More than 19,000 workers in Bali were told to stay home, while nearly 500 have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to the latest data from the provincial government, with officials expecting the numbers to climb in the coming weeks.
鈥淭here are 19,124 formal workers who have been instructed to stay home. While 480 have been laid off,鈥 head of Bali鈥檚 Manpower Agency, Ida Bagus Ngurah Arda,
He added that the data is expected to change and will likely continue to increase, given COVID-19鈥檚 massive impact on the tourism industry, which contributes to
However, Arda did not specify whether the workers were put on unpaid leave or given some percentage of their salary, nor did he mention the numbers of informal workers that may have also been impacted.听
As of April 7, Badung regency鈦 鈥 where some of the island鈥檚 most popular hotels and restaurants are located 鈥 alone recorded more than 12,000 workers who have been instructed to stay at home.听
Ida Bagus Oka Dirga, who heads the regency鈥檚 Industry and Manpower Agency, previously said that the from around 2,000 on April 3, as reported by BeritaSatu.听
鈥淩ight now, with the hotels empty, of course workers will burden the operational cost. That鈥檚 why they have instructed them to stay home. However, we do hope they won鈥檛 be laying off [these workers],鈥 I Made Badra, who heads the Tourism Agency in Badung,
Some hotels in Bali have moved to suspend operations entirely, while others are rolling out cheap promotions on long-term stays to attract potential customers.听
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