8th Jun 2020 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=25 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

The Independent The Covid19 pandemic is not over the World Health Organisation WHO has warned after Brazil reported a daily record number of deaths on Thursday. Stringent lockdown restrictions are being lifted across much of Europe and the west but a number of countries have seen an uptick in cases according to the WHO. Meanwhile officials in Brazil announced 1473 fatalities on Thursday night taking the South America countrys death toll to more than 34000 the third highest in the world behind only the US and the UK. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/coronavirus-brazil-death-toll-cases-world-pandemic-who-a9551036.html 7th Jun 2020

Lockdown Exit

The Guardian South Africa recorded 3267 new Covid19 cases on Thursday the biggest jump since the pandemic began. The country is the worst hit in subSaharan Africa and has nearly a quarter of all cases on the continent with 40792 infections. With 848 deaths it ranks only second to Egypt for fatalities 1126. Nearly two thirds of the countrys cases are in the Western Cape province where Cape Town is the biggest city and health services are under pressure. The region is also a major tourist destination and local authorities have implemented one of the most rigorous testing regimes in the country. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/05/global-report-south-africa-records-biggest-jump-in-covid-19-cases-since-pandemic-hit 7th Jun 2020

Lockdown Exit

The Guardian Brazil has overtaken Italy as the country with the thirdhighest Covid19 death toll after a daily record of 1473 fatalities took its total tally to more than 34000. The figure was published by Brazils health ministry on Thursday night and means only the United States and the United Kingdom have registered more deaths because of the pandemic. The official number of infections rose to nearly 615000 second only to the US. In an online broadcast shortly before the numbers were released Brazils president Jair Bolsonaro made almost no mention of the victims but continued to publicly attack efforts to slow the advance of coronavirus with quarantine measures and social distancing. We cant go on like this. Nobody can take it anymore Bolsonaro said of the shutdown efforts being implemented by state governors and mayors across Brazil. The collateral impact will be far greater than those people who unfortunately lost their lives because of these last three months here Bolsonaro said. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/04/coronavirus-brazil-record-daily-death-toll-mexico 7th Jun 2020

Lockdown Exit

iNews British tourists could be blocked from holidaying in some of the most popular European Union countries this summer after ministers from the bloc yesterday Friday warned that the UKs coronavirus infection rates are too high. While EU home affairs ministers agreed in a video conference call to lift border controls inside the territory by the end of June France Germany Greece and Spain have all indicated that they could keep restrictions on British holidaymakers. The objections to British tourists are partly due to the UKs plans for 14day quarantines for visitors. https://inews.co.uk/news/europe-threatens-block-holidaymakers-visiting-from-uk-due-high-coronavirus-2876632 7th Jun 2020

Lockdown Exit

Metro The UK is facing backlash over its plans to impose a 14day quarantine on all new arrivals while some EU countries say they wont let Brits in until the infection rate is reduced. https://metro.co.uk/2020/06/05/france-germany-greece-spain-threaten-uk-travellers-quarantine-sanctions-12809568/ 7th Jun 2020

Lockdown Exit

MoneyControl.com Thailand the first to report a virus case outside of China wants to build on its reputation and remake its popular image as a destination for big tour groups. https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/world/coronavirus-pandemic-bangkok-thailand-to-position-itself-as-trusted-destination-after-covid-19-eases-5369021.html 7th Jun 2020

Lockdown Exit

Yahoo! News Bloomberg Opinion Vietnam is pulling ahead in the race to reopen Southeast Asia to cityhoppers and sunseekers. International arrivals were down 98 in May from a year earlier after a record 2019. Yet success in containing the coronavirus epidemic means domestic travel has already restarted. Thailand by comparison is still under a state ... https://news.yahoo.com/vietnam-breaks-covid-tourist-trap-000024971.html 7th Jun 2020

Lockdown Exit

The Straits Times A wearable device for contact tracing may be issued to everyone in Singapore to help curb the spread of Covid19. This was announced in Parliament by Ministerincharge of the Smart Nation Initiative Vivian Balakrishnan on Friday June 5 when he explained that technical difficulties have prevented Singapores contact tracing app TraceTogether from working well on iPhones. The app does not appear to work as well on iOS or Apple devices he said. https://www.straitstimes.com/politics/parliament-wearable-device-for-contact-tracing-set-to-be-issued-tracetogether-does-not-work 7th Jun 2020

Lockdown Exit

The Straits Times The World Health Organisation WHO updated its guidance on Friday June 5 to recommend that governments ask everyone to wear fabric face masks in public areas where there is a risk of transmission of Covid19 to help reduce the spread of the pandemic disease. In its new guidance prompted by evidence from studies conducted in recent weeks the WHO stressed that face masks were only one of a range of tools that can reduce the risk of viral transmission and should not give a false sense of protection. Masks on their own will not protect you from Covid19 the WHOs directorgeneral Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters at a briefing. https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/wear-masks-in-public-says-who-in-update-of-covid-19-advice 7th Jun 2020

Lockdown Exit

BBC The coronavirus pandemic is a devastating blow for the world economy according to World Bank President David Malpass. Mr Malpass warned that billions of people would have their livelihoods affected by the pandemic. He said that the economic fallout could last for a decade. In May Mr Malpass warned that 60 million people could be pushed into extreme poverty by the effects of coronavirus. The World Bank defines extreme poverty as living on less than 1.90 1.55 per person per day. However in an interview on Friday Mr Malpass said that more than 60 million people could find themselves with less than 1 per day to live on. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52939846 7th Jun 2020

Lockdown Exit

Livemint Towards the end of January acclaimed Chinese writer Fang Fang the pen name of Wang Fang began to write a daily online diary as her home town Wuhan became the epicentre of the deadly novel coronavirus outbreak. Within days Michael Perry Fangs American translator began to render her entries into English. Recently these were collected and published as Wuhan Diary. Why should a personal account of lockdown by a 65yearold writer matter to the rest of the world Because she speaks truth to power like few in her country. In spite of stringent media and social media policing Fang continues to ask hard questions of the authorities points out lapses and challenges official claimsactions that most journalists in China cant undertake. Her diary is not just a portrait of a society in lockdown but also that of a people muzzled.Fangs book also feels like a warning as the world enters the sixth month of the outbreak. https://www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/features/diary-of-a-wuhan-lockdown-survivor-11591368167250.html 7th Jun 2020

Lockdown Exit

The Guardian As health officials announce each new day of no new Covid19 cases social media explodes with New Zealanders celebrating the news. That feeling like you got away with something that seemed impossible and you cant quite believe it even though you want to believe it wrote one on Twitter. But for an entire country. Twentytwo New Zealanders have died of Covid19 thousands have lost their jobs and the nations largest export sector tourism lies in tatters. But as New Zealanders look to the hundreds of thousands of deaths recorded in other countries there is a sense that the rest of the world faced a different pandemic the disastrous scale of which never fully arrived here. Now providing there are no new and unexpected cases to marr the countrys 14day streak of zero fresh instances of Covid19 scientists say they expect to be able to declare next week that the virus has been eliminated from New Zealand making it the first country among the OECD group of wealthy nations and the first country that has recorded more than 100 cases to make such a statement analysts said. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/05/cant-quite-believe-it-new-zealand-tiptoes-towards-elimination-of-coronavirus 7th Jun 2020

Lockdown Exit

The Guardian Senior figures from across the NHS have issued an urgent plea for a comprehensive plan to tackle a second wave of coronavirus infections as Boris Johnson continues to lose public confidence in his handling of the pandemic. Amid persistent fears among scientists that the virus remains too prevalent to ease the lockdown further the prime minister has been urged to ditch cheap political rhetoric that risks eroding the publics adherence to lockdown measures in the months ahead. Health chiefs say there should be no further easing before a comprehensive test and trace system has been proved to work as NHS figures accuse the government of lacking a strategy and dodging an honest and open debate about Britains plight. They also warned of a dramatic drop in capacity at NHS hospitals. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/06/prime-minister-told-to-dump-rhetoric-and-plan-for-new-covid-wave 6th Jun 2020

Lockdown Exit

Anadolu Agency As the novel coronavirus continues to ravage Latin America the death toll in Brazil topped 35000 on Saturday and passed 13000 in Mexico. In Brazil 1026 more fatalities over the past 24 hours raised the death toll to 35047 according to the Health Ministry. The total case count in the worlds secondworst hit country reached 646006 as 31065 more people tested positive for COVID19. In Mexico 625 more fatalities pushed the death toll to 13170. A total of 4346 more people tested positive for COVID19 over the past 24 hours raising the overall count to 110026 the Health Ministry said. Earlier this week the World Health Organization said Latin America has become the red zone of coronavirus transmissions in the world and that solidarity and support are needed for these countries to overcome the pandemic. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/coronavirus-deaths-continue-to-rise-in-brazil-mexico-/1867268 6th Jun 2020

Lockdown Exit

The Guardian Indias health ministry reported 9887 new cases on Saturday bringing the official total to 236657. The country has fewer confirmed cases than only the US Brazil Russia Britain and Spain. Indias official death toll of 6642 is relatively low compared with the other countries but experts say the country is still nowhere near its peak and doctors fear what will happen once the imminent monsoon season begins. Despite there being no sign the infection curve flattening the country will begin opening up on Monday after more than two months of the worlds largest lockdown which has involved 1.3 billion people. Shopping malls and places of worship will open their doors but no large gatherings distributions of food offerings sprinkling of holy water or touching of idols and holy books will be allowed. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/06/global-report-indias-covid-19-case-total-surpasses-italy 6th Jun 2020

Lockdown Exit

The Guardian One of the first EU countries to start easing its lockdown Denmarks permillion death toll is slightly lower than Germanys at just over 100. Public satisfaction with Frederiksens government has slipped just three points and remains at 85 while support for her Social Democrats has surged from 27 to 35 its highest share since 2006. In France one of the Europes harderhit countries with a permillion death toll of 433 Macron and his government which has coped on balance reasonably well and better than many comparable countries have been the target of heavy criticism over an early shortage of face masks and a long delay in beginning widespread testing. But since public satisfaction in the governments response slumped to 36 in the second half of March it has climbed steadily back to 42 for a net fall of 14 points while his personal approval rating stands at 44 relatively high by French presidential standards. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/06/no-european-leader-is-safe-as-public-lose-faith-in-coronavirus-responses 6th Jun 2020

Lockdown Exit

The Straits Times As more people yearn for a postlockdown break Iceland is seeking to get ahead of rival destinations while protecting the country from a spike in coronavirus cases. Travellers arriving at the islands international airport will soon be able to avoid a mandatory twoweek quarantine by opting to pay 15000 kronur S150 for an onthespot test as the nation seeks to salvage a tourism industry crippled by the Covid19 pandemic. Testing will be free until the start of July after which passengers landing at the countrys main Keflavik hub will be given the choice of isolation or paying for the test Icelands Ministry of Health said on Friday June 5. https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/want-a-vacation-with-no-coronavirus-quarantine-iceland-is-charging-150 5th Jun 2020

Lockdown Exit

EL PAS in English Spain is clearly siding with the most conservative members of the European Union when it comes to reopening borders. A meeting of interior ministers held on Friday revealed that most member states want to restore free travel by June 15 within the Schengen space which includes 22 members of the EU plus Norway Switzerland Iceland and Liechstenstein. Italy already lifted its restrictions on European travel on June 3. But Madrid is insisting on waiting until July 1. Spain is also very cautious about reopening Europes external borders to visitors from other countries some of which are currently experiencing significant Covid19 outbreaks such as the United States Japan and several Latin American nations. https://english.elpais.com/spanish_news/2020-06-05/spain-adopts-conservative-attitude-to-restarting-european-travel.html 5th Jun 2020

Lockdown Exit

Financial Times One of the worlds greatest galleries will throw open its doors again on Saturday but in circumstances very different from the past. The Prado home to masterpieces by Hieronymus Bosch Diego Velzquez and Francisco Goya will welcome visitors after its longest closure since the Spanish civil war more than 80 years ago. The museum shut on March 11 as Spains coronavirus outbreak gained pace. Reopening has meant rethinking its basic facts of life with only a fifth of its paintings on display vastly reduced ticket sales and strict health guidelines in place. It is obvious we cant open in the same conditions the museum was in March because of the health emergency said Miguel Falomir its director. https://www.ft.com/content/3fdcb77d-8a49-4cb1-aed4-54fbb5bfb82b 5th Jun 2020

Lockdown Exit

Hindustan Times China has the largest number of movie screens in the world but all have been shut since January 23 the day the central Chinese city of Wuhan was locked down to contain the spread of the coronavirus. https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/thousands-of-china-s-nearly-70-000-movie-screens-could-be-shut-forever/story-DTvfpbJuEpCxqcZrv2tTnI.html 4th Jun 2020

Lockdown Exit

Sky News Spain has announced it is considering plans to reopen its land borders with France and Portugal from 22 June. The country shut its borders in midMarch to prevent the spread of COVID19 with only Spaniards crossborder workers and truck drivers able to cross into neighbouring countries. Spanish tourism minister Reyes Maroto said the country would probably lift quarantine measures for travellers coming from Portugal and France at the same time. https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-spain-considers-reopening-land-borders-with-france-and-portugal-this-month-12000494 4th Jun 2020

Exit Strategies

Sky News Fear is growing among ministers that millions of jobs may be lost if pubs and restaurants are not allowed to reopen this summer and Mr Johnson is understood to have tasked his team with developing plans to get business moving as soon as possible to prevent a major economic slowdown. But medical professionals have warned that the prime minister must not take his focus away from coping with the coronavirus as the death rate remains high and the rate of transmission has risen above 1 in some areas. https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-pm-to-set-out-plans-to-rebuild-economy-amid-fears-of-lack-of-strategy-over-second-surge-12002055 7th Jun 2020

Exit Strategies

ANTARA English The tourism industry in Bali is planning to target travelers from nearby countries such as Thailand Myanmar and Vietnam once the province is reopened for international visitors under the new normal protocols. The industry and all stakeholders engaged in tourism and the creative economy in Bali are currently preparing for the new normalization of tourism by implementing hygiene health and safety protocols said secretary of the Association of Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies Bali I Putu Winastra in a statement received here on Saturday. The protocol will be applied to every tourism sector including transportation accommodation restaurants and all tourism objects he informed. https://en.antaranews.com/news/150256/bali-to-target-tourists-from-nearby-countries-in-new-normal 7th Jun 2020

Exit Strategies

Dawn If someone were to draw on everything the world has learned about Covid19 in the past six months and write a playbook about what not to do in the event of a highfatality pandemic our governments strategy could comfortably feature as a case study of what happens when the wrong decisions are made. Where many countries rightly rely on data mass testing and scienceled strategies to enforce lockdowns and limit the spread of Covid19 our government has been defensive slow to act and adopted a handsoff approach in which citizens are left to protect themselves. https://www.dawn.com/news/1561894/no-infection-control 7th Jun 2020

Exit Strategies

The Straits Times The European Union will not fully open internal borders before the end of June meaning restrictions on travel to and from other countries will only start easing in July EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said on Friday June 5. She told a news conference after a video call among EU and Schengen zone interior ministers that most governments would lift internal border controls by June 15 but that some were not ready to do so until the end of the month. So that means that all internal border controls are lifted by the end of June I guess. We should consider the gradual lifting of restrictions on nonessential travel to the EU in early July Johansson said. https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/coronavirus-eu-to-start-allowing-in-outside-travellers-from-july 6th Jun 2020

Exit Strategies

The Guardian What we found at an early stage was that efforts to find cases through testing those who had had contact with patients was not particularly effective. Further investigation revealed that while many patients do not infect anyone some end up infecting many thereby forming clusters of infected people from a single source. Therefore in addition to contact tracing we focused on a retrospective tracking of links between patients and found unrecognised cases surrounding the possible source thereby identifying clusters. In addition monitoring of the number of unlinked cases led to an early detection of exponential growth in the number of patients which enabled the government to provide the public with an effective early warning. https://discussion.theguardian.com/comment-permalink/141369643 6th Jun 2020

Exit Strategies

The New York Times In the United States where masks only recently arrived on the scene they have been a less comfortable fit becoming an emblem in the culture wars. A vocal minority asserts that nobody can force anyone to put a mask on. Protesters have harassed maskwearing reporters. The president himself has tried to avoid being seen in one. As Japan has confounded the world by avoiding the sort of mass death from coronavirus seen in the United States I began to wonder whether the cultural affinity for masks helped explain some of this success. It also got me thinking about the evolution in my own feelings about face coverings. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/06/world/asia/japan-coronavirus-masks.html 6th Jun 2020

Exit Strategies

The Guardian From champion of austerity to Europes biggest spender Germany has travelled a long way in just a few months. The notoriously frugal ministry of finance has agreed to spend 130bn a sum equal to 4 of national income on more than 50 initiatives to promote growth across the country. This breathtaking investment programme comes on top of the almost 30 of GDP the government has so far spent on rescuing businesses and protecting jobs during the coronavirus crisis. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/06/european-covid-rescue-plan-merkel-macron-make-up 6th Jun 2020

Exit Strategies

The Straits Times British scientists halted a major drug trial on Friday June 5 after it found that the antimalarial hydroxychloroquine touted by US President Donald Trump as a potential game changer in the pandemic was useless at treating Covid19 patients. This is not a treatment for Covid19. It doesnt workMartin Landray an Oxford University professor who is coleading the Recovery trial told reporters. This result should change medical practice worldwide. We can now stop using a drug that is useless. https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/uk-halts-trial-of-hydroxychloroquine-in-covid-19-patients-after-no-benefit-found 5th Jun 2020

Exit Strategies

The Guardian This isnt a game. Recent data from both Public Health England and the Office for National Statistics shows that less than 10 of the UK population is now immune to this virus. Reliable antibody tests at scale from multiple sources indicate approximately the same figure. We must discard any foolish optimism about immunological dark matter that will mysteriously prevent infection or any other clutching at straws. The great majority of us are still susceptible to this virus and if we allow it to transmit easily between us we will see a second wave possibly during the winter where it may be even more deadly. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/05/britons-immune-coronavirus-mistakes-covid-19-spread 5th Jun 2020

Exit Strategies

Kyodo News Plus As Japan is considering ways to safely ease travel restrictions over the new coronavirus travelers to and from the country will be required to undergo testing for COVID19 and submit a trip itinerary government sources said Friday. Japan is already in talks with Thailand Vietnam Australia and New Zealand to mutually reopen borders with businesspeople and professionals such as medical staff expected to be fasttracked. Under the plan travelers leaving Japan will first have to get a negative result in a polymerase chain reaction or PCR test which they will then submit to the embassy of the country they plan to visit. https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2020/06/892041b57919-japan-to-require-virus-testing-itinerary-in-travel-restriction-easing.html 5th Jun 2020

Exit Strategies

The New York Times As countries consider reviving tourism the calculus is complicated involving travel bubbles evershifting timelines virus testing and in some cases selfquarantines. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/05/travel/europe-reopening-tourism-covid.html 5th Jun 2020

Exit Strategies

The Guardian Peter Benton the director of population and public policy operations at the ONS said That we think is a real reduction in the number of people being infected. Previously the ONS had said the trend looked flat and stable but as more data has accumulated a downward trend is now evident the analysis said. However Benton said it remained a concern that of those who had tested positive in the study so far only 30 had reported experiencing any symptoms either when the swab was taken or in the weeks before or after suggesting that in the majority of cases people may be unaware they are infected. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/05/covid-19-infections-fell-sharply-in-england-in-late-may-ons-finds 5th Jun 2020

Exit Strategies

Yahoo News UK Thailand is positioning itself as a trusted destination for international tourists after travel restrictions ease capitalising on its relative success in containing the coronavirus outbreak industry officials say. The Southeast Asian country the first to report a virus case outside of China wants to build on its reputation and remake its popular image as a destination for big tour groups. After COVID eases we plan to refresh the countrys image to a trusted destination where tourists will have peace of mind Tanes Petsuwan the Tourism Authority of Thailands TAT deputy governor for marketing and communications told Reuters. The campaign to be launched later in the year will be aimed at young affluent travellers from places that are considered lowrisk such as China South Korea and Taiwan Tanes said. It will highlight scenic beaches and parks part of a tourism bridge that could emerge in Asia including Hong Kong and Japan. https://uk.news.yahoo.com/thailand-tout-trusted-tourism-coronavirus-082042178.html 5th Jun 2020

Exit Strategies

The Yucatan Times The coronavirus outbreak continues to spread globally as the number of confirmed cases rise to more than 6.3 million with the death toll of at least 380000 according to Johns Hopkins University. Moreover the situation in Latin America seems to be alarming as Brazil Peru and Mexico are easing restrictions despite a rapid rise in cases. Meanwhile the situation in the United States is grim as concerns of a fresh wave of coronavirus cases are intensifying due to protests breaking out across the country. Already the United States has more than 1.8 million infected people with over 106000 deaths. https://www.theyucatantimes.com/2020/06/brazil-peru-and-mexico-are-easing-restrictions-despite-a-rapid-rise-in-cases/ 4th Jun 2020

Exit Strategies

Onmanorama Five months have passed since the Wuhan outbreak. Although no cure is in sight we have had the opportunity to learn from the successes of some and the failures of others. While the battle is still raging the following might be the top six factors that made the difference between success and failure so far.... https://english.manoramaonline.com/lifestyle/health/2020/06/03/most-successful-anti-covid-strategies-reasons-why-they-worked.html 3rd Jun 2020

Partisan Exits

Reuters UK China will strengthen international cooperation in future COVID19 clinical vaccine trials building on earlier collaboration in vaccine development the science and technology minister said on Sunday. China is expending great efforts in the global scramble to develop a vaccine for the new coronaries epidemic that began in its central city of Wuhan with Chinese researchers conducting five separate clinical trials on humans or half of all such trials globally according to the data compiled by the World Health Organization. President Xi Jinping vowed last month at the World Heath Assembly the WHOs governing body that vaccines Chinas develops will become a global public good once they are ready for use and it will be Chinas contribution to ensuring vaccine accessibility and affordability in developing countries. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-china/china-would-make-a-coronavirus-vaccine-a-global-public-good-idUKKBN23E031 7th Jun 2020

Partisan Exits

BBC Brazil has removed months of data on Covid19 from a government website amid criticism of President Jair Bolsonaros handling of the outbreak. The health ministry said it would now only be reporting cases and deaths in the past 24 hours no longer giving a total figure as most countries do. Mr Bolsonaro said the cumulative data did not reflect the current picture. Brazil has the worlds secondhighest number of cases and has recently had more new deaths than any other nation. The Latin American country has more than 640000 confirmed infections but the number is believed to be much higher because of insufficient testing. More than 35000 people have died the thirdhighest toll in the world. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-52952686 7th Jun 2020

Partisan Exits

The Guardian Health chiefs say there should be no further easing before a comprehensive test and trace system has been proved to work as NHS figures accuse the government of lacking a strategy and dodging an honest and open debate about Britains plight. They also warned of a dramatic drop in capacity at NHS hospitals. The Observer spoke to organisations including the Royal College of GPs the Royal College of Emergency Medicine the Royal College of Anaesthetists the NHS Confederation and NHS Providers on how ministers should plan for a potential second wave. They called for An aggressive public health campaign to boost flu immunisation to stop the NHS having to deal with flu as well as Covid19 outbreaks this winter. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/06/prime-minister-told-to-dump-rhetoric-and-plan-for-new-covid-wave 7th Jun 2020

Partisan Exits

China Economic Net France contributions to winning the global battle against the COVID19 pandemic. China and France need to continuously support the international community joining hands against the pandemic Xi said in a phone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron. http://en.ce.cn/main/latest/202006/07/t20200607_35062287.shtml 7th Jun 2020

Partisan Exits

Daily Mail Nearly 30 leading experts have demanded Boris Johnson launches a public inquiry to prepare Britain for a second wave of coronavirus in another sign of a growing gulf between ministers and scientists. The group of 27 said a second epidemic was probable this winter and warned it would be more deadly than the first if the Government doesnt address its failures from the previous outbreak. They have laid out a series of glaring shortcomings which they say have contributed to the UK suffering more than 40000 Covid19 deaths the highest in Europe. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8394331/Scientists-war-ministers-Covid-Experts-call-public-inquiry-failures.html 6th Jun 2020

Partisan Exits

Yahoo News UK President Jair Bolsonaro threatened Friday to pull Brazil from the WHO over ideological bias as his counterpart Donald Trump said the US economy was recovering from the coronavirus pandemic and Europe sought to reopen its borders. Adding fuel to the political fire raging around the pandemic its origins and the best way to respond Bolsonaro criticized the World Health Organization for suspending clinical trials of the drug hydroxychloroquine for COVID19 a decision it reversed this week and threatened to follow in Trumps footsteps by quitting. Im telling you right now the United States left the WHO and were studying that in the future. Either the WHO works without ideological bias or we leave too the farright leader told journalists. https://uk.news.yahoo.com/brazil-mexico-see-record-deaths-virus-rages-across-094851132.html 6th Jun 2020

Partisan Exits

The Guardian Serco one of the companies that has secured a lucrative government contract for the Covid contacttracing programme was fined more than 1m for failures on another government contract just months ago the Observer has learned. The revelation has led to campaigners against the privatisation of public services to call for the 45.8m testandtrace contract to be cancelled. Serco has a range of government contracts both in the UK and overseas much of it focused on criminal justice and immigration. It has already had to apologise after breaching data protection rules on its testandtrace contract by inadvertently revealing the email addresses of new recruits. The junior health minister Edward Argar is a former Serco lobbyist. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/06/serco-wins-covid-19-test-and-trace-contract-despite-1m-fine 6th Jun 2020

Partisan Exits

Daily Mail Mexico City prosecutors are looking into a group of private doctors and a government official after at least 500 death certificates were allegedly falsified Prosecutors were alerted by Mexico Citys Health Protection Agency after it found that the doctors never visited the homes or clinics were the deceased died Cause of death were listed as respiratory failure atypical pneumonia or viral pneumonia but it is feared coronavirus could have been to blame. COVID19 has been reported as the cause of death of 3456 people in Mexicos capital. Mexico has registered 12545 coronavirus deaths in Latin America the second highest amount behind Brazil which has reported 34021 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8393249/Ten-private-doctors-government-official-falsified-500-death-certificates.html 5th Jun 2020

Continued Lockdown

The Independent With the second highest death toll from the Covid19 coronavirus in the world reports this week claimed that the UK had more daily deaths than the whole of the EU combined on a recent day despite its population being just one seventh of the size. While the actual figures are close the data used in the graphic has a number of flaws that reveal that to be inaccurate. The governments daily coronavirus press conference no longer includes a slide comparing the UKs coronavirus death toll to other countries. The chart was removed on 10 May after the UK overtook Italy to become the country with the highest number of confirmed Covid19 deaths in Europe. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/coronavirus-uk-death-toll-rate-europe-eu-compared-map-tracked-a9548676.html 7th Jun 2020

Continued Lockdown

Sky News The level of infection and the deaths in all these countries are now coming down but not all are improving at the same pace. In the UK and Sweden the number of daily confirmed cases remains high and the shape of their epidemic is diverging from those of Spain France and Italy. https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-uk-infection-rate-is-second-highest-of-any-major-european-country-12000623 7th Jun 2020

Continued Lockdown

Hindustan Times on MSN.com The Pune Cantonment Board PCB has decided to open area that falls under its jurisdiction on June 8 2020 after nearly twoandahalf months of lockdown. The decision was taken during a specially convened meeting by the board administration where the general body passed a resolution to the effect. The lockdown will be implemented on a staggered basis in the noncontainment zones. Seven containment zones will be under lockdown till June 30. These are Bhimpura Modikhana Bacchu Adda Ghorpadi New Modikhana Gawli adda and Shivaji market. https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/india/pune-cantonment-board-to-open-on-june-8-virus-zones-stay-locked-down-till-month-end/ar-BB157G7R 6th Jun 2020

Continued Lockdown

The Guardian Nirmal Purja the recordbreaking Nepali mountaineer who is currently in lockdown in Winchester is among a number of climbers attempting to raise funds for colleagues. He was concerned for the climbing community based in Nepal. The community there is suffering. Some people dont even have food to put on the table. Its the saddest thing he said. Some of the large international mountaineering companies have continued to pay their staff but others have not and there has been little support for the network of support staff that provide backup services to the international expeditions. The more experienced guides tend to be well paid and have savings that allow them to manage the interruption in their income Purja said but the lowerpaid cooks and porters have found the disappearance of a years salary very difficult. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/06/nepal-climbers-support-staff-destitute-everest-closure-coronavirus 6th Jun 2020

Continued Lockdown

The New Zealand Herald New Zealand was a week away from a Italystyle health system meltdown because of Covid19 just days before the decision was made to lock the country down. The revelation is contained in a startling letter by Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners medical director Dr Bryan Betty where he also warned it would take just several infected people several days to cause a potentially exponential increase in cases again. Betty sent the letter to GPs on Thursday night. In it he praised their work in confronting the virus and helping avoid a crisis. New Zealand has done incredibly well to avoid a Covid19 crisis which I believe is in large part due to general practice he wrote. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&ampobjectid=12337650 6th Jun 2020

Continued Lockdown

CTV News You might consider this as well Wuhan recently tested 10 million people in 19 days worried about a second wave of COVID19. The U.K.s worldbeating trackandtrace system wont even be fully operational until the autumn. Its been a slow start. It appears a number of the 25000 people hired as trackers have been somewhat idle. One of them said hes spent the last two weeks sitting in his garden sunbathing drinking and chilling with my pals. This is the government that has now ordered people to start wearing face coverings on public transitas of June 15. That leaves a lot of people askingwhy wait until June 15 https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/paul-workman-locked-down-in-london-day-75-1.4971333 5th Jun 2020

Continued Lockdown

Anadolu Agency The Manchester Evening News reported that the R disease reproduction number in northwestern England is now above 1 the highest rate across England. An R value over 1 means the disease can spread rapidly throughout the population again. The numbers came from scientists at Public Health England and Cambridge University. The rise will provoke further debate over the speed at which the government is lifting the lockdown. There is evidence the R number has risen in all regions and we believe that this is probably due to increasing mobility and mixing between households and in public and workplace settings the analysis said. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/uk-coronavirus-death-toll-passes-40-000-r-rate-climbing/1866898 5th Jun 2020

Continued Lockdown

Kyodo News Plus Kady who asked for her last name to not be used in this story is one of the roughly 3 million foreign residents of Japan who have been affected by the entry ban. Many are frustrated at how wide a net the measures cast. All foreign nationals including permanent residents and spouses of Japanese nationals that have traveled to any of the listed countries within the last two weeks are being denied entry. It blows my mind that we taxpaying residents are being treated the same as tourists and are unable to return to our homes said a 37yearold Australian who asked to remain anonymous. She has been unable to return since traveling back to Australia with her toddler for Christmas and to undergo medical treatment. https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2020/06/29bd4e7ac3ee-feature-japans-coronavirus-entry-ban-disrupting-lives-of-foreign-residents.html 5th Jun 2020

Continued Lockdown

iPolitics.ca Like statistics sciencebased decisionmaking doesnt seem to be a high priority in Quebec. The premier and his trusty public health director Dr. Horacio Arruda seem more excited about announcing relaxed rules for socializing than wrestling with a highly contagious virus. Soon after Quebec permitted outdoor gatherings of 10 people from three different households last month its public health institute published updated epidemiological models suggesting that even in best case scenarios the odds were 50 per cent that deaths would increase in Montreal by July. The response to the models Crickets. Perhaps its unsurprising that the science behind Quebecs response is shaky when Dr. Arruda is ready to ignore the 80 per cent of Quebecs almost 5000 dead who perished in nursing and retirement homes. Arruda recently told a TV interviewer that if it werent for longterm care we would have a situation in Quebec thats extraordinary. Thats like a surgeon telling you that other than the terrible complications the operation was a huge success. https://ipolitics.ca/2020/06/05/beware-the-dangers-of-covid-19-fatigue/ 5th Jun 2020

Continued Lockdown

The New York Times At first it had no name or true identity. Early in January news reports referred to strange and threatening symptoms that had sickened dozens of people in a large Chinese city with which many people in the world were probably not familiar. After half a year that large metropolis Wuhan is wellknown as is the coronavirus and the illness it causes Covid19. In that time many reporters and editors on the health and science desk at The New York Times have shifted our journalistic focus as we have sought to tell the story of the coronavirus pandemic. While much remains unknown and mysterious after six months there are some things were pretty sure of. These are some of those insights. https://www.nytimes.com/article/coronavirus-facts-history.html 3rd Jun 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The Star A new Covid19 test kit developed by researchers of Hanoi University of Science and Technology has been granted a certification that allows the biological product to be sold in the European market. According to the university the test kit is one of the very first in the world that uses RTLAMP to detect SARSCoV2 that causes Covid19. Led by Dr Le Quang Hoa a lecturer of the universitys School of Biotechnology and Food Technology and Dr Nguyen Le Thu Ha from Innogenex International Science and Technology Ltd Company the research team found the reverse transcription loopmediated isothermal amplification RTLAMP technique could be used to detect the novel coronavirus. https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2020/06/07/vietnamese-covid-19-test-kit-eligible-to-be-sold-in-europe 7th Jun 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The Star On the whole I think Asean led ably by Vietnam has responded quite well to the pandemic. What we need to remember is that Asean is an intergovernmental organisation. It is not a supranational institution. The response of the region to Covid19 depends less on Asean than on the member states themselves. The response of the member states has been uneven given the disparities among them. Some member states like Singapore have worldclass healthcare systems. Others do not. Some member states like Vietnam responded promptly and decisively to Covid19. Others did not. Some member states had the financial means to procure masks test kits PPE and ventilators. Others did not have such means. On future steps I refer to an article written by my good friend Nicholas Robinson and Christian Walzer How do we prevent the next outbreak in the Scientific American on March 25. https://www.thestar.com.my/news/focus/2020/06/07/aseans-response-to-covid-19-a-report-card 7th Jun 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The Straits Times Last month Gilead Sciences an American pharmaceutical firm signed a nonexclusive voluntary licensing agreement with four generic pharmaceutical firms based in India allowing them to manufacture remdesivir for distribution in 127 countries and territories. It also permits them to set the price for their products. The drug has been authorised for emergency use to treat Covid19 patients including in the United States and India. As of January the firm had remdesivir stocks to treat 5000 patients. Backed by manufacturers in India and elsewhere it hopes to increase its availability to more than a million treatment courses by December assuming a 10day treatment course. There is also a good chance that any eventual vaccine against the coronavirus will be massproduced in India if it has to be widely available. Among the front runners is the Punebased Serum Institute the worlds largest vaccinemaker by number of doses which exceed 1.5 billion a year. https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/south-asia/india-pharmacy-of-the-world-in-overdrive 6th Jun 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

BBC The global body said new information showed they could provide a barrier for potentially infectious droplets. Some countries already recommend or mandate face coverings in public. The WHO had previously argued there was not enough evidence to say that healthy people should wear masks. However WHO directorgeneral Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday that in light of evolving evidence the WHO advises that governments should encourage the general public to wear masks where there is widespread transmission and physical distancing is difficult such as on public transport in shops or in other confined or crowded environments. https://www.bbc.com/news/health-52945210 6th Jun 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The Straits Times British scientists halted a major drug trial on Friday June 5 after it found that the antimalarial hydroxychloroquine touted by US President Donald Trump as a potential game changer in the pandemic was useless at treating Covid19 patients. This is not a treatment for Covid19. It doesnt workMartin Landray an Oxford University professor who is coleading the Recovery trial told reporters. This result should change medical practice worldwide. We can now stop using a drug that is useless. https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/uk-halts-trial-of-hydroxychloroquine-in-covid-19-patients-after-no-benefit-found 5th Jun 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Hindustan Times The clinical trial for a vaccine conducted by experts at the University of Oxford will soon recruit 2000 volunteers in Brazil The university said that on Tuesday the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency approved the inclusion of Brazil in the clinical trials. https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/oxford-vaccine-clinical-trials-to-take-volunteers-from-brazil/story-B2p1K3ClF0q75fa0245QMJ.html 5th Jun 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The Washington Post The full picture of the coronaviruss toll on U.S. nursing homes is finally becoming clear. It is enormous. Data updated yesterday by the federal government now show that nearly 32000 American nursing home residents have died of the virus a figure certain to grow with 12 percent of all facilities yet to report their totals. Nearly 700 nursing home employees have also died. As of Thursday more than 106000 Americans overall had died of the disease. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-health-202/2020/06/05/the-health-202-protecting-u-s-nursing-homes-would-have-significantly-slashed-coronavirus-deaths/5ed8f831602ff12947e843f9/ 5th Jun 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The Local Europe The Local sat down with the man at the forefront of the World Health Organisations quest for a coronavirus treatment to ask whether reopening our societies will create a second wave and what happens when populism meets science. In the world of science JohnArne Rttingen is somewhat of an international superstar. In 2015 the Norwegian epidemiologist led the steering group of the groundbreaking study that helped produce a vaccine for Ebola at record speed. If the stakes were high back then they are even higher now. Rttingen who heads the Norwegian Research Council is directing the WHOs international study into Covid19 treatments and an eventual vaccine. https://www.thelocal.com/20200605/interview-were-very-vulnerable-to-new-rounds-of-coronavirus-contagion 5th Jun 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The New York Times Why do some people infected with the coronavirus suffer only mild symptoms while others become deathly ill Geneticists have been scouring our DNA for clues. Now a study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid19 the illness caused by the coronavirus. Variations at two spots in the human genome are associated with an increased risk of respiratory failure in patients with Covid19 the researchers found. One of these spots includes the gene that determines blood types. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator according to the new study. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/03/world/coronavirus-live.html 4th Jun 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The New York Times Levels of planetwarming carbon dioxide reached another record in May the month when they normally peak. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/04/climate/carbon-dioxide-record-climate-change.html 4th Jun 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The New York Times Australia After months of lockeddown borders countries that have stifled the coronavirus are trying to choreograph a risky dance how to bring back visitors without importing another burst of uncontrolled contagion. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/03/world/australia/coronavirus-travel-bubble.html 3rd Jun 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The Guardian The World Health Organization struggled to get needed information from China during critical early days of the coronavirus pandemic according to recordings of internal meetings that contradict the organisations public praise of Beijings response to the outbreak. The recordings obtained by the Associated Press AP show officials complaining in meetings during the week of 6 January that Beijing was not sharing data needed to evaluate the risk of the virus to the rest of the world. It was not until 20 January that China confirmed coronavirus was contagious and 30 January that the WHO declared a global emergency. Were going on very minimal information said Maria Van Kerkhove an epidemiologist and the WHO technical lead for Covid19 according to the AP. Its clearly not enough for you to do proper planning. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/02/china-withheld-data-coronavirus-world-health-organization-recordings-reveal 2nd Jun 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

YAHOO! A researcher leading Thailands push to manufacture a coronavirus vaccine says its aim is to make it costeffective and accessible to Southeast Asia and play a part in preventing a supply shortage globally. https://uk.news.yahoo.com/thai-researcher-eyes-affordable-accessible-132110906.html 25th May 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

WFMJ China has reported its first nonimported case of the new coronavirus in two weeks an infected person on the island of Hainan off the southern coast. The National Health Commission said Sunday that there were also five imported cases in the previous 24hour period bringing the nations total case count to 83036. China says it has largely stopped the spread of the virus at home though it continues to have occasional localized outbreaks. It is on guard against imported cases as it begins to ease restrictions on flights and people arriving from abroad. https://www.wfmj.com/story/42217897/the-latest-2nd-day-of-50-plus-cases-in-s-korea-virus-spike 7th Jun 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

ABC News China has reported its first nonimported case of the new coronavirus in two weeks an infected person on the island of Hainan off the southern coast. The National Health Commission said Sunday that there were also five imported cases in the previous 24hour period bringing the nations total case count to 83036. China says it has largely stopped the spread of the virus at home though it continues to have occasional localized outbreaks. It is on guard against imported cases as it begins to ease restrictions on flights and people arriving from abroad. https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/latest-india-reports-biggest-single-day-spike-cases-71103987 7th Jun 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Guardian Restaurants are opening parks are full and people are getting back to work parts of Europe Asia and much of the Middle East are enjoying the benefits of flattened coronavirus curves. Meanwhile parts of the US India and Latin America are still recording thousands of new cases every day. The first wave of the coronavirus is not over. The future shape of the pandemic will be decided both by human action in the form of social distancing testing and other traditional methods of disease control but also several unanswered questions about the nature of the virus itself. Experts say there are several possibilities. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/jun/05/the-first-wave-of-covid-19-is-not-over-but-how-may-a-second-look 5th Jun 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

AlJazeera Iran marked its highest daily jump since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak with 3574 coronavirus cases. The figures marked the third consecutive day that the country recorded more than 3000 daily new infections. After two months of restrictions mosques churches ports business activities restaurants and cafes will be allowed to reopen from Sunday. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/06/china-accused-hiding-coronavirus-data-live-updates-200603232724685.html 4th Jun 2020