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

• Yemen. Ongoing conflict and violence across Yemen continue to impact heavily on the country’s people who desperately need the fighting to end, so that they can rebuild their lives, the UN’s senior humanitarian official in the country said on Monday (UN News).
• Ethiopia‘s national army launched a ground offensive against forces from the northern region of Tigray on Monday, the region’s ruling Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) said (Reuters).
• India. Indian security forces killed at least five militants in Indian-ruled Kashmir on Tuesday as hundreds of Hindus flee the disputed Muslim-majority region after a wave of violence, officials said (Reuters).
• Mexico. Two investigations warn about the shortcomings of the country’s judicial system and the rise of extreme violence and “atrocities” by organized crime groups. Researchers estimate that the rise in extreme violence has left 6,314 people injured or dead in the first seven months of 2021 (NBC).

Natural Disasters

• China. Since early October, floods, flash floods and river overflow caused by heavy rain have been affecting Shanxi Province (north China), leading to an increase in casualties (ERCC).
• Philippines. The Philippine News Agency (PNA) reports nine fatalities and 11 missing people in Luzon and Palawan islands due to landslides and floods. Several flood warnings and tropical cyclone wind signals No 1 and No 2 have been issued for northern and central Luzon, as moderate to heavy rain and strong winds are expected over the area in the next 24 hours (ERCC).
• Canary Islands. Two main lava flows in Cumbre la Vieja have been affecting the Todoque area and the industrial area of Los Lanos de Aridane. The Department of National Security (DSN) reports 1,281 affected houses and a total area of 525,77 ha affected by the lava flow, including 132 ha of cropland (ERCC). Over 700 residents were ordered to abandon their homes on Tuesday on the Spanish island of La Palma as red-hot lava advanced towards their neighbourhood (Reuters). A stream of red-hot lava gushing from the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma engulfed a cement plant on Monday, raising a thick cloud of smoke and prompting authorities to order people in the area into lockdown (Reuters).

Of note

• World. Authorities from Beijing to Delhi scrambled to fill a yawning power supply gap on Tuesday, triggering global stock and bond market wobbles on worries that rising energy costs will stoke inflation and curtail an economic recovery (Reuters).
• India has asked power producers to import up to 10% of their coal needs amid fuel shortages and has warned states that federal companies will curb their power supplies if they are found selling electricity on power exchanges to cash in on surging prices (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:

• Thailand is set to reopen its borders to sun-seeking vaccinated tourists from November. Mandatory quarantine requirements will be dropped for visitors from the UK and US (Guardian).

Global cases and deaths. As of 12 October, Johns Hopkins University counts 238,421,217 COVID-19 cases and 4,860,593 deaths, and the WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports as of 11 October 237,373,711 cases and 4,842,716 deaths.

As notable cases:

• Australia. Sydney’s COVID-19 cases fell to the lowest in two months on Tuesday as authorities rolled out support measures for businesses, shifting their focus to rejuvenating the economy after the city exited a nearly four-month lockdown a day earlier (Reuters).
• Russia recorded its highest single-day death toll since the start of the pandemic with 973 deaths (Guardian).

Vaccination campaigns around the world continue. As of 11 October, Our World in Data reports 47.6% of the world population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. 6.54 billion doses have been administered globally, and 23.41 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:

• India. India on Tuesday recommended emergency use of Bharat Biotech’s COVID-19 shot in the 2 to 18 age-group, as the world’s second-most populous nation expands its vaccination drive to include children (Reuters).
• India. After a 6 month pause, India has restarted exporting covid-19 vaccines, albeit in a limited way, with the first consignments going to Iran, Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar, officials said on Sunday (LiveMint).
• Portugal becomes the first country in the world to reach the target of 85% of the vaccinated population, with around 8.4 million people having completed the complete vaccination schedule (Outbreak News Today).

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.