The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, one way or another, touched everyone. Schools and children's institutions are closed for quarantine, mass events in cities are canceled, business suffers. Life was divided into “before” and “after” for a while. Every day brings new restrictions: flights with Europe and the countries of Southeast Asia are temporarily closed, travel agencies suffer billions of dollars in losses. According to the director of TUI Russia Taras Demur, the possibility of bankruptcy of Russian tour operators is very high.
What should a person who planned and paid for a trip do in such a situation if there is a coronavirus in Bali? Air links with Indonesia have been closed for one month since March 20. Information about all cases in the countries of the Indonesian basin is available in the media.
Coronavirus situation in Indonesia
On March 17, 2020, it became known that Indonesia has taken the necessary security measures in connection with the spreading COVID-19 virus. For 30 days until April 20, 2020, there will be no visa-free regime for short-term trips. In other words, earlier a visa for a vacation or business trip could be issued at the airport upon arrival. Now foreign tourists are required to obtain a visa by submitting an application to the embassy. In addition to it, a medical certificate issued by a polyclinic at the place of residence must be submitted.
Indonesia continues to impose a ban on citizens from China and South Korea. Transit crossings and visiting the country are not available to tourists who have visited the following countries in the last 14 days:
- Iran. Vatican. France.
- Switzerland. Great Britain.
- Germany. Italy. Spain.
Interesting. Passenger traffic from Russia to Indonesia in 2019 increased by 27% compared to 2018 and amounted to more than 160 thousand people.
Visitors upon arrival at the airport will fill out a questionnaire. It consists of questions about the state of health, possible symptoms of the disease, and recent visits by tourists to the territory of eight countries on the list.
Is there a coronavirus in Bali
As of March 18, according to the Indonesian newspaper Jakarta Post, 309 cases of COVID-19 infection have been officially confirmed. The Chinese virus in Bali has claimed the lives of 25 people. In the news, journalists refer to information from the Indonesian Ministry of Health. The government of the country confirms that there is a coronavirus in Bali, and is considering the option of placing the sick on a separate specially equipped island of Galang.
These measures are associated with the complete evacuation of patients and the guarantee that they will not become a source of infection for healthy people. The Jakarta Post published an interview with Commander-in-Chief of the Indonesian Armed Forces H. Tyajanto. According to him, a separate area of 80 square meters. km was not chosen by chance. The island has preserved buildings built and used at the end of the last century by refugees from neighboring Vietnam. The facilities may be useful as a hospital with 1,000 beds.
Communications for water and electricity supply remained on the island. It is located 50 km from the international airport. The reconstruction will take 1 month. In addition to repairing the buildings of the isolation ward, more than 100 hospitals with boxes and all the necessary equipment have been prepared in the country.
Important. The first two cases of the disease in Indonesia were detected on March 2, 2020. They turned out to be a mother and daughter who were in contact with a Japanese citizen. The country's leadership proposes to test the population and visitors for the detection of the virus in the coming days.
Should I go to Bali now?
Despite the introduction of air restrictions, the sale of tours for the end of March to mid-April is not closed. As before, it is not difficult to choose the hotel you like from the operator. You can book, and on some sites even pay for accommodation.
The situation with visas and check-in for flights is different now. Information about the ban on the visa-free regime was received when people had a paid tour in their hands. It cannot be called a critical situation. To travel, you need to contact the embassy for a visa to Bali. When submitting documents, the representative office will give instructions on the medical institution and the form of a travel certificate.
March and early April in Indonesia is considered the "low" season. Therefore, hotel prices at this time of the year are lower than in summer and autumn. This is due to a number of factors:
- high humidity (77%);
- dirty water in the sea with impurities of sand, grass, debris;
- number of days with more than 60% rainfall per month;
- not a calm sea, with waves.
Spring 2020 brought two more "surprises". Tourists need extreme care and protection, the new disease is little studied. The government temporarily closed tourist sites: Aling-Aling waterfall; excursion to the Indonesian village; Botanical Garden.
How to cancel a trip to Bali
The situation with the COVID-19 virus has changed the plans of millions of people who are looking forward to a vacation in March. Regular flights have been canceled, and charter flights have been reduced by more than half.
Most airlines (Aeroflot, Ural Airlines, S7) offer compensation for paid tickets for canceled flights in full. The entire cost of the ticket will be refunded to passengers who refused to fly due to fear of infection. Each company has its own terms, penalties and conditions.
The largest air carriers have a system of free change of departure date. Directions don't matter. The privilege is provided to passengers who bought tickets before March 12 with a departure date from March 13 until the end of quarantine.
Any ticket refunded at our own discretion shall be subject to the fare indicated on the ticket. To receive the fare, the following documents must be submitted to the airline:
- Application for a refund.
- Receipt (if the purchase was made at the checkout).
- The document by which the ticket was purchased.
Travel companies return money for providing accommodation in Bali (hotels, apartments) if a full package of services has been purchased:
- air tickets;
- hotel transport (airport-hotel-airport);
- hotel reservation;
- insurance.
Many tour operators offer options for postponing the date of the proposed vacation for the summer months. If the tourist independently booked accommodation in Bali, then situations may arise similar to the voluntary termination of the application. Then you can not avoid fines from the seller, and as a result, litigation.
In order to timely return the cost of expenses incurred, the tourist must apply to the travel agency, the airline with reference to Article 14 of the Federal Law No. 132 “On the Basics of Tourism Activities”. In the current circumstances with the pandemic, a “hot line” has been opened at airlines, all travel companies are working in an expanded mode.