Bali Intensifies Coordination with Australia on FMD Outbreak Handling

TheIndonesia.co - Bali provincial government is intensifying communication and coordination with Australian authorities to prevent further transmission of the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in livestock.

Deputy governor of Bali Tjok Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati said the local government is closely communicating with Australia regarding the protocols and handling efforts done by the province to tackle the current FMD outbreak.

“We are informing our colleagues in Australia on how we isolate red zones as well as the effort to slaughter infected livestock,” Sukawati said on Friday, July 29, as reported by Antara.

In addition, Bali is also accelerating vaccination program, and to prevent infection to other countries, the deputy governor revealed that passengers at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport will be disinfected.

“Disinfection mats” have been installed since July 15 at the international and domestic terminals.

Regarding the policy implemented by Australian authorities to check baggage brought by passengers coming to the country, Sukawati said it was an understandable decision, especially since Australia is one of world’s biggest beef producers.

He lastly expressed hope that the internal policies in Australia will not affect tourism in Bali, and Australians can continue to travel to the island.

The Australian government has shown commitment to support national effort to combat FMD outbreak in Indonesia as tt pledged to send one million FMD vaccines to Indonesia in August.

“We’ve prepared one million vaccines for FMD, and we will send them to Indonesia in August 2022,” Australian Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry Murray Watt confirmed during his visit to Jakarta on July 14.