World Status Report

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

Urban violence and civil unrest has continued in Myanmar. The security situation remains unpredictable across the country (ERCC). On 3 May, at least 30 civilians were killed and 20 wounded in an attack in the commune of Foutouri in Burkina Faso (ERCC). In Ethiopia the war in Tigray reached the six-month mark on Tuesday, and there is still no sign of how it might be resolved (AP). Germany saw a big jump last year in politically motivated crimes, and offences committed by far-right supporters hit a record high (Reuters).

Natural Disasters

Severe weather has impacted various countries and has resulted in casualties, displacements, power outages, and damage.  Floods in Yemen, Afghanistan and Algeria. Lightning events in Nepal. Strong winds and tornado events in the United States (ERCC).

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: Sri Lanka has imposed lockdowns across areas in four more districts after seeing a significant increase in Covid-19 cases (CNN). In Greece, a rise in coronavirus infections on the Greek island of Kalymnos prompted authorities to place it under lockdown on Tuesday (Reuters).

Globally, as of 05 May, Johns Hopkins University counts 154,459,778 COVID-19 cases and 3,230,202 deaths, and the WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports 153,738,171 cases and 3,217,281 deaths. 

As notable cases: Nepal has seen an increasing number of climbers testing positive after being evacuated from the base camps of Mount Everest and surrounding peaks (NYT). Nepal’s army has told its retired medical staff to be ready to be recalled for duty to help manage the growing Covid-19 crisis in the country (CNN). Singapore reported on Tuesday 64 cases of community transmission over the past week, up from 11 cases the previous week (NYT). Japan has nearly reached capacity in Osaka for Covid-19 patients with serious symptoms (CNN). India reported 382,315 new cases of coronavirus cases and another 3,780 Covid-19-related deaths on Wednesday (CNN). For the second successive week, the number of COVID-19 cases globally remains at the highest levels since the beginning of the pandemic with over 5.7 million new weekly cases, following nine consecutive weeks of increases. New deaths continue to increase for the seventh consecutive week, with over 93 000 deaths. India accounts for over 90% of both cases and deaths in the region, as well as 46% of global cases and 25% of global deaths reported in the past week. The highest numbers of new cases were reported from India, Brazil, the United States, Turkey, and France (WHO).

Vaccination campaigns around the world continue.  As of 04 May, Our World in Data reports 1.19 billion administered vaccine doses globally. The WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports over 1.04 billion administered vaccine doses.

As notable cases: New efforts are under way to replace the COVAX vaccine deliveries from India’s Serum Institute that were diverted to help the country battle its surge (CIDRAP).

Risk Levels

CDC COVID-19 Levels, last update on May 3

# Countries	Risk Level
139	Level 4: COVID-19 Very High (avoid all travel)
25	Level 3: COVID-19 High (avoid all non-essential travel)
35	Level Unknown: COVID-19 Unknown (avoid all non-essential travel)
16	Level 2: COVID-19 Moderate (travelers at increased risk for severe illness, avoid all non-essential travel)
30	Level 1: COVID-19 Low (take steps to mitigate risks before, during, and after travel)

U.S. Department of State Levels, last update on May 3

# Countries	Risk Level
157	Level 4: Do Not Travel
39	Level 3: Reconsider Travel
15	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.