Today I am reporting 22 additional cases [of COVID-19], 13 of which are local transmissions,” Bali province’s regional secretary, Dewa Made Indra, said at a press conference that was streamed live yesterday. 

As of today, the official toll of COVID-19 cases on the island is at 215, including 96 recoveries and four deaths. Yesterday saw the biggest single-day spike in coronavirus cases for the island, which have seen relatively low numbers compared to other regions in Indonesia.  

Indra also laid out further details about the new cases of local transmission, which include eight residents of Serokadan hamlet in Bangli regency and four residents of Padangkerta Village in Karangasem regency, the latter group comprising a family. All of them were infected by migrant workers who were self-isolating in their homes. 

Indra added that as of Monday, Bali has received 11,639 returning migrant workers in recent weeks, 2,516 of whom have undergone swab tests. A total of 42,200 rapid tests have been conducted for these workers, as some have gone through it more than once. 

“We can conclude that instructions from Bali Province and implementation of regional government is lacking in discipline,” Indra said. 

The majority of COVID-19 cases here in Bali have been imported cases, most of whom are recently returned migrant workers. Local officials are now calling on migrant workers who are self-isolating at home to be more disciplined in order to avoid even more local transmissions. 

Read more news and updates from Bali here.

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