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

In Haiti, clashes between rival gangs and/or the police in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area has significantly increased since June with a particular upsurge the last few days (ERCC). Protest, looting, and riots have plunged South Africa into a deep crisis. Scores of people have been killed in this unrest which was sparked by the jailing of former President Jacob Zuma on July 7th (UN Dispatch). A key crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan partially reopened on Saturday, days after the Taliban took control of the Afghan border town in a rapid offensive across the country (KashmirReader). Activists seeking relatives who have disappeared in Mexico’s wave of violence, face very high risks. A woman seeking her missing husband was murdered in the northern border state of Sonora, making her the 69th activist to have been killed since 2018 (AP).

Natural Disasters

Landslides and floods caused by heavy monsoon rains affected Mumbai City (Maharashtra State, western coast of India) on 17-18 July, resulting in casualties.  An earthquake of 5.4 M at a depth of 10 km occurred in Bushehr Province, close to the border with Fars Province in Iran. According to media reports, minor damage was sustained to houses in nearby towns, including Kazerun. Rescue teams have been dispatched to the area. Extensive floods, caused by heavy rain, continue to affect areas of central and western Europe, resulting in increased fatalities and damage. (ERCC).

Health

An avian flu outbreak has killed almost 6,000 chickens in Ghana, and 4,500 more have been culled as a disease-control measure, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture said (Reuters). Restrictions on poultry stand to further push up food prices in the country (Bloomberg).

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: Stocks are falling sharply Monday as worries sweep from Wall Street to Sydney that the worsening pandemic in hotspots around the world will derail what’s been a strong economic recovery (AP). The end of restrictions in England on Monday will be a critical moment in Britain’s handling of the pandemic, which has the highest death toll in Europe after Russia. Other parts of the U.K. — Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — are taking slightly more cautious steps out of lockdown (AP). Thailand has tightened coronavirus restrictions and warned of further measures as daily cases surpassed 10,000 and the death toll hit a record 141 on Saturday despite an overnight curfew in Bangkok and several other provinces (AP). A crush of new cases in Iran fueled by the fast-spreading delta variant has threatened to overwhelm Iranian hospitals with breathless patients too numerous to handle (AP). Mauritania has banned mosque prayers during the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha on Wednesday due to concerns over rising Covid-19 infections (Guardian). The reimposition of curfew measures to curb the spread of Covid cannot be excluded in France if infections continue to climb (Guardian). In Australia, the lockdown in the state of Victoria will continue, the final length of the extension will be announced on Tuesday (Guardian). Singapore has advised unvaccinated adults to stay at home as much as possible over the next few weeks, citing concerns over rising COVID-19 cases (Reuters). Residents of Viet Nam‘s capital Hanoi have been urged to stay at home and authorities have ordered a halt to all non-essential services due to clusters of new COVID-19 infections (Reuters). Tokyo Olympic organizers have reported the first COVID-19 cases among competitors in the athletes’ village (Reuters).

Global cases and deaths. As of 19 July, Johns Hopkins University counts 190,600,596 COVID-19 cases and 4,092,565 deaths, and the WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports 190,597,409 cases and 4,093,145 deaths.

As notable cases:  As millions in Senegal prepare for Tabaski, health officials warn that COVID-19 cases are dramatically surging in the West African nation (AP). Tunisia is facing its worst coronavirus surge since the pandemic began, further stressing the North African country’s already crowded hospitals and health system (AP). UK reports 39,950 new Covid cases as weekly cases rise 41% (Guardian). Poland’s health minister has warned that the country faces growing coronavirus cases after the weekly average increased by 13% (Guardian). Cuba has the highest rate of contagion per capita in the whole of Latin America and more than any other country in the Americas for its size (Guardian). In Europe, there has been a 64.3% increase of weekly COVID-19 cases compared to last week, with the steepest increases reported among 15 to 24 year olds (ECDC). France has reported more than 10,000 new COVID-19 cases for the third day in a row (Reuters). Nigeria has put six states on red alert after reporting a ‘worrisome’ rise in COVID-19 infections, a government official has said (Reuters).

Vaccination campaigns around the world continue. As of 18 July, Our World in Data reports 26.3% of the world population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. 3.66 billion doses have been administered globally, and 29.89 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 3.43 billion administered vaccine doses.

As notable cases:  Brazil’s health regulator says it has approved trials of a third dose of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine (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.