Driver Kadek Yosa Yasa feeds his family through 20 rides a month. But now he doesn’t know what to feed the kids when they are no longer available.
“No guests since six weeks ago, and everyone is struggling, struggling, wavering ,” Yasa answered 9News .
Yasa is just one of the 4 million Balinese people whose livelihoods depend entirely on tourism – the industry is crumbling under the pressure of a pandemic caused by nCoV . The streets on the island are no longer bustling, beaches are closed, and tourism is almost non-existent when international flights arrive at a 95% drop.
Bali airport before (left) and after the pandemic broke out.
A week ago, Indonesia stopped giving international visitors entry to the dire predictions that Covid-19 could kill the lives of 240,000 people in the country by the end of April.
Ross Taylor, director of the Perth-based Indonesian Academy, said the Balinese economy would collapse far more seriously than the situation after the 2002 bombing and last year’s Agung volcano eruption.
“Looking back at the time of the 2002 bombing, Bali had 65% of the economy dependent on tourism. Today in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, up to 80% of the island’s economy is encapsulated in tourism, and like many parts of the world, Bali’s tourism industry has completely collapsed, “Taylor explained.
According to this expert, most Balinese people are now unemployed, the rest will work half a shift, receive half a salary. “So what will happen next month? A person starts to wonder and become quite panicked,” Taylor said.
With all service orders canceled until July, event organizer Djulian Firmansyah is begging the government to support citizens and businesses with $ 40 billion economic stimulus packages.
“Three days, six days or a year, they want us to stay at home for as long as possible, but please provide food for us,” he said.
The restaurant closed on Seminyak beach from the end of March.
Meanwhile, Nadine Gray, an Australian event organizer in Bali, has donated nearly $ 1,000 since stopping all business activities. She continues to call for donations from benefactors, to deliver rice, eggs, noodles and vegetables to disadvantaged locals.
“So far we have raised enough money for relief packages that are enough for 77 families to provide them with regular food for a week,” said Gray, owner of Bali Boho Co. “They’re miserable when suddenly they lose their income and don’t have a lot of money to save.”
But worse than no one knows when millions of international visitors can return to this beautiful island.
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