February 22, 2021: COVID-19 and Foreign Tourism in Bali UPDATE
The Answer
As of today, February 22, 2021, Foreign Tourists still can NOT travel to Bali, Indonesia. Meaning, if you are not a citizen of Indonesia, and you wish to go there with a purpose of tourism, you are not allowed and will not be able to.
Give Me Hope
Although Bali's borders are officially closed, there is hope for them to open up within the next couple months. The deal is: Indonesia’s Tourism and Creative Economy Minister, Sandiaga Uno, is doing everything in his power to reopen Bali's borders quickly, but most importantly, safely.
Part of the reopening plan is to implement a COVID-19 free corridor "from low-risk countries that have successfully introduced vaccination"
Uno confirms two things for us:
"Talks between his office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Law and Human Rights to make a free Covid-19 corridor was at its final stages. Under the plan, incoming travellers will be exempted from quarantine."
AND
"The plan is that tourists who are allowed to come are those who have been vaccinated at their home countries. (Upon arrival in Indonesia), they have to take an antigen test (and test negative) before they can (proceed to) do activities.”
With vaccinations starting to roll out in several countries, we could see Bali's officials start implementing reopening measures in the near future.
What Else?
Bali and it's officials are in a tough spot. They want to get Bali opened up to foreign tourists as soon as they can, as tourism is an essential part to Bali's, now battered, economy. However, they obviously need to do it as safely as possible, for the good of everybody. Figuring out the earliest time they can open, while still maintaining reasonable safety, will be their biggest struggle.
There has been no official date given for when Bali will be open for foreign tourism.
Unfortunately, countries like Australia, China, and Malaysia, who are having slower than expected vaccination program success may experience delay in their ability to enter Indonesia and other nations.