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

• Syria. The security situation in the southern provinces of Dara`a and As-Suwayda remains volatile, and the risk of an escalation of violence remains high. WFP has prepositioned ready-to-eat food rations sufficient for 2,500 people as a contingency plan (ERCC).
• Ukraine. As of 11 April, UNHCR estimates that nearly 4.5 million refugees fled Ukraine while OHCHR recorded 4,335 civilian casualties. Russian offensives in eastern Ukraine have intensified with continuous shelling of Kharkiv, Severodontesk in the Luhansk Oblast, Donetsk and Kherson Oblasts. More than 10,000 civilians died in Mariupol according to the mayor, while Ukraine’s Azov regiment said that Russia used a poisonous substance against Ukrainian troops in Mariupol (ERCC).
• Burkina Faso. Russia’s Nordgold is shutting down its Taparko mine in Burkina Faso and calling force majeure, citing the deteriorating security situation in the West African country, according to a company statement seen on Monday (VOA).
• Nigeria. Dozens of people have been killed and many others abducted in a series of raids in Plateau state in central Nigeria. Gunmen on dozens of motorbikes attacked at least four remote villages in Kanam area on Sunday (Africa News).
• Colombia. Mexican drug cartels appear to be shipping high-powered weapons to Colombia to purchase shipments of cocaine, a trade Colombian authorities say is fueling the deadly struggle between rival traffickers for control of the nation’s drug routes (Reuters).

Natural Disasters

• Philippines. The passage of Tropical Storm MEGI on 10-11 April over the Eastern Visayas Region (central-eastern Philippines) caused floods and landslides, which resulted in casualties and damage across the central and southern Philippines (ERCC).
• Indonesia. Severe weather including heavy rainfall and strong winds was reported on 10-11 April across Sumatra Island (Indonesia), resulting in casualties (ERCC).
• South Africa. Heavy rainfall continues to affect eastern South Africa (in particular the KwaZulu-Natal Province) since 10 April, causing floods and triggering mudslides that have resulted in casualties and damage (ERCC).
• South Africa. Climate change fuelled heavier rainfall during a series of storms that battered southern Africa earlier this year, scientists say. Analysis from the World Weather Attribution group also showed that such extreme rainfall was more common now (BBC News on MSN.com).

Other

• Belgium. Students who are looking for accommodation in Belgium for the upcoming academic year have been facing never-experienced-before challenges. Despite the new academic year being months away, student living in Belgium has become very unaffordable and rare to find (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.

• Global cases and deaths can be found in the Johns Hopkins University website and the WHO COVID-19 dashboard.
• Vaccination campaigns around the world continue. Find the latest numbers on vaccinations rates at Our World in Data website and the WHO COVID-19 dashboard.

Of note:

• World. Although safe and effective COVID-19 vaccinations are available, the pandemic is still far from over, and countries affected by conflict are in danger of being left behind, the UN Security Council heard on Monday (UN News).
• China. As Shanghai’s lockdown enters its third week and amid public outcry about lapses in food supply and services, including medical treatment, officials today announced a plan to ease measures in some of the city’s districts where no cases have been reported in the past 2 week (CIDRAP).
• China. On April 11, 2022, the Department ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. government employees and all family members from the Consulate General Shanghai consular district due to a surge in COVID-19 cases and the impact of restrictions related to the PRC’s response, including the risk of parents and children being separated (U.S. Department of State). 
• Africa. A new meta-analysis of standardized seroprevalence studies indicates that the true number of SARS-CoV-2 infections across Africa may be 97 times higher than the number of reported confirmed cases (WHO).

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.

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