It's a lonely feeling these days to drive the main streets of Sanur, all but devoid of traffic, the sidewalks vacant of shoppers, browsers, diners. One zips along the road from one end of Sanur to the other in a fraction of the time it used to take--a nice enough feature in its own right, and yet a strangely eerie one as well, the persistent back-of-the-mind whisper that something is not right in this place. And one cannot help but wonder whether this will simply become the norm. Will Sanur, will Bali, ever recover?
Well, another week of lockdown is upon us, and new rules are about to be put in place.
Nothing Has Changed For Bali, reads the headline in this week's edition of the Sanur Weekly. PPKM (Pemberlakuan Pembatan Kegiatan Masyarakat, in other words the lockdown) will now continue to the 13th of September.
A chilling new restriction is about to be added (on the 14th) which will require all people entering a mall or supermarket to show their PeduliLidingi phone app, demonstrating that the holder has been vaccinated. Those not having the app will be denied entry.
So a guy like me, who has neither vaccination or app, is in a bit of a bind, isn't he? How, I am wondering, am I supposed to get my groceries in the future. I suspect that the government is likely as unsure as I on this matter.
In other news, a "plus-plus" spa in Denpasar (this being a euphemism in Indonesia for establishments offering 'happy ending' massages (a euphemism in itself) has reportedly violated the current COVID-19 restrictions in Bali by remaining open late at night. It has so far gotten away with this because the authorities in Denpasar and Badung cannot agree on whose jurisdiction the spa is in, as it is situated on the border between the two regencies. This is apparently a quandary without a solution, as the spa remains in full operation.
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