Respect For Village Elders, Hindu Beliefs And Discipline Help Island Of Bali Fight Covid-19 Spread 

Influential village committees and Hindu beliefs have been cited as a couple of the many reasons why Bali may have done well to keep Covid largely at bay. Locals have helped the authorities in keeping the spread under control.

A British tourist suffering from Covid-19 was the first to fall to the virus in March. Among the rituals that people were asked to observe for their protection from the virus was to follow the directions given by the local leaders.

The village committees keep a track of people entering and exiting the villages. While the residents in these villages stayed home, visitors were not allowed to enter the villages. The villages are aware of the people exiting and entering.

The system has not been and cannot be replicated elsewhere, reports say.

Decisions on the protocols which will allow the reopening of business will arrive after consultations from elected leaders, community and religious heads at the local level.

Ngurah Wijaya, adviser to the Bali Tourism Board, has been quoted saying that the villages have a very strong influence on the community. The report says:

The province didn’t impose more punishing social distancing rules such as ban on mass gatherings and curbs on public transport unveiled by the central government and followed in places such as Jakarta and West Java. But it locked down three villages, following local community infections from returning migrant workers.

The word of the elders is followed by the people. This has helped the government to send its policies to the community level to fight the spread.

Flights to and fro China were brought to a halt in the first week of February.