BlogExpat.com has decided to collect testimonies from expatriates experimenting the effects of the Covid-19 crisis in their host country.
Here is a "confinement" postcard from Mike in Bali.

Have you thought about coming back to your country or have you decided to stay in you expat-country?

We have a property in Bali and family here, so going back to Australia was not really an option. We would have to stay with family if we went back to Australia, which would be nice, but not knowing how long this will last, that wouldn't be a great situation.

Bali's health care is limited so that is a worry of course so it means we need to be extra vigilant about protecting ourselves from the virus.

What sort of measures are in place in the country where you live? Is it a total lockdown? Partial? How is the population reacting?

It is not a strict lockdown in Bali and the situation is different from each village. Basically you can still go wherever you want. Shops have limited their hours from 8am to 4pm. Some of the beaches in the south of Bali have been closed. By and large, people are staying at home. Most people are wearing masks when they are out. Schools are closed.

Since most of the island revolves around tourism, many people don't have jobs to go to. Local villages supply the basic necessities to the poorer population. Personally, we have only been going out to buy food.

What is your personal opinion on the way the pandemic is currently managed by the country?

I would say they have handled it reasonably. Indonesia has a huge population, spread across thousands of islands, with many people living from day to day. So as you can imagine it is not easy to manage at a national level. Each city and village has its own way of handling the situation.

Are you furloughed or do you work from home (and in that case, how do you manage)?

We work from home. We also have a hotel but have closed it for now.

If you have children, how do you manage home-schooling?

Our children have been doing homework being sent fro their school. They also started televised lessons in Indonesia.

Our kids go to Indonesian schools, but I wanted them to be able to read and write English so I have been doing some homeschooling even before the virus outbreak.  Our kids have been great through this.

We are trying to live a "normal" life as possible and trying to make the best of the situation as we can.

How do you manage the relationship with your family in your home-country? Do you call them more often? And do you have more contacts with your friends? Have you put in place some video groups on social media?

Yes, I have been in frequent contact with my family in Australia. We have been having frequent meet ups on Zoom. I would say we have talked more often since self-isolation began, as they are also spending more time at home.

While it is a devastating situation to live through, hopefully, some good things will come out of it.

Find Mike on his blog Baliexpat.

If you too want to give your testimony, do not hesitate to send us an email with your story (you may take ideas from the questions in this article).
Tell us about your life during the current health crisis and share your experience that we will publish on this site.

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