DON'T PANIC.... well, maybe a little bit.

In case of crisis racism will always be among the first things to raise its ugly head. And not only in 3rd world country.
Remember Brexit... we have no more jobs, its all the immigrants fault....
 
"Blame the foreigners" had begun before I left Lombok with two local men hissing likes snakes toward a young French traveller before saying "You coronavirus" which is unfortunate, really. I recall at the time Timor Leste was becoming a sovereign state I was traveling through Kupang and had more than one local throw stones at me for what I perceived as their belief westerners were responsible for the secession.

Standing on a beach in Lombok dismayed at all the garbage accumulated on the shore recently I said to a local "This is no good." His response being "It not Indonesia, come from Australia."

I am located in Lombok as well. Don't you feel safe anymore here? Or why did you leave Lombok?
 
I am located in Lombok as well. Don't you feel safe anymore here? Or why did you leave Lombok?
It seemed to me the COVID19 situation could go absolutely pear shaped, and with Indonesia's lack of decent healthcare, the incompetence of its government, the general overall lackadaisical disposition of its people, a history littered with an inability to deal with crisis, officials avoidance of making tough decisions, airlines shutting down, the concern for family members.....and on, I thought it prudent to get out.

Edited to ad. With what I'm seeing in the media at present it seems it was a good decision. Indonesia appears to be heading toward disaster.
 
Some good news:

Scientific research shows that the new coronavirus mutates up to four times more slowly than other respiratory viruses such as the flu. This has two positive effects. One: it doesn't look like the virus is getting any more dangerous. Two: a possible vaccine could have a long-lasting effect. Simply put, the vaccine would be more similar to a vaccine like the one against measles rather than the seasonal flu.

Source: Johns Hopkins
 
It seemed to me the COVID19 situation could go absolutely pear shaped, and with Indonesia's lack of decent healthcare, the incompetence of its government, the general overall lackadaisical disposition of its people, a history littered with an inability to deal with crisis, officials avoidance of making tough decisions, airlines shutting down, the concern for family members.....and on, I thought it prudent to get out.

Edited to ad. With what I'm seeing in the media at present it seems it was a good decision. Indonesia appears to be heading toward disaster.

Ohh, I feel so much better now. Actually my daughter suggested last week I might be better off in Australia and today an old friend suggested I should go back. But when I looked at all those packed groups missing flights and visa problems I was inclined to think maybe safer not to travel. At least if things got seriously nasty regarding bules I could leave the shopping to my wife. As for medical services, if things get really sticky the hospitals in Australia won't be able to cope either and as there is no known cure I am inclined to stay put.... anyway, if things get totally out of control I can swim back to Darwin.
 
JAKARTA (THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - The government is mulling over a plan to ban this year's Idul Fitri mudik (exodus) ....

This Idul Fitri season was expected to see some 20 million people travel to their hometowns, resulting in a massive stream of urbanites to rural areas. In the current coronavirus crisis, with 893 confirmed infections and 78 deaths logged nationwide up until Thursday (March 26),...

 
The only way they can do that is with full army mobilisation and roadblocks on main roads out of every big city in the country. Also complete shutdown of planes and boats.
 
At least you'll be accommodated in a nice hotel when you get back.

All Australian international travellers to be quarantined in hotels

Well, weren't you lucky. Another couple of days and you would have been locked up in an hotel. And who pays? If it's free then the next request is, "Can I stay at a 5 star Hotel?" And if it's not free. "That's a bit pricey. Do you have anything around the $15 mark? And does that include breakfast?"

"And what then is the deal about meals? Would you mind waking me at around nine thirty with breakfast in bed?"
 
Message de l'ambassade a l'intention de la communaute francaise:


Chers Compatriotes Résidents,

Comme vous le savez sans doute, le France a réussi à obtenir l’affrètement - par la compagnie Qatar Airways - de trois vols (412 sièges chacun) au départ de Bali et d’un vol (283 sièges) au départ de Jakarta.

Il était indispensable de permettre aux ressortissants français touristes, qui se sont retrouvés bloqués en Indonésie suite aux annulations de vols en cascade, de regagner leur foyer le plus rapidement possible. C’est la raison pour laquelle, les deux premiers vols au départ de Bali (27 et 28 mars) leur ont été entièrement réservés.

Mais il y a, parmi vous, des personnes qui, compte tenu des conditions sanitaires en Indonésie, éprouvent le besoin de partir rapidement.

Ainsi, les plus âgés d’entre nous, mais également, les personnes dont la santé est fragile et/ou qui seraient bientôt à court d’un traitement médical introuvable sur place, ou encore, les familles avec de tout petits enfants pourraient légitimement s’estimer prioritaires et s’inscrire sur les vols encore disponibles, au départ de Jakarta et au départ de Bali.

Nous tiendrons compte de leur situation particulière, en fonction des sièges encore disponibles. Nous travaillons pour obtenir des vols supplémentaires.


Les sièges dont le montant est en cours de fixation seront à régler au Trésor public avant le 1er juillet 2020. Des formulaires d’engagement de remboursement devront être remplis et signés pour pouvoir embarquer. Ce tarif ne correspond pas au coût réel du vol, la différence est prise en charge par le Gouvernement français.

Pour exprimer votre demande – exclusivement par courriel :

Pour un départ de Bali – vol prévu lundi 30 mars 2020 à 19h55 - vous devez EXCLUSIVEMENT adresser votre réponse à : [email protected]

Pour un départ de Jakarta – vol prévu dimanche 29 mars à 19h15 - vous devez EXCLUSIVEMENT adresser votre réponse à : [email protected]


Vous indiquerez, pour chaque passager (enfants mineurs inclus) - NE PAS METTRE DE DOCUMENT EN PIECE JOINTE :


1/ Nom (tel qu’il figure sur le passeport) :
2 / Prénoms :
3 / Date de naissance :

4 / N° de passeport français :
5 / Date d’expiration :


Si vous obtenez un siège, vous recevrez une attestation nominative, échangeable contre votre billet au comptoir de la compagnie Qatar Airways, à l’aéroport, le jour du départ.

Je sais pouvoir compter sur votre sens du civisme pour faire en sorte que les touristes et les plus vulnérables au sein de notre communauté restent prioritaires sur ces deux vols.

Bien cordialement


Olivier Chambard
Ambassadeur de France
 
No info on costs?

The Belgians charge their citizens €300 for an EU and €900 for a non-EU repatriation...
 
In China, some buildings have doorknobs coated with copper foil to minimize the risk of COVID-19 coronavirus infection. Likewise, also elevator buttons which are routinely sanitized while some elevators are already upgraded with voice command control.

They are doing the copper coating based on results of study published in the New England Journal of Medicine revealing the various lengths of time the virus can live on a given surface.

In its findings, the virus was found to survive longest on stainless steel and plastic, for up to two to three days, while it can live for up to 24 hours on cardboard, but only four hours on copper surfaces, according to the report.

 
This was today's email from the US Embassy

Alert – U.S. Embassy Jakarta, Indonesia, March 27, 2020



Location: Indonesia



Event: Health Alert – (COVID-19 Update #8) U.S. Embassy Jakarta, Indonesia



As of March 27, 2020, the Indonesian Ministry of Health has confirmed 893 cases of COVID-19 in the country.



Under the Global Level 4 Health Advisory, U.S. citizens currently in Indonesia should arrange for immediate return to the United States, unless they are prepared to remain abroad for an extended period. U.S. citizens seeking to depart Indonesia should make their own travel arrangements as soon as practicable, since commercial flights are still available, albeit at significantly reduced levels. Our most current information indicates there are still 49 commercial flights per week out of Indonesia by which U.S. citizens can return to the United States:

  • 36 from Jakarta (29 via Tokyo, 4 via Doha, and 3 via Bangkok)
  • 9 from Bali (6 via Tokyo and 3 via Doha)
  • 4 from Surabaya (all via Kuala Lumpur)
On March 25, the U.S. Department of State ordered the departure of Embassy employees’ family members under the age of 21 from Embassy Jakarta, the U.S. Mission to ASEAN, Consulate General Surabaya and Consulate Medan due to evidence of COVID-19 in Indonesia, current Indonesian medical capacity, and current availability of flights out of Indonesia. U.S. Embassy Jakarta, U.S. Consulate General Surabaya and Consulate Medan remain open for Mission-critical functions only. Services for U.S. citizens remain available.

We strongly encourage U.S. citizens, whenever they travel abroad, to enroll their travel plans on www.travel.state.gov using the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), and to read the country information found on the site

The Indonesian Ministry of Health has set up an information hotline regarding the potential for COVID-19 in Indonesia. Details about the information hotline are available on its website and by calling +62-21-5210411 or +62-82-12123119

The government of Indonesia has implemented enhanced screening and quarantine measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Travel restrictions could be put into effect with little or no advance notice. Travelers who have visited China, Iran, and parts of Italy and South Korea in the last 14 days will be refused entry. Visit the website of Indonesian Immigration for additional information on these new measures.
 
In China, some buildings have doorknobs coated with copper foil to minimize the risk of COVID-19 coronavirus infection. Likewise, also elevator buttons which are routinely sanitized while some elevators are already upgraded with voice command control.

They are doing the copper coating based on results of study published in the New England Journal of Medicine revealing the various lengths of time the virus can live on a given surface.

In its findings, the virus was found to survive longest on stainless steel and plastic, for up to two to three days, while it can live for up to 24 hours on cardboard, but only four hours on copper surfaces, according to the report.

Well, how long can it live on silver?
 

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