An online registration open to tourism workers in Bali this week has so far attracted over 10,000 people, an official said, as it pools the number of people who would potentially benefit from a prioritized vaccination program for the battered tourism industry.
Bali Tourism Agency Chief Putu Astawa said that a dedicated website was launched on Monday, and has so far received 10,500 entries as of yesterday. Online registration will remain open until the end of this month.
"This data will be used to propose to the Health Ministry so that [tourism workers] can get the vaccines," Astawa said.
He claims that vaccinated tourism workers will help boost trust among travelers, while citing Bank Indonesia data that puts the total number of workers in the tourism industry and small and medium enterprises sector at 1.2 million.
Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno also suggested this week that Indonesia's 34 million tourism workers ought to be prioritized for vaccinations against COVID-19, saying that it should start as early as next month with a kick-off in Bali.
Bali is targeting about 663,000 people for the province's second phase of vaccinations, prioritizing those who are considered more vulnerable to the coronavirus and more likely to interact with the general public. This includes the elderly, educators, market sellers, and reportedly thousands of tourism workers, including staff at hotels and restaurants.