"COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis" 17th Jun 2020
News Highlights
Coronavirus reappears after weeks in China, New Zealand and Denmark
After not seeing a new coronavirus case for over three weeks, New Zealand, which had declared itself 'coronavirus free,' is now investigating two cases reportedly brought in by people who flew in from the UK. China and Denmark have also witnessed new outbreaks with more than 100 people testing positive in Beijing and 34 testing positive in Hjorring in Denmark, which was one of the earliest European countries to lift lockdown in May.
Museums and terraces reopen in Moscow despite steady increases in cases
Despite an average of more than 1,000 new daily infections, libraries, zoos and museums in Moscow are reopening as part of the continued relaxing of restrictions in the Russian capital. Sporting events will also be allowed to resume, albeit with spectators only comprising 10% of a venue's capacity.
Privacy concerns to the fore as countries roll out coronavirus apps
Several countries have rolled out contact tracing and tracking apps in an effort to fight the pandemic, but they have had to battle suspicion about privacy and safety concerns. The German government appealed to its citizens to download the 'Corona Warn App' and Italy activated a similar app to put tracking and contact tracing measures in place. India, Japan, France and South Korea have similar apps with almost all of them facing scrutiny about privacy rights.
Hajj pilgrimage in jeopardy as Saudi Arabia sees spike in cases
The annual hajj pilgrimage, which attracts millions to the holy city of Mecca, each year, may have to be postponed or called off, as Saudi Arabia continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic that has seen more than 136,000 cases on its shores alone. The hajj, usually held in late July every year, is a big logistical challenge and Riyadh will need to make a decision soon on whether the pilgrimage will go ahead at all or at least in a scaled-down manner.
Lockdown Exit
Coronavirus: US airlines threaten to ban passengers who refuse to wear masks
Passengers could be barred from flying with US airlines if they refuse to wear face coverings during their journey, the industry's main lobby group said. United said those who do not comply with the rule will be placed on an internal travel restriction list.
Tens of thousands return to England’s high streets as non-essential shops reopen
Tens of thousands of people have poured onto England’s high streets as non-essential shops were allowed to reopen for the first time since lockdown began. While many of those who stepped out despite coronavirus fears to engage in some long-awaited retail therapy cited concerns about looming job losses in the sector and a need to restart the economy, the overwhelming sense was of people urgently seeking to regain a sense of normality after 11 weeks in stasis.
Despite the busy street scenes captured across the country, with reports of overnight queues which sometimes remained throughout the day, the unseen majority will have remained at home, with some newly returned employees questioning why customers were physically shopping rather than purchasing online.
Experts predict summer of illegal raves in England as coronavirus lockdown is eased
Experts have warned that England could experience a wave of illegal raves over the summer as the coronavirus lockdown is eased. With the summer festival and live music season effectively wiped out by the coronavirus outbreak, it’s now feared that many young people will turn to these illegal mass gatherings throughout the summer. Speaking to The Guardian, Night Time Industries Association chief executive Mike Kill said “the youth of today want to be out and want to be engaged”.
Moscow reopens museums and terraces a week after lockdown lifting
For the first time in more than two months, residents of Moscow are now able to return to museums and summer terrace as the Russian capital rolled back more coronavirus curbs despite continuing to record over 1,000 new daily infections. Starting on Tuesday, museums, libraries and zoos in the city of nearly 13 million are reopening their doors, albeit with continued limits on the number of visitors at any one time. Dentists are getting back to business too. Authorities are also allowing sporting events to resume, though spectators must take up no more than 10 percent of a venue's given capacity.
A warning from South Korea: the ‘fantasy’ of returning to normal life
A warning from South Korea: the ‘fantasy’ of returning to normal life - Vigilance and nimbleness over coronavirus outbreaks are critical in restarting economies
Rise in infections shows need for vigilance as world reopens
European countries reopened borders Monday after a three-month coronavirus shutdown, although international visitors are still being kept away and there was uncertainty over whether many Europeans will quickly embrace travel outside their home countries. Reopening continued in Mexico and Brazil despite cases climbing in the two largest nations in Latin America, where authorities struggled to handle the pandemic’s effect on already-weak medical systems. In the U.S., Vice President Mike Pence encouraged governors to highlight the “good news” around efforts to fight the virus despite several states reporting a rise in infections, which could intensify as people return to work and venture out during the summer.
Australia's most populous state doubles public transport capacity as coronavirus curbs ease
Australia’s most populous state said on Tuesday it would nearly double its public transport capacity starting July 1, allowing more locals to avoid driving as it continues to ease curbs designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The relaxation of rules will allow more passengers to board buses, trains and ferries, whose capacity the state restricted last month. Additional ‘green dot’ stickers showing passengers where to sit and stand will be put on buses, trains and ferries to help people adhere to social distancing rules, New South Wales (NSW) premier Gladys Berejiklian said in a media briefing.
Lessons in tackling coronavirus from New Zealand | News
In the First Wave series, Times and Sunday Times foreign correspondents investigate responses to Covid-19 and ask what happens next. Bernard Lagan looks at New Zealand’s approach — and the impact on its economy
Delhi's local health minister in hospital as infections surge in India
The health minister in Delhi’s state government checked into hospital with high fever and was being tested for coronavirus on Tuesday as India reported more than 10,500 new infections that are threatening to overwhelm hospitals. India has opened up businesses, public transport and shopping malls to resuscitate a battered economy but the ending of the nearly 70-day lockdown has come just as cases are rising at their fastest daily levels.
Coronavirus Accelerates Across Africa
The virus was slow to start in many African countries, but epidemiologists say the number of confirmed cases on the continent is now rising fast.
Coronavirus in South Africa: tobacco smugglers benefit from world's strictest lockdown
In the First Wave series, Times and Sunday Times foreign correspondents investigate responses to Covid-19 and ask what happens next. Jane Flanagan explores how South Africans are scheming to survive amid the most intrusive policies since apartheid
Exit Strategies
Face masks compulsory on public transport as UK further eases Coronavirus lockdown
As non-essential stores reopened and more students headed back to schools in England on Monday for the first time in almost three-months, a new rule also came into force in requiring people travelling on public transport to wear face coverings during their journeys. Under the new rule which took effect on Monday, people in England travelling on trains, buses and commuter ferries, as well as the London Underground, must wear face coverings, according to the media reports. The UK government said masks can be homemade, such as a scarf or bandana.
Germany appeals to nation to download coronavirus app
The German government has appealed to its citizens to download a newly available coronavirus warning app as it launched what it insisted was its most sophisticated tool yet for tackling the pandemic. The Corona Warn App suffered setbacks including disagreements over data privacy and functionality, but is seen as being introduced just in time as lockdown regulations rapidly relax with a decreasing infection rate. The app will complement a human tracking and tracing system that has been in place across the country since February. It will alert users whether and for how long they have been in contact at a distance of 2 metres or less with someone who has tested positive for the virus.
Spain may quarantine British tourists, minister tells BBC
Spain is considering imposing a quarantine on British travellers when it reopens its borders next week, in response to a similar policy at London’s end, its foreign minister said. Arancha Gonzalez Laya told the BBC she hoped Britain would lift its restriction, making a reciprocal Spanish one unnecessary. “We will be in a dialogue with the UK to see whether or not we should be introducing reciprocity as they have different measures than the rest of the European Union,” she said in an advance excerpt from current affairs programme HARDtalk. Spanish Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto said the two countries would take a decision in their mutual interest in coming days.
NAB survey reveals many Australians don't want life to return to how it was before coronavirus
As coronavirus cases decline in Australia, restrictions are easing across country. NAB survey has revealed many Australians are happy living under restrictions.
Respondents asked to rate out of ten how much they preferred pre COVID-19 life. Out of 2,000 respondents on average people scored 6.5 points out of ten
Botswana lifts coronavirus lockdown in capital city
Botswana on Monday lifted a recently reinstated coronavirus lockdown on its capital city Gaborone and surrounding areas after most of the cases reported last week turned out to be negative, the health department said. Botswana ended a 48-day national lock down on May 21, allowing businesses and schools to reopen, but reinstated strict control on movement in the greater Gaborone region on Friday after health officials reported eight new coronavirus cases at one hospital. But on Monday health officials said national government had retested the patients and the results had come back negative.
Europe Rolls Out Contact Tracing Apps, With Hope and Trepidation
Italy and Germany activated apps this week as tools to avoid a second wave of coronavirus infections, fueling a debate about privacy rights.
Why South Africa’s coronavirus outbreak could be a ‘catalyst for transformation’
The three-point line and bleachers are the first signs that Khayelitsha Field Hospital is atypical. Once a community sports hall, there are now roughly 60 hospital beds lining centre court. Jerseys have been swapped for face masks, visors, and green scrubs, which the medical staff wear to tend to COVID-19 patients. The hospital sits in a sprawling patchwork of shacks and low houses on the outskirts of South Africa’s second-largest city. Here, dense living conditions and poor sanitation make handwashing and social distancing difficult. Subsistence incomes mean the lockdown takes an immediate toll on livelihoods....
African Countries Scramble to Ramp up Testing for COVID-19
Nations in the continent, which have had to import testing supplies and bid against richer countries, are trying to develop their own tests
Partisan Exits
Sturgeon warns against ‘reckless relaxation’ of lockdown measures
There must not be a “reckless relaxation” of coronavirus lockdown measures to get Scotland’s economy moving again, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said. It comes as official figures show the number of Scots out of work increased by 30,000 to 127,000 over the period February to April. With unemployment rising, she said an extension to the UK Government’s furlough scheme, in which the taxpayer has paid the wages of hundreds of thousands of Scots, is almost certainly essential. The impact of the job retention scheme means the latest figures are “likely to be an underestimate of the full impact of Covid-19”, Ms Sturgeon said. She said the planned easing of some restrictions later this week could help the economy, adding there could be some “really significant steps taken for all of Scotland to start to get us back to normal”.
Coronavirus: Sturgeon warns against 'reckless' easing of lockdown
Nicola Sturgeon has warned against any "reckless" move to ease lockdown in Scotland despite a growing "economic crisis" and rising unemployment. The first minister spoke after the release of the latest jobless figures. The unemployment rate rose to 4.6% in Scotland between February and April, compared with a UK-wide rate of 3.9%. Ms Sturgeon said easing the lockdown "too quickly" would risk a resurgence of the virus which would cost lives and economic productivity. She said the progress made in suppressing Covid-19 so far could help build a "sustainable economy recovery". And she called on the UK government to extend the job retention "furlough" scheme, saying it was "almost certain" to be needed beyond October. Scotland is expected to move to the second phase of the government's "route map" towards lifting lockdown on Thursday, which could see a "safe re-opening" of more shops and workplaces.
Boris accused of ‘disdain’ for public by ignoring early calls for lockdown
The government has been accused of having ‘disdain’ for the public by ignoring calls for an earlier lockdown at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Good Morning Britain presenter Piers Morgan called it a ‘devastating error’ that the UK didn’t lockdown at the ‘absolute epicentre’ of the first wave of the pandemic. Richard Horton, editor-in-chief of the Lancet, replied: ‘It is fair to talk about the disdain of the government for the British people, and the reason is that the British people were smarter than the government. ‘People in this country actually knew that there was a threat coming – they could tell that there was danger in the air, and they started to change their behaviour before March 23 when Boris Johnson announced the lockdown.
Pressure piling on PM to ease lockdown amid more evidence of economic ‘disaster’
The Government is facing further pressure to cut lockdown restrictions as new figures laid bare the damage being caused to the labour market. The latest unemployment data was published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Tuesday just hours before the Prime Minister meets with his Cabinet. New figures suggested the down turn had yet to feed through fully into unemployment thanks to the job retention scheme but there was a sharp drop in the number of paid employees, down by 2.1% or 612,000 in May compared with March, and a huge increase in benefit claims.
Lockdown is 'economic catastrophe', says William Hague
In his article, Lord Hague said the lockdown had been so "destructive" that it could "only ever be allowed to happen once". He urged the government to scrap the quarantine on international arrivals - which requires all people arriving in the UK to self-isolate for 14 days - and the 2m social distancing rule. "We can now see that it is not necessary to have a two-metre separation between people to keep the virus in retreat where it is already at a low level," he writes. "We know this from the experience of countries such as Denmark, France and Germany where the recommended distance is shorter, and we should not have to spend weeks agonising over it." He said lockdown was "like Dunkirk - a heroic operation in itself but the result of a massive failure". And this was a failure "at multiple levels" he said, adding: "A failure by the whole world to prevent the trading of wild animals for consumption; by China to report the initial outbreak openly; by our and many other countries to prepare for this type of pandemic."
Pressure piles to ease lockdown with fresh unemployment figures being released
The Government is facing further pressure to cut lockdown restrictions in England as ministers brace for the latest figures on coronavirus-related job losses. The latest unemployment data will be published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Tuesday, only hours before the Prime Minister meets with his Cabinet. With the ONS figures expected to make for grim reading given the economic fallout from Covid-19, Tory grandees have called on Boris Johnson to ease the extent of the restrictions currently in place.
Hospitals in several Alabama cities now seeing all-time highs in coronavirus patients
The number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals in Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Montgomery and Decatur has hit all-time highs this month, filling beds and taxing staff as the state struggles with a wave of new cases. Nearly one-third of those patients will require ventilators during treatment, said Assistant State Health Officer Dr. Karen Landers. Cases are surging in Alabama. The department of public health reported record-high numbers of new coronavirus cases in recent days, with more than 1,000 cases added on Sunday.
Montgomery City Council votes down mask ordinance, sends doctors out in disgust
Jackson Hospital pulmonologist William Saliski cleared his throat as he started describing the dire situation created by the coronavirus pandemic in Montgomery to its City Council before they voted on a mandatory mask ordinance. "It's been a long day, I apologize," he said. "The units are full with critically-ill COVID patients," Saliski said. About 90% of them are Black. He said hospitals are able to manage for now, but it's not sustainable. "This mask slows that down, 95% protection from something as easy as cloth. ... If this continues the way it's going, we will be overrun." More doctors followed him to the microphone, describing the dead being carried out within 30 minutes of each other, and doctors being disturbed when people on the street ask them if the media is lying about the pandemic as part of a political ploy.
Florida businesses, restaurants not required to report coronavirus cases among employees, officials say
FOX 35 Orlando also spoke with the epidemiologist at the Seminole County Health Department to see if businesses are required to report their cases and shut down if their workers get coronavirus. He said that the cases should be reported, but it is not a requirement, and the business is not required to shut down. “We are not regulatory over businesses. For the most part, that is the Department of Business and Professional Regulation,” Baker said. “So, they don’t have to call us and say I’m shutting down my business.”
Continued Lockdown
Coronavirus: 612,000 UK workers lose their jobs during lockdown
Early estimates suggest 163,000 people lost their jobs in May, on top of 449,000 the previous month, as the coronavirus crisis lockdown took its toll on the UK economy. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) data covering the number of paid employees showed a fall of 2% since the country entered effective hibernation in March. It released the experimental data as its own figures showed a leap in the so-called claimant count - jobless claims applications through Universal Credit.
Coronavirus: Job cuts warning as 600,000 roles go in lockdown
The number of workers on UK payrolls dived more than 600,000 between March and May, official figures suggest. Meanwhile, the number of people claiming work-related benefits - which includes the unemployed - was up 126% to 2.8 million. The early estimates reflect the impact of around six weeks of lockdown in which large parts of the UK were shut. But economists say the full effect on employment will not be felt until wage support schemes end in October. "The slowdown in the economy is now visibly hitting the labour market, especially in terms of hours worked," said Jonathan Athow, deputy national statistician for economic statistics at the Office for National Statistics (ONS)."
Saudi Arabia faces perilous hajj call as coronavirus spikes
Saudi Arabia is expected to scale back or call off this year’s hajj pilgrimage for the first time in its modern history, observers say, a perilous decision as coronavirus cases spike. Muslim nations are pressing Riyadh to give its much-delayed decision on whether the annual ritual will go ahead as scheduled in late July. But as the kingdom negotiates a call fraught with political and economic risks in a tinderbox region, time is running out to organize logistics for one of the world’s largest mass gatherings. A full-scale hajj, which last year drew about 2.5 million pilgrims, appears increasingly unlikely after authorities advised Muslims in late March to defer preparations due to the fast-spreading disease. “It’s a toss-up between holding a nominal hajj and scrapping it entirely,” a South Asian official in contact with Saudi hajj authorities said.
'Dying of hunger': Zimbabwe street vendors hit by coronavirus clampdown
Martha Kahari was already struggling to make ends meet after Zimbabwe’s coronavirus lockdown forced her to stop selling second-hand clothes and tomatoes at the side of the road in the capital Harare. Then the council came to tear down her stall. Since April, local authorities in Zimbabwe’s major cities have demolished thousands of illegally built structures that vendors like Kahari use to sell their wares, in what authorities have said is an effort to legitimise informal trade in the city. With her stall destroyed, the 40-year-old disabled mother of two has given up hope of being able to afford rent or pay back the money she borrowed to buy the stock she planned to sell once the lockdown was lifted.
More than 600,000 lose work in UK as COVID hits jobs market
The number of people on British employers’ payrolls fell by more than 600,000 in April and May as the coronavirus lockdown hit the labour market, and vacancies plunged by the most on record, data showed on Tuesday. The jobless rate unexpectedly held at 3.9% over the three months to April, but that was largely due to the government’s huge job retention scheme and a rise in the number of people not classed as unemployed as they were unable to seek work in lockdown. During the same period there was a record slump in Britain’s overall economic output. Economists polled by Reuters had mostly expected a jump in the unemployment rate to 4.7%.
Peru archbishop fills cathedral with portraits of Covid-19 victims
Lima cleric covers walls and pews with thousands of photographs while criticising health system ‘based on business and not on mercy’
Virus Exposes Weak Links in Peru’s Success Story
President Martín Vizcarra followed the best advice when the coronavirus arrived in Peru. He ordered one of Latin America’s first and strictest lockdowns, and rolled out one of the region’s biggest economic aid packages to help citizens stay home. He shared detailed health data with the public, rushed to add hospital beds and ventilators and increased testing. With robust public coffers and record-high approval ratings, Mr. Vizcarra’s centrist government appeared well prepared to face the pandemic. Yet instead of being lauded as a model of disease control, Peru has become one of the world’s worst coronavirus hot spots — its hospitals overwhelmed, its people fleeing the cities. The crisis has marred Peru’s veneer of economic progress, exposing the deep-rooted inequality and corruption that have thwarted its pandemic response.
Scientific Viewpoint
Why you should close the toilet lid
Study shows flushing creates clouds that can carry viruses.
German virus hunters track down corona outbreaks
A team of medical students pressed into service by Cologne's public health office are scrambling to cut off potential new chains of coronavirus infections by endlessly repeating the same questions. "What are your symptoms? Who have you met in the last few days," they ask people with confirmed or suspected cases. Such painstaking detective work is vital to avoid a second wave with more deaths and economic damage, as Germany eases the far-reaching lockdowns imposed in March to control the disease's spread
Italy survey finds irritability, anxiety in locked-down kids
A survey conducted in Italy on the psychological impact of coronavirus lockdowns on children has quantified what many parents observed during weeks cooped up at home: kids were more irritable, had trouble sleeping and for some of the youngest, wept inconsolably and regressed developmentally. Those symptoms were more pronounced in families in which the parents were particularly stressed and in families with elderly relatives at high risk of becoming seriously ill with COVID-19, the national survey by the Giannina Gaslini Pediatric Hospital in Genoa in conjunction with the University of Genoa found.
Coronavirus: Lockdowns prevented the worst, researchers say
Two studies show that anti-COVID-19 measures taken by many governments were sensible and effective. Without restrictions on the freedom of movement of their citizens, hundreds of millions more would have fallen ill. Researchers from the University of California/Berkeley (UC Berkeley) and Imperial College London last week published studies in the scientific journal Nature looking into the question of how badly the coronavirus pandemic would have developed if governments had not adopted lockdown measures and social distancing rules.
New study shows Australians suffering weight gain and emotional hardship due to coronavirus pandemic
A new study by Australia's national science agency has found that weight control and emotional wellbeing have suffered throughout the COVID-19 lockdown.
The survey of nearly 4000 CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet online community members found that respondents are emerging from COVID-19 lockdown feeling their exercise (66 per cent), emotional wellbeing (41 percent) and diet (36 per cent) had worsened to some degree. Two in five indicated they have gained weight during the outbreak while 90 per cent of participants reported feeling there have been a negative impact on their social connectivity.
Coronavirus Vaccine Makers Are Hunting for Vital Equipment: Glass Vials
The medical quest is hampered by a global shortage of bottles and the special glass they are made from. Frantic efforts to bring coronavirus vaccines to the world are facing a maddening bottleneck: the small glass vials that hold the shots. Drugmakers in the U.S., Europe, China, and elsewhere are pushing ahead to test and manufacture vaccines against the new coronavirus, hoping to distribute billions of shots once they have proven to work safely. Yet hampering the ramp-up, industry officials said, is a shortage of vials and the special glass they are made from.
Covid-19 news: Dexamethasone drug saves lives of coronavirus patients
In the trial, 2104 covid-19 patients were randomly selected to receive dexamethasone and 4321 received standard care. The preliminary results suggest that treatment with dexamethasone could save one life for every eight patients receiving ventilation, and one for every 25 requiring oxygen. Researchers suggest the drug could have saved up to 5000 lives in the UK if it had been used to treat patients from the start of the pandemic, the BBC reports. Dexamethasone should only be taken if prescribed by a doctor.
Commonly used steroid reduces risk of death in sickest coronavirus patients, preliminary study results suggest
The widely available steroid drug dexamethasone may be key in helping to treat the sickest Covid-19 patients who require ventilation or oxygen, according to researchers in the United Kingdom. Their findings are preliminary, still being compiled and have not been published in a peer-reviewed journal -- but some not involved with the study called the results a breakthrough. The two lead investigators of the Recovery Trial, a large UK-based trial investigating potential Covid-19 treatments, announced to reporters in a virtual press conference on Tuesday that a low-dose regimen of dexamethasone for 10 days was found to reduce the risk of death by a third among hospitalized patients requiring ventilation in the trial. "That's a highly statistically significant result," Martin Landray, deputy chief investigator of the trial and a professor at the University of Oxford, said on Tuesday.
Not wearing a facemask 'significantly increases risk of coronavirus infection'
Scientists at Texas A&M University examined the person-to-person spread of Covid-19 as part of a study into preventative procedures and trends in New York City, Italy and the pandemic's epicentre of Wuhan in China. Researchers found that wearing a mask was key to preventing infected droplets reaching healthy people, and also those with the virus from spreading it. The study - titled Identifying airborne transmissions as the dominant route for the spread of Covid-19 - was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Fauci: No Need for a Second Lockdown
With top officials in the Trump White House declaring the mission accomplished in slowing the spread of the coronavirus, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert is sounding a more ominous note. There’s no need to talk about avoiding a second wave of the pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said on Tuesday, because the country is still in the first one. “We are seeing infections to a greater degree than they had previously seen in certain states, including states in the southwest and in the south,” Fauci said. “I don't like to talk about a second wave right now, because we haven't gotten out of our first wave.”
Coronavirus Resurgence
Brazil ignored the warnings. Now, while other countries fret over a second coronavirus wave, it can’t get past its first.
Weeks ago, when this seaside metropolis had recorded fewer than 10,000 cases of the novel coronavirus and there still appeared to be time, some of Brazil's most respected scientists made their last-ditch appeal. The country had reached a pivotal juncture. Cases were skyrocketing. The hospital system was teetering at capacity. Thousands had already died. So Carlos Machado, a senior scientist with Brazil’s Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, wanted the language to be strong. At the request of Rio officials, his team was assembling a list of recommendations. He needed to make clear what would happen if they didn’t immediately impose a complete lockdown. “It would result,” the team warned in the early-May report, “in a human catastrophe of unimaginable proportions.”
Officials fear that China may be heading towards a second wave of coronavirus infections
Lockdown measures have been re-implemented in parts of Beijing, which has seen a spike in coronavirus cases for the first time in over two month Where have the new cases come from, and how many are there?
New Coronavirus Outbreak, Second Wave Fear In China Prompt Travel Warnings But No Lockdown
Beijing is fighting a coronavirus outbreak that has raised concerns over whether the virus will return alongside lockdowns and travel bans. The Chinese capital has a growing cluster of new coronavirus cases after going 56 consecutive days without a single local infection. The spike in cases has come in summer, earlier than the winter timeframe many expected for a so-called second wave. Travelers from Beijing now face 14-day home quarantines upon arriving in Shanghai and some, but not all, provinces in rules imposed Tuesday after three provinces reported cases linked to the Beijing cluster.
New Zealand's first Covid cases in 24 days came from UK
New Zealand no longer virus-free after two new coronavirus cases brought in from UKExpress.co.ukNew Zealand confirms two NEW cases of coronaviru days after it 'eliminated' COVID-19Daily MailUK travellers bring coronavirus to New Zealand after it was eradicatedBusiness InsiderCoronavirus: Travellers from the UK take COVID-19 back into New Zealand after three weeks of no infectionsSky NewsView Full coverage on Google News
China, New Zealand see new cases of COVID-19 after lockdown measures lifted
Chinese authorities locked down a third neighbourhood in Beijing on Tuesday as they rushed to prevent the spread of a new coronavirus outbreak that has infected more than 100 people in a country that appeared to have largely contained the virus. The resurgence in China highlighted public health expert calls for vigilance as many nations move forward with easing virus restrictions to revive their economies. New Zealand, which hadn't seen a new case in three weeks, said it is investigating a case in which two women who flew in from London to see a dying parent were allowed to leave quarantine and drive halfway across the country before they were tested and found to be positive. And the Philippines reimposed a strict lockdown on the city of Cebu after a rise in case
Beijing and provinces impose travel curbs as coronavirus cases mount
China sharply ramped up restrictions on people leaving the capital on Tuesday in an effort to stop the most serious coronavirus flare-up since February from spreading to other cities and provinces. The decision to impose fresh curbs and raise the city’s emergency response level back to II from III came as Beijing’s current outbreak rose to 106 infections since Thursday. The outbreak has been traced to the sprawling Xinfadi wholesale food centre in the southwest of Beijing where thousands of tonnes of vegetables, fruit and meat change hands each day.
The coronavirus was first identified in December at a seafood market in Wuhan, capital of the central Chinese province of Hubei, and has since spread around the world, infecting more than 8 million people.
Coronavirus: Travellers from the UK take COVID-19 back into New Zealand after three weeks of no infections
Two new cases of coronavirus have been recorded in New Zealand - both related to recent travel from the UK - after the country went more than three weeks with no confirmed new infections. Both women, from the same family, one in her 30s and the other in her 40s, arrived in the country on 7 June via Australia and stayed in a hotel in Auckland under managed isolation.
Denmark sees first coronavirus outbreak since lockdown lifted
Denmark has had its first outbreak of coronavirus since lifting the lockdown in May, with 34 people testing positive in Hjørring in the far northwest coast of Jutland. With 53 infections per 100,000 people, the municipality now has the highest infection rate in Denmark, more even than Herlev, a suburb of Copenhagen which has 47 infections per 100,000 people. The municipality has reacted rapidly, stopping all non-essential visits to all of its elderly care homes after 12 residents and 13 employees tested positive at the Vendelbocenter elderly care home. It has sent home all pupils and three teachers connected with a class at Højene Skole, and all the teachers and pupils from a kindergarten class and third grade class at the Bagterp school, after pupils tested positive in all three classes. Magnus Heunicke, Denmark's health minister, said that outbreak should be a warning.
New Lockdown
Chennai to reimpose lockdown on June 19
A lockdown will be reimposed on Friday on some 15mn people in Chennai and several neighbouring districts in Tamil Nadu, state officials said, as coronavirus cases surge in the region. Home to 1.3bn people, India has been gradually lifting a nationwide lockdown in a bid to get the economy back on track. But new infections have still been rising across the country - particularly in Chennai. “Full Lockdown from 19th for Chennai, Thiruvallur, Chengalpet & Kanchipuram districts,” the Tamil Nadu state government tweeted yesterday. It will be in place until the end of June.
Parts of India, Africa re-instate lockdown to manage Covid-19 clusters
The state of Tamil Nadu in India will impose a “complete” 12-day lockdown to bring down the number of Covid-19 cases which, on Monday, reached over 46,000. Tamil Nadu is the second worst hit state in India, after Maharashtra.
Beijing reintroduces strict lockdown following new outbreak
Beijing is reintroducing strict lockdown measures and rolling out mass testing after a fresh cluster of Covid-19 cases emerged from the city's largest wholesale food market, sparking fears of a resurgence of the deadly outbreak.
Beijing expands lockdown as new coronavirus cases top 100
Chinese authorities have locked down a third area in the capital Beijing as they rush to prevent the spread of a new coronavirus outbreak which has infected more than 100 people. The resurgence in China, which appeared to have largely contained the virus, highlights public health experts’ calls for vigilance as many nations move forward with easing virus restrictions to revive their economies. Officials in New Zealand, which had not seen any new cases in three weeks, said they are investigating after two women who flew in from London to see a dying parent were allowed to leave quarantine and drive halfway across the country before they were tested and found to be positive.
More lockdown measures in Beijing as fresh coronavirus outbreak grows
China reported 40 more coronavirus infections Tuesday as it increased testing and lockdown measures in parts of the capital to control what appeared to be its largest outbreak in more than two months. The new cases included 27 in Beijing where a fresh outbreak has been traced to the city’s largest wholesale market and bring the city’s total to 106 since Friday. Tests were administered to workers at the Xinfadi market, anyone who had visited it in the past two weeks or anyone who had come in contact with either group. Fresh meat and seafood in the city and elsewhere in China was also being inspected. Experts say food is an unlikely source of transmission though the virus can survive on surfaces and packaging for a period of time. An infected person who visited or worked at the market is considered a more likely source.
Beijing ramps up testing and lockdown measures as outbreak grows
China increased testing and lockdown measures in parts of the capital Tuesday to control what appeared to be its largest coronavirus outbreak in more than two months. The 40 new cases reported Tuesday included 27 in Beijing, bringing the city's total to 106 since Friday. Many of the recent cases have been linked to Beijing's Xinfadi wholesale market and authorities have been testing market workers, anyone who visited the market in the past two weeks and anyone who came into contact with either group. Fresh meat and seafood in the city and elsewhere in China was also being inspected on the unlikely chance that was how the virus spread.
A Case Study for Second Wave Lockdowns
Lockdowns are no panacea, especially when governments fail to utilize the time to prepare, or return to normal too swiftly. They are also not the only way to control the virus: Simple remedies like promoting cleanliness and restricting large gatherings can help, as in Mumbai’s sprawling Dharavi slum. Lockdowns are also, in their more malleable version, one of few tools in the global kit to tackle a pandemic that may yet drag on for months. Unfortunately, best execution requires data and trust. That means the states that need it most, like Pakistan, are those least able to deliver.