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

• Ethiopia. The United Nations has received alarming reports of aerial attacks in the residential areas of Tigray’s capital, Mekelle, on Monday morning local time (UN News).
• Nigeria. Nigerian troops killed 24 suspected insurgents in two attacks in the northeast and recovered some weapons, the army said on Tuesday (Reuters). Gunmen killed at least 43 people in an attack in northern Nigeria’s Sokoto state, the governor’s office said on Monday (Reuters).
• Ecuador‘s President Guillermo Lasso late on Monday declared a state of emergency in the Andean country as part of a crackdown on the consumption and trafficking of drugs (Reuters).
• Bangladesh. Paramilitary forces were deployed across much of the country after the worst communal violence in years targeted dozens of Hindu gatherings (NYT).
• Costa Rica. Six people, including a U.S. man, were killed in what may have been a robbery at the American’s ranch in Costa Rica, the national detectives’ agency said Monday (AP).
• Mexico. In Mexico, gunmen have gone on a shooting spree of police surveillance cameras in the city of Culiacán (Sinaloa) – attacks that not only blind authorities but reinforce cartel control (Insight Crime).

Natural Disasters

• Vietnam. On 17-18 October, floods and landslides caused by heavy rain were reported across northern and central Provinces of Vietnam, resulting in casualties and evacuations (ERCC).
• India. After landslides and flash floods occurred across central-south Kerala State (south-western India) since 15 October, the death toll has increased (ERCC).
• Canary Islands. The eruption is ongoing in Cumbre la Vieja volcano, as the main flow of lava is running along the northern flank towards the western coast of La Palma, in an area south-west of the La Laguna mountain (south of Tazacorte). La Palma airport is operational, although there are delays in inter-island flights due to the volcanic ash cloud. The population of El Paso has been recommended to stay indoors, as air quality might worsen (ERCC).

Health

• Congo (DRC). A total of five cases of Ebola virus disease (EVD) have been confirmed in North Kivu province since 8 October 2021. Three people died and all cases are from a community in the Beni health zone. Ten patients are hospitalised, including two confirmed and eight suspected cases. 386 contacts have been established so far, with 322 followed in the last 24 hours and 140 people have been vaccinated so far (ERCC). Three new Ebola cases have been confirmed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, bringing the total to five in the last 10 days, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday (Reuters).

Migration

• Poland. Almost 6,000 Polish soldiers are now guarding the country’s border with Belarus in stepped up security measures in the face of a surge in migration, the defence minister said on Tuesday (Reuters).
• Afghanistan‘s economy is set to contract up to 30% this year and this is likely to further fuel a refugee crisis that will impact neighbouring countries, Turkey and Europe, the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday (Reuters).

Of note

• Africa. Africa’s fabled eastern glaciers will vanish in two decades, 118 million poor people face drought, floods or extreme heat, and climate change could shrink the continent’s economy by 3% by mid-century, the U.N. climate agency warned on Tuesday (Reuters).
• South Sudan. More than 700,000 people have been affected by flooding in South Sudan, the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said on Tuesday, blaming climate change for the worst floods in some parts of the African country in nearly 60 years (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:

• Latvia. Latvia announced a COVID-19 lockdown from Oct. 21 until Nov. 15 to try to slow a spike in infections in one of the least vaccinated European Union countries (Reuters).
• United States. International travelers who are fully vaccinated with mixed doses of approved coronavirus vaccines will be allowed into the United States after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance Friday. The White House said U.S. travel restrictions will be lifted Nov. 8 for fully vaccinated international travelers, a policy that will in part require foreign travelers to show proof of vaccination before boarding a flight. According to a Friday update to CDC guidance, individuals will be considered fully vaccinated if they receive vaccines fully- or emergency- approved by the Food and Drug Administration or by the World Health Organization — including combinations of such shots (WaPo). 

Global cases and deaths. As of 19 October, Johns Hopkins University counts 241,266,909 COVID-19 cases and 4,908,426 deaths, and the WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports as of 19 October 240,631,670 cases and 4,899,169 deaths.

As notable cases:

• Mexico’s capital returned to the lowest level on its COVID-19 pandemic warning system Monday for the first time since June. In practice, the shift from the yellow to green category changes meant only small changes to daily life (AP).

Vaccination campaigns around the world continue. As of 18 October, Our World in Data reports 47.8% of the world population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. 6.7 billion doses have been administered globally, and 20.54 million are now administered each day. Only 2.8% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose. The WHO COVID-19 dashboard reports as of 19 October over 6.54 billion administered vaccine doses.

As notable cases:

• India has delayed committing supplies of vaccine to the COVAX global sharing platform, two sources told Reuters on Tuesday (Reuters).

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.