Foreigners Forced to do 50 Push-Ups for not Wearing Masks in Bali

Denpasar: Police authorities in Bali took to a surprise when they made a sudden visit to a resort and caught foreigners for not wearing a mask.

A Video footage circulating on social media shows tourists in T-shirts and shorts being made to do the exercise in sweltering tropical heat as masked security officials stood over them.

Meanwhile, more than 70 people paid a fine of 100,000 rupiah ($7), however, about 30 foreigners said that they did not have the cash, hence they were ordered to do push-ups.

Those who were not carrying a mask had to do up to 50 while those who were wearing a mask improperly were punished with 15 push-ups.

Bali's authorities have also warned that foreigners who break virus regulations could be thrown out of the country, although so far there have no reports of anyone being deported for failing to wear a mask.

The island, which has been hammered by the epidemic, remains officially closed to overseas tourists but is home to many long-term residents from abroad, however, foreigners living elsewhere in Indonesia can still visit.

The authorities made wearing a face mask in public mandatory in 2020 as Indonesia battled a raging Covid-19 outbreak.

It is to be mentioned that 60 per cent of Bali's (GDP) gross domestic product used to come from tourism. However, the island's economy has been the hardest hit in Indonesia by the coronavirus pandemic.

The government has imposed restrictions on international arrivals from certain countries since April last year and completely shut down the country last month amid reports on the new strain of coronavirus from the United Kingdom.

Apart from coronavirus, Indonesia has also experienced a series of natural disasters that include landslides, floods, and volcanic eruptions over the past week.

However, environmentalists blame the deforestation done by mining, palm oil, and agricultural industries for these calamities.

Bali is an Indonesian island known for its forested volcanic mountains, iconic rice paddies, beaches and coral reefs.

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