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

The eruption of violence in the Kingdom of Eswatini in recent days is “deeply concerning”, amid reports that dozens of people have been killed or injured during protests calling for democratic reforms, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Tuesday (UN News). President Jovenel Moïse of Haiti was assassinated in an attack in the early hours of Wednesday at his home on the outskirts of the capital, Port-au-Prince, the prime minister said. Mr. Moïse’s wife, Martine Moïse, was also shot in the attack (NYT). Nicaraguan authorities have detained at least five more opposition leaders, as a sweeping crackdown by President Daniel Ortega’s government in advance of November elections has drawn rebuke from the European Union’s top diplomat (AlJazeera).

Natural Disasters

Heavy rain has affected Aceh Jaya Regency (Aceh Province, western Indonesia) since 5 July, causing floods, triggering landslides and resulting in casualties and damage. Since early July, floods caused by heavy rain have been affecting south-eastern China, particularly Jiangxi Province resulting in displacement and damage. Heavy rain and strong winds have affected Swabi District (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, north-western Pakistan) on 5 July, causing three severe weather-related incidents that have resulted in casualties and damage. Heavy rain continues to affect most Districts of Nepal, causing floods, triggering landslides and leading to an increasing number of deaths and damage. Over the past 24 hours, Taal volcano in the Philippines registered high levels of volcanic sulfur dioxide emissions and steam-rich plumes that rose up to 1,500 metres, thousands of people have been evacuated (ERCC).

Health

Health experts are warning the public that there could be a very difficult flu season ahead (CNBC).

COVID-19

International preventative measures against COVID-19, including entry restrictions and in-country mobility remain 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: Australia extends Sydney’s lockdown for another week, warning new cases are bound to rise as the country’s biggest city grapples with the highly infectious Delta variant (Reuters). Vietnam will impose restrictions on its largest city, Ho Chi Minh City, for 15 days from Friday to tackle rising cases, according to state media reports (Guardian). Japan is expected to issue a state of emergency this month in Tokyo that will likely remain in place throughout the Tokyo Olympics, according to financial newspaper Nikkei (Guardian). All foreign tourists visiting France will have to pay for their own Covid-19 tests (Guardian). Zimbabwe has returned to strict lockdown measures to combat a resurgence of COVID-19 amid vaccine shortages, the country’s information minister announced Tuesday (AP). Up to 25,000 spectators will be allowed at German soccer games when the new season starts next month after state officials eased restrictions imposed during the coronavirus pandemic (AP).

International mobility has been restored to just 12 per cent of pre-pandemic levels between January to March 2021, compared to the same period in 2019, which shows that international travel continues to be profoundly obstructed, according to Henley Passport Index recent report (Schengenvisainfo).

Global cases and deaths. As of 07 July, Johns Hopkins University counts 184,738,091 COVID-19 cases and 3,996,055 deaths, and the WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports 184,105,272 cases and 3,988,565 deaths.

As notable cases: South Korea reported its second highest number of daily new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, just days after it began easing social distancing restrictions in some parts of the country, buoyed by an accelerated vaccine rollout (Reuters). Bangladesh has reported its highest daily number of Covid deaths, with 201 fatalities registered as the south Asian country battles a surge in cases (Guardian). Cases are rising in the 22 countries of the eastern Mediterranean region due to limited vaccination, the spread of the Delta variant and increased travel, the World Health Organization has warned (Guardian).  In Australia, epidemiologists warn the Delta variant can have a more pronounced effect on younger people, with people aged under 55 accounting for an increasing share of hospitalisations during Sydney’s current outbreak (Guardian). Nine senior officials have died from Covid-19 in Namibia over the last 10 days as the southern African country faces one of the world’s highest infection rates, driven by the arrival of the delta variant (Telegraph). Greece reported a jump in daily COVID-19 infections on Tuesday after many weeks of declining numbers that prompted authorities to lift most of the country’s coronavirus restrictions (YahooNews).

Vaccination campaigns around the world continue. As of 06 July, Our World in Data reports 24.6% of the world population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.3.29 billion doses have been administered globally, and 34.18 million are now administered each day. Only 1% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose. The WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports over 2.98 billion administered vaccine doses.

As notable cases: India expects to receive between three and four million doses of Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines via the Covax programme by August, two sources aware of the discussions have told Reuters (Guardian). Australia will send 2.5m AstraZeneca vaccine doses to Indonesia and will fund 1,000 ventilators as the country battles record-high Covid cases that are pushing the health system to breaking point (Guardian). Turkmenistan’s healthcare ministry said it was making Covid vaccination mandatory for all residents aged 18 and over (Guardian).

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.