World Status Report

This report intends to give the UTD Community a snapshot of international risks, and other issues as reported by the linked media and official sources from the U.S. and other countries.

More health and security information 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, and the CDC, ECDC, and WHO sites. Not all advise in these sites will apply to US travelers.

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

• Afghanistan. At least 100 worshippers have been killed or injured after a suicide bomber targeted a Shia mosque, in the northern Afghan city of Kunduz, according to news reports, during Friday prayers (UN News).
• Tunisia. Tunisia’s president unveiled a new government on Monday, but gave no hint when he would relinquish his near total control after seizing most powers in July, or start reforms needed for a financial rescue package to avert economic disaster (Reuters). Thousands of Tunisians protested against President Kais Saied’s seizure of almost total power protested in the capital on Sunday as the growing numbers taking to the street in recent weeks has raised the risk of the political crisis unleashing unrest (Reuters).
• Libya. Hundreds of migrants and refugees waited outside a United Nations centre in Tripoli on Sunday to seek help in escaping Libya after what aid groups called a violent crackdown in which thousands were arrested and several shot (Reuters).
• Ethiopia’s national army launched a ground offensive against forces from the rebellious northern region of Tigray on Monday (Reuters). Airstrikes against Tigrayan forces in Ethiopia’s northern region of Amhara have intensified, a spokesman for the Tigrayan forces said on Friday, which he said could presage a ground push against the Tigrayan forces by the Ethiopian military and its allies (Reuters).
• Sudan. A three-week blockade of Sudan’s main port by tribal protesters is causing shortages of wheat and fuel oil for power generation (Reuters).
• Nigeria. At least 20 people were killed in Nigeria’s Sokoto state when gunmen attacked a market and torched cars, as armed gangs continue to wreak havoc in the northwest part of the country, a state official and local member of parliament said on Saturday (Reuters).
• Yemen. A car bomb targeting the governor’s convoy shook Yemen’s southern port city of Aden on Sunday killing at least six people and wounding seven, the information minister said on Twitter (Reuters).
• India. Hundreds of people in restive Indian-administered Kashmir have been detained by police investigating a spate of targeted killings by suspected rebels, officials told AFP Sunday (AFP on MNS).
• Italy. Italian police used water cannon and tear gas on Saturday to push back hundreds of people, including neo-fascist activists, demonstrating in Rome against a government drive to make the COVID-19 “Green Pass” mandatory for all workers (Reuters).
• Poland. Tens of thousands of people across the country protested against Poland’s possible exit from the European Union (BBC).

Natural Disasters

• Philippines. After the passage of tropical cyclone LIONROCK (in the Philippines locally known as “Lannie”) on 4-6 October floods, landslides and strong wind were reported over central-western Philippines, leading to casualties (ERCC).
• Canary Islands. Blocks of molten lava as large as three-storey buildings rolled down a hillside on the Spanish island of La Palma on Sunday while a series of tremors shook the ground three weeks after the volcano erupted (Reuters).
• Madagascar. This is the fourth year that drought has devastated Aly’s home in southern Madagascar. Now more than one million people, or two out of five residents, of his Grand Sud region require emergency food aid in what the United Nations is calling a “climate change famine” (Reuters).

Health

• Italy, Hungary, Serbia. Between 1 and 7 October 2021 eleven human cases of West Nile virus (WNV) infection and no deaths related to WNV infections were reported by Italy (8) and Hungary (1), and Serbia (2) (ECDC).
• Saudi Arabia. Since the previous update published on 3 September, and as of 4 October 2021, no new MERS-CoV cases have been reported. However, the most recently confirmed case from Saudi Arabia died (ECDC).
• Congo (DRC). A new case of Ebola has been confirmed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the health minister said on Friday, five months after the end of the most recent outbreak there (Reuters).
• Russia. The death toll from a mass poisoning linked to illegal alcohol in southwest Russia rose to 34 on Sunday, and 24 more people were being treated in hospital, local authorities said (Reuters).

Of note

• Latin America. Experts discuss the relationship between climate variability, migration and security in Latin America (UN Dispatch).
• World. Developing nations and the head of the United Nations on Monday demanded a fairer global distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and more funding from rich countries to help poorer ones adapt to a hotter world (Reuters).
• China. The largest provincial economy in China’s northeast rust belt on Monday warned of worsening power shortages despite government efforts to boost coal supply and manage electricity use in a post-pandemic energy crisis hitting multiple countries (Reuters).
• Qatar, the world’s largest seller of liquefied natural gas (LNG), told consumers it was powerless to cool energy prices as British steelmakers said they could be forced to halt output in the face of soaring costs (Reuters).

COVID-19

International preventative measures against COVID-19, including entry restrictions and in-country mobility remain fluid, and can be imposed without prior notice.  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. The University Vaccine Requirement Checker notes universities that require a COVID-19 Vaccine.

As notable cases:

• Australia. Sydney’s cafes, gyms and restaurants welcomed back fully vaccinated customers on Monday after nearly four months of lockdown, as Australia aims to begin living with the coronavirus and gradually reopen with high rates of inoculation (Reuters).
• Hong Kong. Golf’s Hong Kong Open has been postponed until next year due to the city’s stringent travel restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, organisers said in a statement (Reuters).
• Thailand is to re-open its borders to vaccinated tourists on 1 November, according to a speech made by the country’s prime minister today (Guardian).
• Wales. From today people in Wales must show an NHS Covid Pass or demonstrate their vaccination status to enter nightclubs and attend large events in the country (Guardian).

Global cases and deaths. As of 11 October, Johns Hopkins University counts 237,973,161 COVID-19 cases and 4,854,144 deaths, and the WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports as of 11 October 237,196,253 cases and 4,840,189 deaths.

As notable cases:

• Scotland has recorded 2,297 coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, the latest Scottish government figures show (Guardian).
• New Zealand is struggling to contain its current Delta outbreak, with 95 cases reported over the weekend, and another 35 on Monday. Most current cases and hospitalizations are among Māori and Pacific New Zealanders, despite the fact those groups make up less than 30% of the total population (Guardian).

Vaccination campaigns around the world continue. As of 10 October, Our World in Data reports 46.8% of the world population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. 6.52 billion doses have been administered globally, and 23.86 million are now administered each day. Only 2.5% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose. The WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports as of 10 October over 6.36 billion administered vaccine doses.

As notable cases:

• Venezuela on Sunday received a second batch of 2.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines via the COVAX mechanism, while the government said it hoped to reach immunity for 70% of Venezuelans by the end of the month (Reuters).
• New Zealand will require teachers and workers in the health and disability sectors to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (Reuters).
• Germany will no longer pay for lateral flow coronavirus tests for people, as the government is trying to nudge vaccine-hesitant citizens into getting the jab (Guardian).

Other COVID-19 impacts

• Canada. Canada’s health and long-term care industries are bracing for staff shortages and layoffs, as deadlines for vaccine mandates loom across the country, with unions pushing federal and provincial governments to soften hard-line stances (Reuters).

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.