Indonesia set to open Bali to foreign tourists in October
Southeast Asia reported the lowest number of new Covid-19 cases and related deaths in months on Sunday.
Asean countries confirmed 63,862 new cases, lower than Saturday’s 69,759, and 1,094 deaths, down from the previous day’s 1,251.
The number of Covid-19 cases crossed 11.47 million with 252,056 deaths.
Indonesia’s Ministry for Maritime and Investment Affairs announced that it will reopen the country’s resort island of Bali for international visitors in October, as the number of Covid-19 cases has been declining. Indonesia will prioritise tourists from countries with controlled Covid-19 cases such as Singapore, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand. Bali Island had to postpone its reopening plan from July this year as cases of the delta variant was climbing, but the latest report confirmed that currently 96 per cent of island residents have been vaccinated with at least one shot.
Meanwhile, Laos' Ministry of Health has officially approved vaccinations for students aged 17 years and above who will travel for the purposes of education, or who are preparing for tertiary entrance examinations at universities or other educational institutions. The recommended vaccine for this group is either Pfizer or Sinopharm. The country reported 371 new cases and no new deaths on Sunday, bringing cumulative cases in the country to 19,185 patients with 16 deaths.