Bali says foreign tourists will be allowed to return by September as the Indonesian holiday island scrambles to repair its crippled vacation sector -- even as coronavirus cases mount.
A Balinese woman masked against coronavirus has her temperature taken before a Hindu ceremony at Jagatnatha temple in Denpasar. The Indonesian island hopes to re-open to tourists in September |
The island
will re-open beaches, temples and other tourism spots for domestic visitors by
the end of July, the governor said Sunday, and welcome foreign holidaymakers from
September 11.
It was not
immediately clear if vacationers from all countries would be allowed to visit,
or if restrictions would be put in place on their arrival.
"We
must continue to make the best efforts to handle Covid-19, while at the same
time we must begin to carry out activities for the sake of community
life," said Bali Governor Wayan Koster.
The volume
of flights to and from Bali plummeted during the global pandemic, leaving
hotels empty and restaurants struggling to survive.
The island was
relatively unaffected in the early days of the epidemic, but cases have jumped
in recent weeks.
As of
Monday, Bali reported 1,900 confirmed infections, with 23 deaths. Indonesia,
the world's fourth most-populous nation, has posted 65,000 cases and 3,241
deaths.
The real
toll is widely believed to be much higher, however, with experts attributing
the low figures to limited testing.
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