Indonesia may allow foreign tourists to start returning to the popular resort island of Bali and other parts of the country by October after a sharp fall in Covid-19 case numbers, senior minister Luhut Pandjaitan said on Friday.
The South-East Asian nation intends to move cautiously to reopen its borders after a devastating second virus wave, driven by the Delta variant.
Mr Luhut, Co-ordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Affairs, said the addition of confirmed cases of Covid-19 had dropped by 94.5 per cent since a peak in mid-July.
"We are happy today that the reproduction rate is below 1 ... it is the lowest during the pandemic and is indicating the pandemic is under control," Mr Luhut said.
Other positive signs included the national hospital bed occupancy rate falling below 15 per cent, while the positivity rate, or the proportion of people tested who are positive, was below 5 per cent, he said.
Mr Luhut said if the trend continued "we are very confident" that Bali could be reopened by October.
South Korea, Japan, Singapore and New Zealand are among the first countries from where the government is considering accepting foreign citizens, given the low virus spread in those nations, he said.
Indonesia's health minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin told Reuters this week that reopening to foreigners also hinged upon 70 per cent of the target population receiving their first Covid-19 shot.
More than 21 per cent of the targeted 208 million have been fully vaccinated, while almost 40 per cent have received their first shot, according to health ministry data.
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
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BIOSAFETY LABS SECURITY LEVELS
Biosafety Level 1
The lowest safety level. These labs work with viruses that are minimal risk to humans.
Hand washing is required on entry and exit and potentially infectious material decontaminated with bleach before thrown away.
Must have a lock. Access limited. Lab does not need to be isolated from other buildings.
Used as teaching spaces.
Study microorganisms such as Staphylococcus which causes food poisoning.
Biosafety Level 2
These labs deal with pathogens that can be harmful to people and the environment such as Hepatitis, HIV and salmonella.
Working in Level 2 requires special training in handling pathogenic agents.
Extra safety and security precautions are taken in addition to those at Level 1
Biosafety Level 3
These labs contain material that can be lethal if inhaled. This includes SARS coronavirus, MERS, and yellow fever.
Significant extra precautions are taken with staff given specific immunisations when dealing with certain diseases.
Infectious material is examined in a biological safety cabinet.
Personnel must wear protective gowns that must be discarded or decontaminated after use.
Strict safety and handling procedures are in place. There must be double entrances to the building and they must contain self-closing doors to reduce risk of pathogen aerosols escaping.
Windows must be sealed. Air from must be filtered before it can be recirculated.
Biosafety Level 4
The highest level for biosafety precautions. Scientist work with highly dangerous diseases that have no vaccine or cure.
All material must be decontaminated.
Personnel must wear a positive pressure suit for protection. On leaving the lab this must pass through decontamination shower before they have a personal shower.
Entry is severely restricted to trained and authorised personnel. All entries are recorded.
Entrance must be via airlocks.
A little about CVRL
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
Points about the fast fashion industry Celine Hajjar wants everyone to know
- Fast fashion is responsible for up to 10 per cent of global carbon emissions
- Fast fashion is responsible for 24 per cent of the world's insecticides
- Synthetic fibres that make up the average garment can take hundreds of years to biodegrade
- Fast fashion labour workers make 80 per cent less than the required salary to live
- 27 million fast fashion workers worldwide suffer from work-related illnesses and diseases
- Hundreds of thousands of fast fashion labourers work without rights or protection and 80 per cent of them are women
