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 Iraq, at least 30 people were killed and dozens of others wounded when a bomb exploded in the capital. The device exploded in the Al-Wuhailat market as families prepared for the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha on Tuesday (UN News). The UN human rights chief on Monday said the apparent widespread use of Pegasus spy software to illegally undermine the rights of those under surveillance, including journalists and politicians, was “extremely alarming” and confirmed “some of the worst fears” surrounding the potential misuse of such technology (UN News). The trial of the first person to be charged under Hong Kong’s sweeping national security law ended Tuesday after nearly a month, and observers are awaiting a verdict to see how similar cases might be dealt with (WaPo).

Natural Disasters

On 17-18 July, heavy rainfall caused floods and flash floods across parts of Oman, resulting in casualties. Heavy rainfall has been affecting western and northern Uganda since 12 July, causing rivers overflow and very high water levels of Lake Kyoga throughout the Northern Region, triggering floods across both regions that have resulted in casualties and damage. Heavy rainfall has been affecting northern New Zealand since 16 July, causing rivers overflow and floods that have resulted in evacuations and damage. A forest fire, fueled by strong wind, broke out on 19 July in the ourskirts of Baho and Saint-Estève Towns (south-eastern France) causing displacement and damage (ERCC). More than 30 people have died in Mumbai, India after an intense burst of rainfall caused a landslide and wall collapse (Guardian).

Health

Authorities in Mexico say they have found fake doses of the Covid-19 drug remdesivir offered for sale on the internet and at a private hospital near the US border (Guardian). A man in China has died after contracting a rare infectious disease from primates, known as the Monkey B virus, Chinese health officials revealed in a report Saturday (WaPo).

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: Indonesia will extend its restrictions to curb Covid-19 to July 25, President Joko Widodo said in a speech streamed live on Tuesday (CNN). Belgium will maintain its compulsory mask mandate and tighten its travel rules following a review of its coronavirus measures (CNN). The United States renews its “public health emergency” due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this determination is up for renewal every 90 days (CNN). Canada will reopen its border with the U.S. and hopes to allow others in by early September (NYT). Philippines has warned tighter restrictions may be needed to prevent the spread of the Delta variant across the country, after the first local cases were detected last week (Guardian). The United States is considering how soon the ban imposed on travel from Europe can be lifted after remaining effective and keeping the travel process suspended for more than 16 months due to the Coronavirus outbreak (Schengenvisainfo).

Global cases and deaths. As of 20 July, Johns Hopkins University counts 191,090,003 COVID-19 cases and 4,099,338 deaths, and the WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports 190,770,507 cases and 4,095,924 deaths.

As notable cases:  Tokyo reported at least 1,387 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday as the Olympic Games are just three days away (CNN). India’s true pandemic death toll is likely to be well over 3 million, a new study finds (NYT). South Korea is airlifting the entire crew from a navy destroyer off the coast of East Africa after hundreds of sailors tested positive for the coronavirus in the military’s worst outbreak of the pandemic (NYT). Daily new coronavirus cases in Iran have reached record heights, even as Tehran and its surroundings went into lockdown, a week-long measure imposed amid another surge in the pandemic (Guardian). In Senegal, Covid cases have soared in the past week, threatening to overwhelm health services just as Senegalese prepare to gather in extended families for Eid al-Adha (Guardian). Mainland China records 65 new cases, highest since January (Guardian). Rwanda records over 4,000 Covid cases in Kigali after two-day mass testing (EastAfrican)

Vaccination campaigns around the world continue. As of 19 July, Our World in Data reports 26.5% of the world population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. 3.69 billion doses have been administered globally, and 30.33 million are now administered each day. Only 1.1% 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: The United States will begin shipping more than six million additional Covid-19 vaccines to Honduras, El Salvador, Panama, and Guatemala (CNN). Bhutan has begun a rollout of second vaccine-doses today following a swift first phase during which most of its eligible adult population were inoculated in two weeks (Guardian). Zimbabwe’s government has ordered that all its workers should receive a Covid-19 vaccine and only 10% of civil servants report for duty, with the rest working from home (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.