Image: Governor Koster. Credit: Pemprov Bali.
It is official, next week, Thursday, July 9 the new normal will begin in Bali, but it won’t be a celebration of sorts, it will be a slow recommencement to normal life, according to Governor Koster.
The Governor of Bali stated in a press release yesterday that in accordance with central government coordination, the provincial and district/city governments in Bali will begin to initiate the new normal era in conjunction with the sacred Pamahayu Jagat ceremony at Pura Agung Besakih, which also coincides with the holy full moon ceremony of Purnama Sasih Kasa on July 5, 2020.
“The full moon ceremony will be followed by interfaith prayers at their respective places of worship simultaneously at 10am the next day,” Governor Koster was quoted in Tribun Bali when holding a virtual face-to-face meeting with the heads of sub-districts and villages throughout Bali on Wednesday (1/7).
The purpose of these simultaneous rituals and prayers, said the governor, was to give thanks to God for the gifts given so that the handling of Covid-19 in Bali can be carried out appropriately.
The ceremonies are also intended to invoke blessings for the commencement of the new era of Balinese life.
In addition to Besakih, the ceremonial rituals will also be held in all village temples throughout Bali.
Governor Koster took the opportunity yesterday during the virtual link up from the governor’s office to provide information to the sub-district and village heads of the coming new normal era so that they could prepare and begin to take action in disciplining their communities to implement the Covid-19 health protocols.
The governor reminded them that this new era should not be interpreted as going back to normal life like before the existence of Covid-19.
He firmly stated that the Covid-19 health protocols must continue to be enforced strictly.
“There must be no crowds, people must use masks and continue diligently washing their hands. There must be no nightlife, nor big events, let alone any cockfighting. The protocols must still be followed,” he added
“If this first period of the new normal is successful, we will continue the opening of Bali for Indonesian domestic tourists from July 31, 2020. With a note that Bali will selectively open tourist attractions so there are no new sources of transmission,” he said.
He also said that as yet there was no vaccine for Covid-19 which means the virus will continue to exist.
“This has been going for more than three months, we cannot continue to forbid people to travel or close their businesses, which of course has an impact on the economy. For this reason, we have to think of a scheme so that people’s lives can move forward again,” he explained.
In closing the discussion he said that he hoped the scheme can go according to plan and that the handling of Covid-19 can be managed well.
