Mass prayer in Bali as island prepares to reopen to tourists

Island officials record more than 1,800 coronavirus infections and 20 deaths since early March

Bali will gradually reopen this month for domestic tourists, with foreign travellers expected in September (Antara Foto/Nyoman Hendra Wibowo/ via REUTERS)

Bali has held mass prayers as the Indonesian resort island prepares to reopen to tourists who have been shut out due to the coronavirus pandemic.

More than a thousand people attended a prayer at Besakih Hindu temple in the town of Karangasem, expressing gratitude for the handling of Covid-19 on the island and seeking blessings for the start of a "new normal".

Bali has reported around 1,850 coronavirus infections and 20 deaths so far, while Indonesia as a whole has recorded more than 63,700 cases and 3,171 deaths since early March.

The idyllic southeast Asian island will gradually reopen this month for domestic tourists, while maintaining a "strict health protocol" to prevent the spread of the virus that causes Covid-19, according to Bali provincial secretary Dewa Made Indra.

The local government expects to reopen the island to foreign arrivals in September.

Tourism is Bali's main source of income and travel restrictions due to the pandemic have hammered the local economy.

The occupancy rate at Bali's starred hotels plunged to 2.07 per cent in May, according to Bali statistics bureau data, down from 62.55 per cent in December before the pandemic hit and 51.56 per cent in May 2019.

"What I hope is the best for Bali and ... [I hope] all the tourists will come to Bali and everybody will be happy and healthy again," Robin Tesselar, a Dutch citizen staying on the island, said after attending the Besakih prayers.

Hospitality executive Yoga Iswara said tourism-related businesses were preparing for the reopening by implementing the health protocols and aiming to improve them until Bali reopens for international tourists.

Artists perform Sidakarya mask dancing during mass prayers in Bali (Antara Foto/Reuters)

Reuters