Three popular tourist spots in Bali have been designated COVID-19 green zones, in the first step towards reopening the Indonesian island to the outside world, the local government says.

Bali’s cultural heart of Ubud, Gianyar and Nusa Dua are three districts that will be prioritised for vaccination, Governor I Wayan Koster said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Designating COVID-19 [green zones] is a pre-condition for the reopening of Bali to foreign tourists,” the statement said.

Bali reopened to domestic visitors in July, but plans to allow foreign tourists to start visiting again in September were shelved following a spike in coronavirus cases.

Views of #Bali from on high: a prayer to Shiva ensures climb up Mount Agung, newly reopened to visitors, is rewardedhttps://t.co/07J9XAmCu8 #TravelTuesday pic.twitter.com/rzpHfS12VZ

— A Travel Companion (@aTravelCompanio) March 9, 2021

No new date has been set for reopening to foreign visitors.

Indonesia has so far vaccinated nearly 3.5 million people, using the vaccine produced by China’s Sinovac Biotech.

The country plans to inoculate 185 million of its 270 million people within 15 months in the hope of achieving herd immunity.

COVID-19 infections have been on a downward trend in Indonesia in recent weeks.

The world’s fourth most populous country reported 5633 new cases on Wednesday, taking the total to 1,398,578.

An additional 175 fatalities overnight brought the death toll to 37,932.