashion.

COVID Case Numbers

 As of Dec 1st^, the latest figures for Indonesia are 538,883 total cases with 16,945 deaths, of which:

• Bali: 13,938 total cases, 428 deaths (population 4.22 million)
• Lombok: 3,039 total cases, 186 deaths (population 3.167 million)
• Manado (North Sulawesi): 6,904 total cases, 245 deaths (population 2.27 million)

Indonesia has a population of 267 million. In terms of case numbers Indonesia is in the number 22 spot of COVID cases by country globally (remember Indonesia is the worlds’ 4th most populous country), with the USA being #1, and Indonesia is number 131 in terms of cases per million inhabitants.

Why are COVID case numbers so low in Indonesia? Is it just a lack of testing?

For sure, there are undiagnosed cases out there, the same as in probably every other country in the world, due to limited testing (the testing has been scaled up a lot though in recent weeks).

One way in which to tell if you have a problem is excess mortality is having a much higher overall death rate than normal. In Jakarta in March there was excess mortality, however, studies in Bali have shown that here we have not seen higher than normal death rates.

Also, from speaking to Doctors who work in various hospitals here, they are not seeing numbers of COVID cases, there is no surge in hospitalisations, there is simply no sign of an epidemic which is just being missed by testing.

So why are numbers so low? Firstly, we are lucky enough to live in a hot and humid climate, which definitely has an effect on the survivability of the Sars-Cov-2 virus (as was the case with Sars-Cov-1). It doesn’t stop transmission, but it reduces it.

However, there are many other factors working in favour of islands like Lombok, Bali, Bunaken and Lembeh (and why the majority of Indonesian cases are in the big cities, especially Jakarta).

Transmission of the virus appears to be greatest in indoor environments, where people are in prolonged contact with each other, or where many people are in close contact. So things like public transport (tube trains, buses, etc) are great vectors for infection, both directly and through fomites (virus transmission via surfaces). Office blocks, apartment buildings, elevators, etc are also all very good ways to transmit the virus.

In many of our islands we don’t have these things! For example in Bali we have no public transport, we have no big office blocks, no large apartment buildings, and a large amount of life is spent outdoors. In combination with the climate it would seem this is really helping to reduce transmission.

The central government has taken firm steps to combat the virus – for example, all non-essential domestic travel between islands was stopped for a while which, in a country of 17,000 islands, is no mean feat. During Ramadan millions of people head back to their home villages this was also stopped, which is a huge step for the nation to take.

Local governments have also taken serious steps to limit spread – wearing of masks is now compulsory in most of Bali when outside, there are checkpoints to limit traffic in and out of Denpasar (Bali’s main city), restaurants are enforcing social distancing etc. Any passenger arriving at Bali airport now gets a swab test. So although Western news reports about Indonesia are often not the most flattering, officials here have taken the matter seriously and taken strong measures to address it.

So although we do have COVID cases, we have very limited numbers considering the size of population. Outside of the major cities the cases are even less, due at least in part to a combination of climate, cultural and economic factors that mean we don’t have the high risk factors for the spread of the disease.

When and how can I travel to Indonesia?

At the moment Indonesia is not issuing tourist visas and at the moment there are indications that it may be the start of 2021 until this changes. As of yet there is no official confirmation on this. Social visas and business visas are now available, which will allow you into the country for 60 days.

What changes will there be to scuba diving in Indonesia?

The number one priority of any good dive centre is always safety, and this applies also to COVID!! We have had to incorporate changes to both our dive service and our resort/non-diving services as a result of COVID, and you will notice these differences.

Additionally we recently received a thorough document from DAN (Divers Alert Network) with medically approved best practice for dive centre operations in relation to COVID, and we have implemented all appropriate measures.

All tourist business are receiving a health and safety audit from the govt to ensure policies and procedures are best practice. Our Bali operations have passed their audits, and we are waiting for audit dates for Lombok and Manado.

One other change that we like – after a few months without divers and dive boats we’re hoping that the fish life will be even more abundant!!

Conclusions

Due to a fortunate confluence of factors – climate, lack of public transport / big and busy buildings / outdoor lifestyle / sensible governance – it appears that the tourist areas of Indonesia are comparatively safe places with regard to Coronavirus and we are not currently suffering a large-scale epidemic.

Hopefully this will continue and as the world slowly returns to the new normal and travel is again possible, you’ll be able to come diving in Indonesia without having too many corona fears.

Other Questions?

If you have any questions then please don’t hesitate to fill in the form below and we will get back to you right away!