Bali's waves will remain closed to international tourists until the end of the year, several news agencies reported, based on statements made by the island's governor, Wayan Koster.

"The Indonesian government was not able to reopen its doors to tourists until the end of 2020 as we are still a red zone," Koster said. "The situation is not conducive to allowing tourists to come to Indonesia, including Bali," he added.

"Bali cannot fail because it could negatively affect Indonesia's image in the eyes of the world, which could be counterproductive to the recovery of travel," he said.

When the pandemic began in March, surfing was banned in Indonesia and was only allowed on July 2, which led to the classic line-ups of Uluwatu and Padang Padang being much less crowded than in a regular season.

Puerto Rican Gabriel Escudero is there and told DUKE that he can't believe what he's going through, surfing the best waves on the planet without anyone else. Something similar happened to Anthony Fillingim in the Mentawais, except that he surfed completely alone.

Domestic tourism travel is now permitted in Indonesia but does not generate even a fraction of the estimated $10.000 billion that tourism brings to Indonesia's economy.

Bali was initially scheduled to open its borders on September 11, but a rise in Covid-19 infection rates led to the decision being taken.

In Indonesia, there are more than 160.000 cases of coronavirus, 121.000 recoveries and 7169 deaths.