World Status Report
May 4, 2021
This report intends to give the UTD Community a snapshot of international risks, and other issues as reported by the linked official sources from the U.S. and other countries.
Please note the publication date of this report, and go to the direct sources linked for the most up-to-date information. The information in this report may change without prior notice.
Security
Democratic Republic of the Congo declared a state of security emergency (“l’état de siege”) for the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri. Insecurity in the east has further worsened this year, while killings by armed groups more than doubled in 2020 with almost 2,500 civilians killed, including ten humanitarian workers (ERCC). Myanmar security forces opened fire on some of the biggest protests against military rule in days on Sunday killing eight people, media reported (Reuters).
Natural Disasters
Severe weather has triggered floods in Yemen, landslides in Indonesia, and heavy rain with hail in China, resulting in casualties and damage. (ERCC). In Japan, an earthquake struck off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture, no tsunami alert has been issued. In Chile an earthquake occurred off the coast of Elqui Province, no reports of damage or casualties have been issued. (ERCC).
Health
Madagascar is facing a seriously deteriorating humanitarian situation, which will deepen in severity during the coming months, and currently has seen a sharp deterioration in the nutrition situation with wasting that has almost doubled since December (ERCC). In Réunion, French authorities have reported 7 864 confirmed dengue cases for 2021, including 1 599 confirmed cases in week 14 and 1 443 cases in week 15, with the whole territory affected (ECDC).
COVID-19
International preventative measures against COVID-19, including entry restrictions and in-country mobility remain very fluid, and can be imposed without prior notice. Details for each country can be found in the travel advisories issued by the governments of the United States, Canada, the UK, New Zealand, and Australia. The UNWTO and IATA Destination Tracker offers relevant information on a destination status. The Timeline of EU Member States Reopening Their Borders offers a list of opened EU countries for travelers, and dates of warned opening.
As notable cases: The International Olympic Committee this week unveiled updated plans for holding the Summer Games in Japan (WaPo). Health Minister Greg Hunt revealed that as of Monday, anyone arriving in Australia after spending time in India in the previous 14 days could face up to five years in jail or a $50,000 fine (WaPo). The European Commission has today outlined plans that would allow fully vaccinated travelers from outside the European Union — the EU — to be able to enter the 27 countries of the bloc, a statement says (CNN). Nepal will suspend domestic commercial flights at midnight on Monday and ban all commercial flights originating from India, Brazil and South Africa from midnight Wednesday until May 14 (CNN).
Globally, as of 03 May, Johns Hopkins University counts 152,946,524 COVID-19 cases and 3,204,301 deaths, and the WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports 152,387,917 cases and 3,195,624 deaths.
As notable cases: India surpassed Mexico’s death toll from the virus on Monday, making it the country with the third highest number of reported coronavirus deaths worldwide, behind the United States and Brazil (CNN). Germany sees infection and ICU admission numbers drop after a nightly curfew was introduced for areas with high Covid-19 infection rates (CNN). Thailand reported its highest Covid-19 death toll on record Monday (CNN). The COVID-19 crisis in Latin America — and in South America in particular — is taking an alarming turn for the worse, potentially threatening the progress made well beyond its borders (NYT)
Vaccination campaigns around the world continue. As of 02 May, Our World in Data reports 1.16 billion administered vaccine doses globally. The WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports over 1.01 billion administered vaccine doses.
As notable cases: India’s vaccine shortage will probably last for months, the head of the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer said (WaPo). India‘s capital Delhi has begun vaccinating its 18-44 year olds, albeit at a slow pace due to limited vaccine availability (CNN). Moderna will provide as many as 500 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine to Gavi, which supports the U.N. program, known as Covax (WaPo). New Zealand has made it compulsory for all frontline border and quarantine workers to be vaccinated and provide proof of vaccination on entering a customs facility (CNN).
Risk Levels
Nonimmigrants who have been in the following countries in the past 14 days prior to their planned entry to the U.S. may face entry restrictions: China, Iran, European Schengen area, United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Brazil, South Africa, India.
CDC COVID-19 Levels, last update on April 26.
| # Countries | Risk Level |
| 139 | Level 4: COVID-19 Very High (avoid all travel) |
| 22 | Level 3: COVID-19 High (avoid all non-essential travel) |
| 36 | Level Unknown: COVID-19 Unknown (avoid all non-essential travel) |
| 17 | Level 2: COVID-19 Moderate (travelers at increased risk for severe illness, avoid all non-essential travel) |
| 31 | Level 1: COVID-19 Low (take steps to mitigate risks before, during, and after travel) |
U.S. Department of State Levels, last update on April 28
| # Countries | Risk Level |
| 158 | Level 4: Do Not Travel |
| 37 | Level 3: Reconsider Travel |
| 16 | Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution |
| 0 | Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions |
Please note the publication date of this report and go to the direct sources linked for the most up-to-date information. The information in this report may change without prior notice.
