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

• Cameroon. On 5 December 2021, a new outbreak of violence in the province of Logone-Birni in Cameroon caused the death of two people and left around 20 injured. On 8 December, the violence spilled over to the border town of Kousseri, leaving at least two dead and several injured. Some public and private buildings were set on fire (ERCC).
• Iraq, Syria, Somalia. In Iraq and Syria, terrorist group Daesh, also known as ISIL, has exploited water shortages and taken control of water infrastructure to impose its will on communities, while in Somalia charcoal production provides a source of income for Al-Shaab, UN Secretary-General António Guterres explained during a debate on Security, in the Context of Terrorism and Climate Change. “Climate change is not the source of all ills, but it has a multiplier effect and is an aggravating factor for instability, conflict and terrorism”, he said (UN News).
• Congo (DRC). Unidentified attackers opened fire on the convoy which was being escorted by ‘blue helmets’ from the UN Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) in the Mambassa area, Lubero territory, North Kivu province, where instability is rife and dozens of armed groups operate freely (UN News).
• Mali. Seven peacekeepers from the West African nation of Togo were killed Wednesday when their vehicle hit an improvised explosive device in central Mali, according to the United Nations (VOA).
• Myanmar. Myanmar government troops rounded up villagers, some believed to be children, tied them up and slaughtered them, according to a witness and other reports (AP).
• Ukraine. Ukrainian defense officials say Russia has increased troop numbers near the Ukrainian border to 120,000 people, including additional army, air force and naval personnel (MSN).

Natural Disasters.

• Indonesia. Widespread floods and landslides triggered by heavy rain have affected several parts of Indonesia since 5 December, resulting in casualties and damage (ERCC).
• Malaysia. On 4-6 December, floods affected various Districts of Malaysia in north-west Borneo Island, in the north and in the south of Malay Peninsula. Up to 138 persons have been displaced to four evacuation centres (ERCC).
• Philippines. On 5 December, heavy rain and strong winds have hit the Provinces of Surigao del Sur and Surigao del Norte (northern Mindanao Island, southern Philippines), causing floods and resulting in evacuations and damage (ERCC).
• Colombia. The rainy season continues to affect Colombia, causing landslides, floods, flash floods and a number of severe weather-related events, which have resulted in an increased human impact (ERCC).
• Indonesia’s volcanology agency is sending a team of researchers to the Mount Semeru volcano to identify areas too dangerous for villagers to stay after it erupted on Saturday, killing dozens of people on the slopes of Java island’s highest mountain (Reuters).

Health

• United Kingdom. Britain is experiencing it worst ever outbreak of bird flu, farming and environment minister George Eustice told parliament on Thursday (Reuters).

Migration

• Chad. Over 3,000 people in Cameroon have crossed the border to Chad fleeing recent violence. Ongoing assessments could show a higher number (ERCC).
• Lithuania-Belarus. The state emergency at the border with Belarus has been extended until January 15. Such a measure entered into force in November when hundreds of migrants from the Middle East, Afghanistan, and the African continent, through Belarus, set up their camps at the border with Lithuania. Under the state of emergency status, the Lithuanian governments allow border guards to use “mental coercion” and “proportional physical violence” to withhold them from entering the Baltic country (SchengenVisaInfo).

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:

• South Korea. From February, those aged 12 or older will have to show a vaccine pass to enter public spaces, including private tuition centres, libraries and study cafes (Reuters).
• United Kingdom. Teaching at Imperial College London has moved online because of rapidly rising Covid cases – including Omicron – on campus and in the wider community (Guardian).  People and businesses in Scotland have been urged not to go ahead with parties over the festive period, in light of the rising number of Omicron cases (Guardian).
• Malta will return to mandatory mask-wearing in outdoor and indoor spaces from Saturday as a precautionary measure amid fears over Omicron, the health minister, Chris Fearne, said (Guardian).
• Netherlands has announced that starting from February 2022 the country’s authorities will only recognise COVID-19 vaccination certificates that indicate that the holder has received a booster shot (SchengenVisaInfo).
• European Union. Pre-departure COVID-19 testing may soon become obligatory throughout the Member States for travellers heading to their territory, including those vaccinated and those who have recovered from the virus (SchengenVisaInfo).

Global cases and deaths. As of 09 December, Johns Hopkins University counts 268,343,207 COVID-19 cases and 5,285,076 deaths. The WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports as of 09 December 267,184,623 confirmed cases, including 5,277,327 deaths.

As notable cases:

• South Africa reported nearly 20,000 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, a record since the Omicron variant was detected, and 36 new COVID-related deaths (Reuters). Data released by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) for Tshwane, the metropolitan area which includes Pretoria, showed 1,633 admissions in public and private hospitals for COVID-19 between Nov. 14 and Dec. 8.Of those, 31% were severe cases – defined as patients needing oxygen or mechanical ventilation – compared with 66% early in the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic and 67% in the early weeks of the first (Reuters).
• Africa. Africa accounts for 46% of reported cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 globally, Richard Mihigo, coordinator of the World Health Organisation’s Immunisation and Vaccine Development Programme for Africa, told an online briefing on Thursday (Reuters).
• United Kingdom. Cases of the Omicron variant could top 60,000 a day in the UK by Christmas, according to a senior scientific adviser, who warned that the variant was a “very severe setback” to hopes of bringing the pandemic under control (Guardian).

Vaccination campaigns around the world continue. As of 08 December, Our World in Data reports 55.4% of the world population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. 8.32 billion doses have been administered globally, and 32.26 million are now administered each day. Only 6.6% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose. The WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports as of 09 December over 8.15 billion administered vaccine doses.

As notable cases:

• World. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended on Thursday that people who are immunocompromised or received an inactivated COVID-19 vaccine should receive a booster dose to protect against waning immunity (Reuters).
• Austria’s planned Covid vaccine mandate will apply to people 14 and over and holdouts face fines of up to €3,600 (£3,080) every three months, the government announced (Guardian).
• United States. The US Food and Drug Administration has authorised booster shots of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for those aged 16 and 17, as public health officials have urged Americans to get the additional shots amid concerns about the Omicron variant (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.