Bali may reopen to foreign tourists next month

The Indonesian resort island of Bali may reopen to foreign tourists in October if Covid-19 cases in the country continue to decline, a senior official said Friday.

Indonesia has gradually eased restrictions to curb the spread of Covid-19 after a surge in coronavirus cases overwhelmed hospitals in June and July.

But in recent weeks daily case numbers have fallen steadily.

"If the trend continues, I'm confident that Bali can reopen by October," Luhut Pandjaitan, the official in charge of the pandemic handling, told reporters.

"We are very happy about the situation, but remain cautious," he said. "We don't want to take things for granted."

New infections

Indonesia recorded 3,835 new Covid-19 infections on Friday, taking the total number of cases to nearly 4.18 million, according to the Health Ministry. 

An additional 219 fatalities overnight brought the virus-related death toll to 140,138.