This page will be regularly updated with the latest COVID-19 updates
March 4, 2022
We continue to navigate the pandemic here in Indonesia. The borders to Indonesia have mostly been closed for the past 2 years to international travelers. During the months of July and August last year, Indonesia became the world’s epicenter for the COVID 19 pandemic with hospitals overflowing and numerous deaths.
From September 2021 to January of this year, the COVID cases were extremely low across Indonesia. However, in February, we saw a dramatic increase due to the Omicron variant. Thankfully, this variant has had a minimal impact in terms of hospitalizations and deaths. It appears that we have now hit the peak and are expecting COVID cases to drop dramatically by the end of March 2022.
During the pandemic, our ministries have continued to operate with various conditions and restrictions. We have also continued to run our Discipleship Training Schools (DTS), however only with students from Indonesia.
The government has invested heavily in providing vaccinations to Bali with the goal of reopening to international tourists. Almost all of our staff are already fully vaccinated. There are now visas available for vaccinated tourists from certain countries, but they still need to do 5 day quarantine at a government approved hotel at their own expense.
During the pandemic, all international flights to Indonesia arrived in Jakarta. However, this past month we have seen the first direct flights arrive in Bali from Singapore and Japan with more scheduled to begin soon from the Netherlands and Australia.
At this time, we are not able to obtain the appropriate visas we need for our international staff or students. But we are hearing positive communication from the government about removing further restrictions once we see a drop in COVID infections from the Omicron variant. We are hopeful that over the next few months we will once again have access to the visas we need for our staff and students. We are hoping these will be available in time for our 2022 June DTS. It also sounds like the government will drop the hotel quarantine requirement in the near future.
So, we are still awaiting further changes from the government. Please be aware that the government requires all international visitors to Indonesia be vaccinated for COVID19 and have the appropriate insurance to cover any potential COVID infection during their stay in Indonesia.
June 2021 COVID-19 Update
As a YWAM ministry, we continue to navigate the challenges of the COVID19 pandemic. We have been able to engage the community in ministry once again and seeing much fruit and people responding to Christ. We have been able to continue running our Discipleship Training Schools with one starting shortly on 04 July. We were also able to run a School of Worship in January. Unfortunately, the schools are only being run with students from Indonesia since the borders are still close for international visitors to Indonesia.
After a peak at the beginning of the year, the nation of Indonesia saw a decrease in COVID cases across the nation. However, over the past month, cases have dramatically increased and are at their highest levels ever, mainly driven by the Delta variant of the virus. Java has just moved into a lockdown with many hospitals being overwhelmed.
The situation in Bali is a bit different from Java. COVID cases have risen, but the government has already invested heavily in vaccines for Bali, mainly Astrazeneca, with the hope of being able to reopen to international tourists in the near future. It is possible that Bali may overcome this latest wave quite quickly. Most of the staff at UofN Bali have already been vaccinated.
The government has had many proposed dates to reopen Bali to international tourists, however those have continually been postponed. The latest news is that the proposed date to reopen Bali in August has been postponed. At this time, we are still unsure of when we will be able to facilitate bringing international students to our schools here in Bali.
We would appreciate your prayers for us. We are hoping that we will be able to receive international students in time for our September schools, but in the natural it is probably less than a 50% chance that will happen. This is unfortunate, as we have about 27 potential students interested in the September DTS, with most of those coming from outside the country. If you need further information, please feel free to contact us.
Updated: 20 October 2020
Indonesia has been initiating and adjusting various lockdowns throughout the year. Currently, across Indonesia, businesses and domestic travel have opened up again. Indonesia currently has 365,000 recorded cases with over 12,000 deaths from COVID19. Most of the cases and deaths are concentrated in Jakarta and the island of Java. Here in Bali, we have had 4,100 confirmed cases with 80 deaths. New cases have remained consistent and have yet to drop.
Here in Bali, the vast majority of tourists have left, and all international flights are cancelled. We have started to see the return of domestic tourists, but not in large numbers. Schools remain closed, and people are not allowed to gather in large numbers. Religious gatherings like church services are restricted to 25 people.
Due to the pandemic which began during our January 2020 schools, we had to send the students home after they concluded their lecture phase. The June schools were cancelled. We recently received local government permission to run the September DTS which is running at this time with ten students, all from Indonesia. Indonesia is not granting visas at this time, so international students were unable to come. We have just been informed that Indonesia’s borders will remain closed until the end of the year. We are hoping that they will reopen in time for our January 2021 DTS and School of Worship.
We have continued to operate here in Bali with a staff of about 50. We have various protocols in place to help protect our community and to help our staff be able to minister with wisdom and minimize risk. We recognize that this is a crucial time to reach out to people in need with the love of Christ. The number one industry in Bali is tourism, so the people here are very dependent on tourism for their income. Even though we have had to cancel most of our ministries, we have had the opportunity to find families in severe economic difficulty and give them food and share the gospel with them. We would appreciate your prayers as we continue to pursue God and demonstrate His love to those here in Bali and across Indonesia.
Updated: Wednesday 15th April
Nationally – The Indonesian government has put a prohibition on all foreigners coming in to Indonesia at this time, apart from those with long term visas. It is now mandatory for everyone to wear a mask when going outside.
Locally – Bali as off yesterday has 92 confirmed cases with a majority being imported cases.
Campus Update
- Our January 2020 DTS is in it’s last week with more than half of our students online from their home (nations).
- We are still not receiving volunteers or guests at this time.
- It is looking likely that we will need to cancel our June Discipleship Training School and Bible Core Course.
- The School of Worship, currently scheduled for September, will likely move to January 2021.
- We are still hoping to run a DTS in September, but that is dependant upon the current corona virus situation in Indonesia to improve by that time.
We will keep you updated on any further developments.
Updated: Monday 16th March 16.40:
In the last 48 hours the Indonesian government has released both international (Indonesia) and national (Bali) protocols in regards to COVID-19. We will be following these protocols:
- Inline with international protocols we will no longer be having large group gatherings.
- We will be following the local protocols and we will:
- Stop all our ministry activities.
- We will no longer be receiving any guests on campus.
This will be for 14 days and we will then re-asses the situation. We have no cases of COVID-19 on campus and are being diligent in practicing good hygiene and following all government given protocols.
Updated: Saturday 14th March 12.35:
As of yesterday, Friday 13th of March, we have put extra protocols and health safety measures in place.
- We will not be processing any team or volunteer applications for now. This will be for one month and then we will reassess the situation.
- We will not be receiving outside visitors for our corporate times on Monday and Thursday. This will be until further notice.
- Some of our ministry to vulnerable groups have stopped until further notice.
- We will only be allowing necessary (visa-related) travels for our staff.
- We are advising our staff/students/volunteers to not be amongst large crowds.
- We have implemented more stringent health and safety measures on campus.
- We continue to run our schools and training programs and processing students applications. We are continually monitoring and assessing the situation while keeping our applicants updated on the latests developments.
Updated: Thursday 12th March 18.00:
While there have been no confirmed cases in Bali. Since we posted the original post there has been a confirmed case/ fatality of a foreigner who according to the health department had contracted the virus before she came to Bali. https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/03/11/indonesia-reports-first-death-from-covid-19.html
Original Post: Wednesday 11th March
As UofN Bali, we are aware of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and continue to monitor the situation closely.
We want to reassure you that we are taking the situation seriously and continue to follow the guidance of the Indonesian government, and the World Health Organization (WHO).
We have infectious disease protocols in place and are taking the necessary steps to minimise the spread of viruses through our community.
- UofN Bali does not have any of our staff or students in China nor other countries which are experiencing major outbreaks of COVID-19.
- Additionally, we are monitoring our staff travels, and are taking necessary precautions upon their return to our campus.
- At this point, we do not have any students on field assignment.
- We will continue to monitor the outbreaks, prioritising our students’ safety as we make decisions about their field assignment locations.
Please continue to pray for this COVID-19 situation, for healing for those who have the virus, wisdom for the governments and organisations leading us at this time and for peace and comfort for those who are experiencing fear.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions regarding our situation: info@uofnbali.org
Sincerely,
UofN Bali leadership team
This post was last updated on Saturday 14th March 11.51