Read on Twitter
"A lot of people were previously very worried that Bali would be badly hit by Covid-19 as it’s the largest tourist destination in Indonesia, but so far, the facts show a totally different picture." https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-14/how-bali-escaped-being-a-virus-hot-spot-with-village-traditions
"Whatever the elders in the villages said, people will abide,” said Ngurah Wijaya, adviser to the Bali Tourism Board. “This has enabled the government to impose its policies down to the community level effectively.”
This isn't the whole picture and actions by local villages likely have only a small, contributing effect on Bali's _reported_ numbers. Remember; the Indonesian president himself told the public that the government is not sharing all of the details about the outbreak:
“Indeed, we did not deliver certain information to the public because we did not want to stir panic. We have worked hard to overcome this, since the novel coronavirus outbreak can happen regardless of the country border,” https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/03/13/we-dont-want-people-to-panic-jokowi-says-on-lack-of-transparency-about-covid-cases.html
For sure, there are indications that Bali has remained comparatively less-impacted and I suspect there are many reasons for that. But only at the bottom of that list of reasons would I include 'organized efforts' by otherwise, largely corrupt and ineffective local governments.
Also true is the fact that village/local leaders have great influence over villagers but one doesn't have to look very far to see how that does not extend to all domains. Trash collection being a prime example. https://coconuts.co/bali/news/bali-residents-expected-to-manage-and-sort-own-household-waste-with-new-regulation/
The Bloomberg article would have people believe the province is locked down at the village level, yet malls remain open, shopping centers remain open, local markets remain open (and often packed)...our local beach is open daily, only to close at arbitrary hours of the day.
Whatever is the cause of Bali's current and fortunate lack of major outbreak, it most certainly is not the result of organized, village-level control.
I stand corrected on part of this thread. I spoke to a Balinese neighbor today who said that, while not centrally coordinated, local pacalang are soft-quarantining areas if there is a known infection. This is evidently happening significantly in parts of Denpasar.
