VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesia's tropical holiday island of Bali, could reopen to tourists in October, thanks to its success in controlling the coronavirus outbreak, the government said on Friday. As of Friday, Bali had reported 343 coronavirus cases and four deaths, a much lower fatality rate compared with 16,496 cases and 1,076 deaths in the whole archipelago. If the infection curve continued to improve, the tourism ministry is looking to revitalize destinations and do promotional work for some parts of the country, including Bali, between June and October, Ni Wayan Giri Adnyani, secretary of the ministry, said in the statement as quoted by The Jakarta Post. Partial reopening of those areas, which also include the city of Yogyakarta and Riau islands province, may begin in October, she said. Foreign tourist arrivals into Indonesia plunged more than 60 percent in March, compared to the year-earlier month, with Chinese arrivals sliding more than 97 percent//JP

The Jakarta Education Agency plans to reopen schools in the capital on July 13, to coincide with the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year, after schools have been required to implement study-from-home policies, for several months in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Authorities have formulated three different schemes, to allow students to return to school, said the agency's head, Nahdiana as quoted by The Jakarta Post. The first option is to reopen a number of schools and allow all of their students to attend, while the second option to reopen several schools and only allow half of their students on the premises. Meanwhile, the third option is to reopen all schools while requiring some students to study from home, Nahdiana said without elaborating further. Nahdiana said the implementation of the plan would take account the Jakarta administration and the central government's policies, as well as the preparedness of each school's facilities to prevent COVID-19 transmission. Jakarta has implemented restrictions on mobility since April 10, with the restrictions having been extended for a second period until May 22. Students are required to study from home during the PSBB period, as schools and universities remain closed due to the pandemic//JP

Three more people have recovered from coronavirus infection in Batam City, taking the total count of recoveries to 58 as of Saturday, according to the city’s Task Force for the Acceleration of COVID-19 Handling. The three people include a crew member of MV Kelud and two local residents, identified as cases 33 and 36, chief of the task force and the city’s mayor, Muhammad Rudi, said here on Saturday as quoted by Antara.He added that the trend of COVID-19 cases in Batam City has begun to show positive development, along with an increase in the number of COVID-19 patients who have recovered.He said 29 of the 58 COVID-19 patients, who have recovered so far are crew members of MV Kelud. They were treated at the Special Infection Hospital on Galang Island.With the discharge of the latest crew member, there are no remaining crew members of MV Kelud receiving treatment at the hospital//Ant

All 111 Indonesian migrant workers who arrived at Tunon Taka Port in Nunukan District, from the Malaysian state of Sabah on Friday, tested negative for COVID-19, according to a medical team. Soon after undergoing a medical check, 85 of the 111 Indonesians from South Sulawesi Province and three from West Sulawesi Province were sent home, aboard MV Thaila via Parepare, South Sulawesi the same day, spokesperson for the Nunukan District Task Force for the Acceleration of COVID-19 Handling, Aris Suyono, said on Saturday as quoted by Antara. Nine other Indonesians from East Kalimantan Province and 14 from North Kalimantan Province were also sent home that day. The medical test included a rapid test and screening of health documents and certificates, issued by Tawau Hospital and medical clinic in the neighbouring country. The 111 Indonesians were the first group to arrive at the port, since Malaysia imposed a Movement Restriction Order, and declared Tawau in Sabah as a red zone for the transmission of COVID-19//Ant