The former head of the National Land Agency (BPN) in Bali was found dead from a gunshot wound yesterday evening as he was about to be taken into custody, with authorities suspecting that the man committed suicide.

Exactly one month after Bali opened its doors to domestic tourism, the province today recorded its highest single-day spike of COVID-19 cases.

The Bali provincial government reported 129 additional coronavirus cases this afternoon, bringing the provincial tally to 5,207.

Bali’s tourism players are exploring different opportunities to attract more visitors from other parts of Indonesia. In a bid to revive the local economy deeply battered by the pandemic, they are considering slashing prices of flight tickets, promoting hotel vouchers, and arranging promotional gatherings.

Bali hoteliers are skeptical of their chances of weathering through the COVID-19 pandemic until next year, citing the sluggish impact of domestic tourism thus far.

“With four or five more months [to go], we are not sure how the tourism industry in Bali can survive to the beginning of 2021,” I Made Ramia Adnyana, deputy chief of the Indonesian Hotel General Manager Association in Bali, said.

Viktor Laiskodat, the governor of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), is back at it again with a controversial statement, this time suggesting that “poor people mindset” is the main issue plaguing his province.