Twenty entrances along a huge wall surrounding Bali’s famous Kuta Beach will be covered in bricks in bids to stop visitors getting through without passing a Covid checkpoint.
The two-metre high sandstone wall around the beach has 28 entrances but just eight will be kept open as daily beach limits are enforced on locals and tourists.
Those wanting to visit the famous sandy shores of Kuta will need to check in via a QR scanning code at one of the main gates which will also show their vaccination status – with only the jabbed allowed in.
All for a virus that 99.6% of people will not die from. Welcome to the future some of you have been hoping for. It’s called SEGREGATION.
Photos shared by locals and expats show some of the entrances already having been bricked up this week with reports a total of 20 will permanently close.
It’s understood a cap of 8,000 visitors will only be allowed on the beach at once with gates to close once the maximum capacity is reached.
The decision to cover up the wall around Kuta has angered many on the Indonesian island including local vendors who made a living off stalls and markets around the 28 entrances.
Many have protested the move prompting Kuta official I Wayan Wasista to defend the Covid checkpoints.
‘I’ve previously explained that this policy wasn’t meant to reduce the local vendors’ income as the distance between each entrance point is only 100 meters. I also often faced a dilemma of closing the gates or keeping them open,’ he said on Monday, the Bali Sun reported.
‘We are being monitored by the government, so the only way to keep the tourism activity running is to implement this policy.’
Locals have slammed the idea on community Facebook groups, criticising the government’s decision to ‘control’ residents.
‘They totally killed local business selling food, drink or renting surfboards and surf lessons by these closed gates. So ‘good’ idea !!!’ one said.
‘What a joke. All about control,’ commented another.
Some said they would now avoid the Kuta beach while one expat has claimed that the app to check-in is only accepting IDs of Indonesian citizens or those with certain visas.
‘Many Expats and all arriving tourists will not be able to access the App….therefore they won’t be able to access the beach…..or shopping malls…..or supermarkets…..or whatever the next target will be,’ the man said.
‘So there’s probably no point in coming to Bali in the first place!’.
The wall around Kuta was first built in 2011 to stop sand from flying into nearby businesses.
The amount of people in Bali who have received both jabs is now reportedly 80 per cent as Covid-19 cases numbers continue to fall.
The Indonesian island this week revealed it would allow in travellers from some countries from October 14 – but Aussies would have to wait.
China, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates and Japan have all made the list but strict vaccination and quarantine procedures will be set in place.
Tourists entering the country must be fully vaxxed, test negative before arrival and will need to show proof of accomodation for a minimum eight-day stay in a hotel to quarantine.
