World Status Report
May 28, 2021
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
Do not Travel to Belarus due to the arbitrary enforcement of laws and risk of detention (U.S. Department of State). The UN Security Council met behind closed doors on Wednesday to discuss the derailing of Mali’s transitional government following the apparent forced departure of both the President and Prime Minister on Tuesday, by the leader of last August’s military coup (UN News). Violent conflict, terrorism and human rights abuses continue in Syria as its besieged population suffers economic destitution, displacement, detention and abduction (UN News).
Health
Lebanon is currently experiencing multiple unprecedented crises—political, infrastructural, and economic. Given that the country struggles to care for its own citizens, the individuals who are most vulnerable, such as refugees, are at a heightened risk (The Lancet).
Natural Disasters
Tens of thousands of people are fleeing the city of Goma in eastern Congo fearing another volcanic eruption by Mount Nyiragongo (AP). Hundreds of thousands of villagers along the low-lying coast of eastern India and Bangladesh were marooned by floodwaters on Thursday in the aftermath of a powerful cyclone that has killed at least five people (Reuters)
COVID-19
International preventative measures against COVID-19, including entry restrictions and in-country mobility remain very 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: The state of Victoria, Australia, announced a seven-day lockdown beginning Thursday night to stem a coronavirus outbreak in the northern suburbs of Melbourne. (NYT). Japan‘s government will decide Friday whether to extend a state of emergency across much of the country, nearly two months before the planned start of the delayed Tokyo Summer Olympics (CNN). The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) doesn’t think that only testing for COVID-19 to avoid entry restrictions for travellers in the European Union is enough to prevent the possible spread of COVID-19 from incoming travellers (Schengenvisainfo)
Globally, as of 27 May, Johns Hopkins University counts 168,502,092 COVID-19 cases and 3,500,383 deaths, and the WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports 168,040,871 cases and 3,494,758 deaths.
As notable cases: The coronavirus is now spreading faster in Manitoba than in any other province or state in Canada, the United States or Mexico, with Indigenous people and people of color hit disproportionately hard (NYT). Malaysia on Wednesday recorded nearly 7,500 coronavirus cases and 63 deaths, its highest tolls since the pandemic began, and has joined several other Southeast Asian nations in introducing new restrictions to curb a resurgence of infections (NYT). Kenya‘s western city of Kisumu has surpassed the capital, Nairobi, as having the country’s highest number of confirmed COVID-19 infections (VOA).
Vaccination campaigns around the world continue. As of 26 May, Our World in Data reports 1.78 billion administered vaccine doses globally. The WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports over 1.54 billion administered vaccine doses.
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.
