Dozens of members of Bali’s Regional Legislative Council (DPRD) have taken it upon themselves to represent the people and undergo rapid testing for the novel coronavirus, sparking sarcastic comments and criticism from local residents across social media platforms.

The Bali provincial government has declared a state of emergency for the island after announcing nine additional positive cases of COVID-19 yesterday, which included three cases of local transmissions. 

Dewa Made Indra, regional secretary of the Bali administration, told a live press conference that the status upgrade would enable officials and law enforcement authorities to strengthen their approach in curbing the spread of COVID-19 in Bali.

A naked foreigner reportedly caused quite a scene as he wandered near Bali’s Berawa Beach this morning, eventually prompting local authorities to intervene and take him to the nearest hospital.

A naked foreigner reportedly caused quite a scene as he wandered near Bali’s Berawa Beach this morning, eventually prompting local authorities to intervene and take him to the nearest hospital. 

“He was buck naked and did not bring any form of identification,” I Putu Eka Parmana, who heads North Kuta district, told Kompas.

Hundreds of foreigners departed Bali over the weekend, some with chartered flights organized by their respective governments, following flight cancelations across the globe amid the COVID-19 outbreak. 

The Ngurah Rai Immigration office said in a statement that over 200 foreigners, consisting mostly of German nationals, boarded a chartered German Airlines flight on Saturday headed for Frankfurt, while over 400 passengers consisting of mostly French nationals headed to France with Qatar Airways on the same day.