by Donald Wood
Last updated: 9:46 AM ET, Mon July 12, 2021
Four tourists were ordered to leave the popular island destination of Bali after they violated COVID-19 protocols.
According to The Associated Press, the first traveler commanded to leave the island was a Russian woman who tested positive for coronavirus and was sent to a hotel to quarantine, which she escaped from a short time later.
Bali's Justice and Human Rights Ministry said the woman was captured by authorities, placed in an isolation facility in Denpasar and is scheduled to be deported from Indonesia as soon as she recovers from COVID-19.
The three other travelers to be deported-one from the United States, Ireland and Russia-were found defying mask mandates in public during a coronavirus-related raid. The troublesome tourists were being held at an immigration office while waiting for flights back to their countries.
Bali recently toughened mask mandates on the island to impose a fine of 1 million rupiah ($70) for foreigners who did not use masks properly and deport those who did not wear masks. Travelers were previously fined for a first offense and deported after a second offense.
In June, Indonesian Minister for Tourism and the Cultural Economy, Sandiaga Uno, announced the island of Bali would remain closed to foreign tourists until the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases drop significantly.
Uno said the government was working to reopen Bali in July or August, but a recent spike in coronavirus cases has forced officials to suspend those plans.
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