Archives: Situation Reports

 

Overseas Situation Report Monday 24th 2021

By Mike Evans

“When I hear somebody sigh, “Life is hard”, I am always tempted to ask, “Compared to what?”” – Sydney Harris

Today’s Overseas Report is concentrating on the latest information and news from the World Health Organisation (WHO). They are to host the annual World Health Assembly starting today (24th May 2021). The Health Assembly is WHO’s highest decision-making body and is attended by delegations from all around the world. It will also be open to Associate Members, observers, invited representatives of the UN and other participating inter-governmental organizations, and non-State actors. This year’s session will run from 24 May to 1 June 2021 and be held virtually.

In a year when Covid-19 threatens the health and well-being of everyone on the planet, the seventy-fourth session of the World Health Assembly (WHA) will stress the urgency of ending the current pandemic and preventing the next one by building a healthier, safer and fairer world.

The pandemic has hit all countries hard, but its impact has been harshest on those communities which were already vulnerable, who are more exposed to the disease, less likely to have access to quality health care services and more likely to experience adverse consequences (such as loss of income) as a result of measures implemented to contain the pandemic.

But the pandemic is far from over and the global response is at a critical phase. Stark contrasts still undermine progress, with vaccine inequity being one of the most urgent issues, posing a threat to ending the pandemic and to global recovery – over 75% of all vaccine doses have been administered in only 10 countries; the lowest income countries have administered less than half a percent of global doses.

“This year’s World Health Assembly will play a vital role in shaping the global health architecture of the future, and in strengthening WHO to fulfil its mission and mandate”, said WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The Assembly’s agenda will focus on the health-related Sustainable Development Goals and WHO’s Triple Billion targets of one billion more people benefitting from universal health coverage; one billion more better protected from health emergencies; and one billion more enjoying better health and well-being.

So, what sort of initiatives are the WHO promoting to help get rid of Covid-19? Last Friday, World leaders met at the Global Health Summit, co-hosted by the European Commission and Italy as part of its G20 presidency, to adopt an agenda to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic, and develop and endorse a Rome Declaration of principles, at a time when the virus is surging and spreading uncontrollably in many parts of the world.

With nine people losing their lives to Covid-19 every minute, and as the risk of even more transmissible and dangerous variants increases, the Global Health Summit comes at a critical juncture. The future of the pandemic is in the hands of the G20 leaders. The ACT-Accelerator was launched just over a year ago in response to the G20’s call for a global mechanism to accelerate the development of tests, treatments and vaccines and to ensure their equitable distribution. Hosted by the World Health Organization, the ACT-Accelerator offers the only end-to-end multilateral solution to speeding up an end to the acute phase of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The ACT-Accelerator welcomes the commitments made at the Global Health Summit and will work with countries to rapidly operationalize these pledges, both financially and – crucially – for over 100 million doses of scarce vaccines. Current financial commitments are reflected in the ACT-Accelerator interactive funding tracker. However, a significant funding gap remains.

Speeding up an end to the pandemic through the ACT-Accelerator would cost less than 1% of what governments are spending on stimulus packages to treat the consequences of the pandemic. As the economic and social costs of the pandemic continue to escalate, the case for global solidarity grows even stronger. The world now needs the G20 to ACT.

So, what is the ACT-Accelerator? –  the proven, up-and-running global collaboration to accelerate the development, production, and equitable access to Covid-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines. It was set up in response to a call from G20 leaders in March and launched by the WHO, European Commission, France and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in April 2020.

The ACT-Accelerator is not a decision-making body or a new organization but works to speed up collaborative efforts among existing organizations to end the pandemic. It is a framework for collaboration that has been designed to bring key players around the table with the goal of ending the pandemic as quickly as possible through the accelerated development, equitable allocation, and scaled up delivery of tests, treatments and vaccines, thereby protecting health systems and restoring societies and economies in the near term. It draws on the experience of leading global health organizations which are tackling the world’s toughest health challenges, and who, by working together, are able to unlock new and more ambitious results against Covid-19. Its members share a commitment to ensure all people have access to all the tools needed to defeat Covid-19 and to work with unprecedented levels of partnership to achieve it.

The eventual aim is for the four areas of work (which include Therapeutics) to develop better drugs to treat the sufferers, vaccines to combat the spread of Covid-19 in the world, and to streamline the collaboration between countries to speed up delivery and access of these drugs.

So Worldwide let’s see what is happening statistically regarding the Virus and Vaccinations.

Globally, in the past week, the number of new cases and deaths continued to decrease with just over 4.8 million new cases and just under 86,000 new deaths reported; a 12% and 5% decrease respectively compared to the previous week. Despite a declining trend over the past three weeks, the incidence of cases remains at some of the highest levels since the start of the pandemic. All regions reported a decline in new cases this week, apart from the Western Pacific Region, where the incidence of new cases was similar to the previous week.

The European Region reported the largest decline in new cases this week, followed by the Eastern Mediterranean. These regions also reported the largest decline in new deaths over the past week. South-East Asia and Western Pacific regions reported a similar number of new deaths as the previous week.

The highest numbers of new cases were reported from India (2,387,663 new cases; 13% decrease), Brazil (437,076 new cases; 3% increase), the United States of America (235,638 new cases; 21% decrease), Argentina (151,332 new cases; 8% increase), and Colombia (115,834 new cases; 6% increase)

Looking at the various regions, first The Africa Region, The African Region reported over 40,000 new cases and over 900 new deaths, a 4% and a 9% decrease respectively compared to the previous week. Case incidence continued to decrease for a fourth consecutive week while the number of deaths has reflected similar trends during this period. The highest numbers of new cases were reported from South Africa (16,326 new cases; 27.5 new cases per 100,000 population; a 36% increase), Botswana (3,745 new cases; 159.3 new cases per 100,000; a 153% increase), and Ethiopia (3,615 new cases; 3.1 new cases per 100,000; a 13% decrease). Cases in South Africa comprised 41% of cases reported in the Region.

The Region of the Americas reported over 1.2 million new cases and over 31,000 new deaths, a 3% and a 7% decrease respectively compared to the previous week. The number of cases decreased for a fourth consecutive week, and the number of deaths decreased for a second consecutive week. The highest numbers of new cases were reported from Brazil (437,076 new cases; 205.6 new cases per 100,000; a 3% increase), the United States of America (235,638 new cases; 71.2 new cases per 100,000; a 21% decrease), and Argentina (151,332 new cases; 334.8 new cases per 100,000; an 8% increase).

The Eastern Mediterranean Region reported over 220,000 new cases and over 4,700 new deaths, a 22% and a 16% decrease respectively compared to the previous week. Case and death incidences have decreased steeply for the past four and two weeks respectively. The highest numbers of new cases were reported from the Islamic Republic of Iran (99,205 new cases; 118.1 new cases per 100,000; a 20% decrease), Iraq (28,359 new cases; 70.5 new cases per 100,000; a 26% decrease), and Pakistan (20,511 new cases; 9.3 new cases per 100,000; a 29% decrease).

The European Region reported just under 685,000 new cases and over 16,000 new deaths, a 26% and a 16% decrease respectively compared to the previous week. The number of cases and deaths continued their downward trend for a sixth and fifth consecutive week respectively. The highest numbers of new cases were reported from France (93,546 new cases; 143.8 new cases per 100,000; a 24% decrease), Turkey (90,721 new cases; 107.6 new cases per 100,000; a 46% decrease), and Germany (73,105 new cases; 87.9 new cases per 100,000; a 29% decrease).

The South-East Asia Region reported over 2.5 million new cases and over 30,000 new deaths, a 12% decrease and a 7% increase respectively compared to the previous week. Case incidence decreased after nine consecutive weeks of increases, although the absolute number remains at its highest level since the beginning of the pandemic. Death incidence continued to increase for a ninth consecutive week. The highest numbers of new cases were reported from India (2,387,663 new cases; 173.0 new cases per 100,000; a 13% decrease), Nepal (61,814 new cases; 212.2 new cases per 100,000; an 8% increase), and Indonesia (26,908 new cases; 9.8 new cases per 100,000; a 27% decrease).

The Western Pacific Region reported over 132,000 new cases and over 1,700 new deaths, both increasing by 4% compared to the previous week. Both weekly case and death incidences were the highest reported in the Region since the beginning of the pandemic. The highest numbers of new cases were reported from Japan (44,961 new cases; 35.5 new cases per 100,000; a 26% increase), the Philippines (43,339 new cases; 39.5 new cases per 100,000; a 10% decrease), and Malaysia (29,386 new cases; 90.8 new cases per 100,000; a 16% increase). These three countries comprised 89% of all cases reported in the Region in the past week.

Whilst numbers are showing a decline on a regular weekly basis it is also important to see that for many countries there is a fear that the virus may be making a comeback, something we must all be aware of and we must do all we can to combat it.

So, until the next time Stay Safe.

Total Cases Worldwide – 167,534,501

Total Deaths Worldwide – 3,478,602

Total Recovered Worldwide – 148,574,424

Total Active Cases Worldwide – 15,481,475 (9.2% of the total cases)

Total Closed Cases Worldwide – 152,053,026

Information and resources:

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus#tab=tab_1

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/weekly-trends/#countries

 

Overseas Situation Report Friday 21st May 2021

 

By Mike Evans

“The elevator to success is out of order. You’ll have to use the stairs, one step at a time.” – Joe Girard

 

Following on from my report on Wednesday, I continue to look at what is happening around

Europe and what countries are now doing to kickstart their tourist economy for the summer.

But first we see that the EU has made some big decisions on opening up the EU to travellers.

The Council of the European Union has announced its decision to update the recommendation on restrictions for travel from third countries, which was first presented by the EU Commission on May 3.

In a press release, the Council explains that the Member States have agreed to allow more travellers from third countries to enter the block, in particular vaccinated travellers, who have been inoculated with a Covid-19 vaccine approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

“This amendment responds to the ongoing vaccination campaigns by introducing certain waivers for vaccinated persons and easing the criteria to lift restrictions for third countries,” the press release notes.

It also explains that the recommendation has been updated to take into account the possible risks that the new Covid-19 mutations pose, thus making available an emergency brake mechanism, through which the block and the Member States will be able to quickly react to the emergence of a variant of concern in a third country.

Through the amended recommendation, the Council advises the Member States to lift restrictions on non-essential travellers from third countries, who have received the full dose of an EMA approved vaccine at least two weeks before they enter the block.

Yesterday, an EU official had confirmed for SchengenVisaInfo.com that the leaders of the EU countries agreed on the reopening of the borders for more travellers from outside the block, as well as to open borders for travellers who have been fully inoculated against Covid-19.

Under the new rules, the Member States are urged to increase the threshold used to determine the list of epidemiologically safe third countries, travellers from which are permitted to enter the EU for non-essential purposes from 25 to 75 new Covid-19 cases per 100 000 inhabitants over the last fortnight.

“Other existing criteria continue to apply, including a stable or decreasing trend of new cases, the number of tests performed, a four per cent positivity rate among all tests carried out, the overall response to Covid-19 in the country and the reliability of the available information,” the Council explains.

It also notes that reciprocity should continue to be taken into account on a case-by-case basis, just as it is now taken into account for China, Hong Kong and Macao. The EU has placed the latter in the list of the epidemiologically safe third countries, however, since they have shut the doors to European citizens, the EU also keeps the entry ban in place, thus applying reciprocity.

And finally, the Council reveals its plans to treat vaccination certificates of third-country citizens as equivalent to its digital green certificate as soon as the same is launched.

So, what is happening around Europe regarding opening up to tourist?. First to Denmark –  the Danish authorities have announced that phase three of the gradual reopening of travel activities to and from Denmark began on May 14.

The second phase of Denmark’s reopening plan started back on May 1, which enabled fully vaccinated travellers and children under the age of 18 who are permanent residents in Denmark to travel to orange-listed countries.

In a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it was revealed that from the 14th May the restrictions for countries and regions placed on the yellow list would be relaxed. Consequently, more travellers will be exempt from quarantine requirements after entering Denmark.

“The incidence limit for opening/closing yellow and orange countries/regions in the EU and Schengen countries was raised from the previous 20/30 to 50/60 (/100,000/7 days). The country and regional colours, as a result of the new incidence limit, will be announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday afternoon and will be valid from Saturday at 16.00,” the Ministry’s statement reads.

Moreover, the Ministry announced that now persons residing in a European Union or Schengen Area country placed on the orange list will be allowed to enter the country without an essential purpose. However, they will still be subject to post-entry self-isolation and testing requirements unless they have been previously infected or fully vaccinated.

The isolation requirement for entries from orange EU and Schengen Area countries expires on June 26, during phase four, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

On the other hand, the requirement for yellow countries’ arrivals to undergo testing before boarding the aircraft is abolished. Nevertheless, the requirement to undergo Covid-19 testing after landing in Denmark continues to remain effective.

In contrast, children under the age of 15 are not required to undergo testing before or after landing in the country. Whilst this is good news for many, last week the Danish authorities decided to allow Israeli travellers to enter the country without an essential purpose after the country was added to the orange list. However, in contrast, Denmark decided to ban entry to all arrivals from India after the latter registered record numbers of Covid-19 infections.

Meanwhile in Ireland, it has been reported that they may start welcoming travellers from the United States by mid-June, at the same time that the European Commission plans to launch the “green certification” system within the bloc. Such hopes have been raised by the country’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney, in its recent declaration, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

Coveney stressed that international movement into Ireland depends on vaccination and the ability of passengers to prove vaccination status. According to him, the country’s government still needs to formalize schemes on reopening restriction-free travel between the United States and Ireland.

In this regard, the Minister for Foreign Affairs emphasized that “there was to be a memo actually today in government on international travel, but there is a bit more work required so it will be coming next week rather than this week.”

Up to this point, more than 256,390 persons have tested positive for the Coronavirus in Ireland, and 4,941 persons have died. Worldometers’ figures reveal that 238,567 persons have fully recovered from the virus, while there are 12,882 active cases.

Considering these figures and the Covid-19 situation in other countries, the Irish government is currently trying to find safe ways to restore the travel and tourism industry that has suffered huge financial loss due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Coveney stressed that the launching of vaccination documents would facilitate the travel process and help restore travel within the bloc. “This will mean that everybody in the EU will have on their mobile phone a scan code which, when they go through the airport, will be scanned and it will give the authorities in that airport the Covid status of the person – whether they’ve been vaccinated, whether they’ve been PCR tested negative, whether they’ve had Covid in the last six months and have recovered,” he stressed.

Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs stressed that the country would make decisions to open its doors for all vaccinated travellers, adding that testing results probably will be needed for persons who have recovered from the virus.

He said that then the country would consider making a similar approach for travel to and from the United States, where vaccinated citizens would be permitted to travel to Ireland without being subject to any restrictions imposed to halt the spread of the virus. Earlier this month, Ireland’s government allowed entry for citizens of Austria and Italy without obliging them to stay in hotel quarantine upon their arrival.

And finally for this report we go across the North Sea to Norway – the Norwegian Government has decided to introduce changes on the required documentation needed by foreigners to prove their legal residency in Norway and ease the entry restrictions.

The new change will enter into force on May 21, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

“We have decided to adjust the regulations for entry for foreigners residing in Norway. The Ministry is now working on new criteria and will issue more detailed guidelines before the entry into force on May 21,” Minister of Justice and Emergency Management Monica Mæland said.

In a press release issued by the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, it was revealed that the change includes relief in the documentation requirements for foreigners who have the right to enter the country. Thus, it will no longer be needed for them to be part of the population registration programme to be considered as legal residents of Norway in line with the entry restriction regulations.

The same Ministry pointed out that foreigners who are not registered as residents in Norway are required to provide additional information that supports the fact that they legally reside in the country.

Currently, Norway has stringent entry restrictions in place. Only Norwegian citizens and legal residents are allowed to enter the country and furthermore since May 9, everyone who stayed in a country outside the EEA or Schengen Area must stay self-isolated at a quarantine hotel.

Up until now only residents were allowed into the country with strict rules. Now some additional entries will be allowed. They include close family members of persons registered as legal residents in Norway, journalists and other media personnel, foreigners who need to stopover at an airport in Norway, seafarers and aircraft personnel, foreigners transporting passengers and goods, foreigners who carry essential social functions, healthcare personnel from Sweden and Finland who work in Norway, pupils and children who commute from Sweden and Finland to school institutions in Norway, business travellers, Swedish and Finish citizens who commute daily for work purposes.

With more and more countries opening up their borders to tourists there is a sort of inevitable consequence that the number of Covid-19 cases will rise but with so many having been vaccinated the hope is that the rise will be small. Time will tell.

Until the next time, Stay Safe.

Total Cases Worldwide – 165,954,760

Total Deaths Worldwide – 3,438,690

Total Recovered Worldwide – 145,124,456

Total Active Cases Worldwide – 17,391,614 (17.5% of the total cases)

Total Closed Cases Worldwide – 148,563,146

Information and resources:

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

Overseas Situation Report Wednesday 19th May 2021

 

by Mike Evans

“You can’t have everything. Where would you put it?” – Steven Wright

With all the publicity surrounding the opening of the country for tourists to come here, there are a lot of people looking to travel away from Portugal this summer to visit friends or relatives who, for some, they haven’t seen for more than a year.

This report is detailing the latest update of what is possible with regards to travelling around Europe and beyond, and what precautions or tests are required to do so.

Portugal is part of the EU Schengen Visa scheme. Schengen refers to the EU passport-free zone that covers most of the European countries. It’s the largest free travel area in the world. However, since the pandemic the free rein that citizens had was removed in order to keep the spread of Covid-19 down throughout Europe.

So let’s start with the Schengen countries (and add the UK as we are dealing with a lot of UK immigrants now in Portugal).

First to Italy, Italy’s authorities have announced that travellers from the UK, the EU/Schengen countries, and Israel will be allowed to enter the country with only a negative Covid-19 test result. Consequently, travellers from these countries will no longer be required to quarantine when entering Italy. The new measures that include more relaxed border restrictions became effective on May 16, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

The decision was taken after considering the fast distribution of the vaccines throughout Europe as well as the UK’s plan to resume travel activities from May 17. However, travellers from the UK should keep in mind that Italy is currently on the UK’s orange list, which means that they are required to stay self-isolated for ten days when they return home. “We have been waiting for this move for a long time, and it anticipates a Europe-wide travel pass,” Italy’s Minister of Tourism, Massimo Garavaglia said.

Furthermore, the Italian Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, said that the country is prepared more than ever to welcome tourists. Italy also plans to allow travellers from the United States, Canada, and Japan to enter the country without being subject to any entry restrictions provided that they are fully vaccinated against the Covid-19, as the country aims to attract more tourists during this summer to help the travel and tourism sector find a way out of the current financial crisis. In relation to this, Draghi said that it is possible for the country to ease some of its restrictions and allow more persons from overseas to visit Italy.

Next stop, France – French Presiden,t Emanuel Macron, has revealed that the country is in its last stage of finalising the progressive lifting of travel restriction plan for vaccinated travellers and those who have tested negative against the Covid-19. The measures will be lifted for European Union and third-country citizens, in particular for United States travellers, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

The President informed that French ministers are finalising the technical discussions on safe restriction-free travel and developing a testing and vaccination certificate to facilitate travel amongst EU countries. “We will progressively lift the restrictions of the beginning of May, which means that we will organise in the summertime with our professionals in France for French European citizens, but as well for American citizens. So we are working hard to propose a very concrete solution, especially for U.S. citizens who are vaccinated, so with a special pass, I would say,” Macron said.

With the establishment of a so-called “vaccine passport”, Macron pointed out that the country would be able to control the virus and maximise the vaccination rates, which would allow lifting the measures progressively. On the other hand, Macron explained that the country would impose more stringent restrictions against travellers from any country where the Coronavirus variants have spread widely.

The country is planning to impose stricter rules on Brazil, South Africa, Chile, and Argentina. However, the Foreign Minister of France, Jean-Yves Le Drian, said that the number of countries placed on the list could grow at any time. Under the new restrictions, all persons entering France from any country mentioned above are obliged to self-isolate for ten days and provide an address revealing where they plan to stay during this period. Along with the mandatory self-isolation period, travellers must provide a negative PCR test taken less than 36 hours, instead of 72 hours, prior to boarding, or a negative antigen test results not older than 24 hours.

Over the border into The Netherlands –  The Dutch government has decided to permit entry to the Netherlands for the nationals of several countries that are currently considered as “safe countries” due to the low number of Covid-19 cases registered in their territory in the recent week. From May 15 and on, nationals of five European countries – Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Malta and Portugal – will be eligible to enter the Netherlands for tourism purposes, alongside residents of the North Aegean region of Greece and the Spanish Balearic Islands.

At the same time, travel for non-essential purposes has been permitted for arrivals from the following seven ‘third’ countries: Australia, Israel, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand. Arrivals from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau will also be permitted to enter the country as soon as China lifts entry restrictions on European travellers.

For travellers reaching the Netherlands from any of the countries listed above, as well as from the Caribbean Islands under the authority of the Kingdom of the Netherlands – Aruba, Curaçao, St Maarten, Saba, and St Eustatius, no negative test result or self-quarantine is required. “If you are coming from a country where the risk of contracting Covid-19 is low (a safe country), you do not need to show a negative test result when you travel to the Netherlands. You are also not required to self-quarantine when you arrive in the Netherlands,” the Dutch authorities note in a notice published by The Netherlands and You, an official website of the government.

At the same time, the government has decided to exempt arrivals from countries outside the safe list who travel to the Netherlands to visit family for critical reasons, such as illness, death or childbirth.

Inland, the next stop is Switzerland – As Switzerland prepares to enter the third phase-out of lockdown, travellers who have recovered from Covid-19 and those who have already received their anti-virus jabs will no longer be required to enter quarantine.

The strategy proposed by the Federal Council is to be implemented if the vaccination campaign continues at the same pace as now and if people can protect themselves until they receive their vaccines, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports. In a press release issued by the Federal Council, travellers are advised to carefully check information and recommendations for travel guidelines, especially the current list of countries and regions known with an increased risk of infection, as everyone coming from these countries is required to go into quarantine.

Meanwhile across the border in Germany – The German Government has decided to allow vaccinated travellers, as well as those who have fully recovered from the Covid-19, to skip testing and quarantine requirements when entering the country.

“Let us be courageous and vigilant — let us reopen public and economic life and always keep in sight the development of the pandemic,” Chancellor Angela Merkel said.

However, the rules will not apply to travellers arriving in Germany from a country with a high risk of Covid-19 or from areas where the virus mutations are highly prevalent, such as India.

In addition, the Cabinet of Chancellor Angela Merkel approved a proposal to change the existing rules that apply to non-vaccinated persons and allow them to end their self-isolation period earlier, provided that they submit a negative test result. The new measures were established to facilitate the travelling process during the summer, particularly for families with vaccinated parents who have unvaccinated children, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

The country’s healthcare personnel currently have tremendous pressure from those wishing to go on summer holidays to be given the vaccine even though they are not entitled yet. Thus, Health Minister Jens Spahn said that the country aims to distribute the digital immunity certificate by the end of June in order to make it more convenient for travellers to prove their vaccination status.

Furthermore, the authorities aim to have a certificate that is compatible with the system of vaccine certification being developed by the European Union. Similar to other European countries, Germany has also accelerated the rate of vaccination. Only during the past week, five million doses were administered throughout the country, and the authorities aim to double the vaccination rate as the supply grows. According to the official figures, a third of the country’s inhabitants have received at least one dose of the vaccine until now, whereas nearly ten per cent have received both doses.

So for all of those people looking to visit Italy, France, Germany, The Netherlands and Switzerland this summer it is looking like these countries will be welcoming tourists with open arms, as long as they have been vaccinated or have a negative PCR test.

Until the next time Stay Safe.

Total number of cases worldwide – 164,619,538

Total number of deaths worldwide – 3,411,014

Total number of recovered cases worldwide – 143,522,729

Active cases – 17,685,795  (10.7% of Total Cases)

Closed cases – 146,983,743

Information and statistics from:

https://www.worldometers.info/

Schengen Visa Information

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Overseas Situation Report, Monday 17th May 2021

“The difference between genius and stupidity is; genius has its limits.” – Albert Einstein

With the news that Portugal has started to allow the large majority of EU countries citizens to visit the country for touristic reasons, along with the UK today’s report, today we are looking at where in the world the holiday “hot spots” are and what the current situation is like regarding the pandemic. In this report we look at how Greece and The Maldives are faring in their fight to get the tourist Euro/ Dollar.

Let’s start with Europe and the first country which is soon to open up to Tourists is Greece. The country formally opened to visitors on Saturday, kicking off a summer season it hopes will resurrect its vital tourism industry battered by the coronavirus pandemic.

After months of lockdown restrictions, Greece also opened its museums this week, including the Acropolis museum, home to renowned sculptures from Greek antiquity. As of Saturday, foreign tourists will be allowed into Greece if they have been vaccinated or can show negative Covid-19 test results. Travel between regions, including to the islands, will also be allowed for those with negative tests or vaccinations. “Greece is offering what people need,” Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis tweeted. “Calm and care-free moments on the road towards normality.” Tourists in Athens were elated – “I’m finally here,” said Rebecca, a tourist in Athens from Florida, who declined to give her last name. “I’ve been waiting two years – two years with the Covid-19.”

Greece has been rolling out vaccines to its islands and hopes to vaccinate most of them by the end of June. The government says vaccines and rapid testing, as well as warmer weather allowing outdoor activities, mean visitors can travel safely.

As the pandemic brought international travel to a halt in 2020, Greece suffered its worst year for tourism on record, with only 7 million visitors, compared with a record 33 million in 2019. Tourist revenues tumbled to 4 billion euros ($4.9 billion) from 18 billion euros. Greece’s tourism sector accounts for about one-fifth of its economy directly– and undoubtedly much more indirectly. This year, it is aiming for 40 percent of 2019 levels.

On the island of Mykonos, one flight was given a water salute upon landing. Four islands in the south Aegean, including Mykonos, received 32 international flights on Saturday from countries including Sweden, Germany and Qatar. All the foreign tourists were either completely vaccinated, tested negative for the virus, or could show that they had antibodies against it. Corfu, in the Ionian sea, also welcomed visitors from Germany and France.

But a word of warning to anyone thinking of taking a quick break to Greece. In the last week the number of new cases of Covid-19 has risen by 8% – from 14,560 in the previous week to 15,254 in the past 7 days. Since the start of May the country has seen over 40,000 new cases which compares with 33,000 during the last 14 days of April. The good news is that the number of deaths has dropped since the start of the month of May. The latest death rate is around 55 a day which is considerably less than the figure at the start of the year when deaths were averaging almost 100 a day.

So far the signs are that the new cases are mainly from within the country rather than from tourists. It remains to be seen if this trend is reversed now that the country is open to tourists from around the world.

One of the most exotic of all holiday spots in the world has to be The Maldives. A chain of 26 atolls (small islands) surrounded by amazing coral reefs and in recent years has become a “go to” place for weddings and anniversaries for people from all over the world.

This country, with a population of just over 540,000 people, is reeling from a rise in Covid-19 infections over the past few weeks. During the latter part of 2020 The Maldives saw an average daily rate of infection of around 20 cases a day. Since the start of 2021 cases have been rising slowly until they saw a huge spike from the middle of April to now where the daily average has risen to 1,235 cases. What has caused this massive increase? According to some reports, The Maldives have been a “bolt hole” for many wealthy Indians to escape the pandemic in their own country. But that all seems to have changed in the past few days with the announcement that Maldives has banned tourists from South Asia, cutting off an escape route for wealthy Indians fleeing their own country’s Covid-19 crisis.

The atoll nation’s Ministry of Tourism and immigration authority announced the temporary ban on Tuesday, which applies to all visa holders from India, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, as well as people who have transited those countries in the past 14 days.

The ban, effective Thursday, will be in place until further notice as Maldives tries to control a surge in coronavirus cases, which jumped from around 100 new cases in mid-April to 1,572 on Wednesday.

That’s the highest number of daily new cases in the country since the start of the pandemic, according to the Health Protection Agency. It comes amid a rise in new cases across the region, particularly in India, where a second wave is killing thousands of people every day.

The Maldives was one of the first countries to fully reopen to tourists last year, and in recent weeks it has become a popular refuge for wealthy Indians, including Bollywood stars, whose luxury vacation snaps provoked anger at home.

The travel ban doesn’t apply to people already in the archipelago, but it will frustrate the plans of those who had hoped for a potential escape to the Maldives. As India sank deeper into a Covid-19 crisis that began in mid-March, a number of Bollywood entertainers reportedly left the country.

Actresses including Alia Bhatt, Shraddha Kapoor, Disha Patani and Janhvi Kapoor were among those who travelled to the Maldives, according to CNN affiliate CNN-News18.

They were not alone. This year, India has become the largest source of tourists to the Maldives. From January to March, almost 70,000 Indians visited the country — double the number of Indian holidaymakers who travelled to the islands in the whole of 2020, according to the Ministry of Tourism.

The cost of flying to the Maldives from India rose sharply in April, as countries began to impose travel bans to and from India. Commercial flight prices rose more than fourfold as international restrictions limited travel options, said Rajan Mehra, CEO of Club One Air, an air charter company based in India.

Some individuals paid more than $65,000 for a one-way ticket for a charter flight to the Maldives in April, Mehra added.

With India reeling under the current wave of the pandemic there has been a backlash in the media about many of these “stars” who have been almost treated like “gods” in their own country. In the early weeks of April, several Bollywood stars posted sunny beach photos and vacation shots on social media – angering the Indian public and film industry figures who accused them of flaunting their wealth at a difficult time for many poorer Indians. Even celebrities who didn’t fly to Maldives faced blowback for not doing more to help curb the spread of Covid-19. Critics argued the stars’ massive social media base could be used to amplify calls for help or to coordinate efforts on the ground.

It appears some may be listening.

Since paparazzi images purported to show Alia Bhatt leaving India for Maldives, Bhatt has shared helpline numbers for non-government organizations and state governments on her social media accounts. In one post in late April she said India was facing “a time of great uncertainty.”

In early May, Bhatt and a number of other celebrities also took part in a virtual fundraiser, “I Breathe For India,” that raised more than $2 million in Covid relief funds.

Maldives’ economy is heavily reliant on tourism — before the pandemic, the islands welcomed 1.7 million visitors in 2019.

Numbers plummeted to just over half a million in 2020, and the nation had been keen to set itself apart as one of the few luxury retreats as the pandemic spread worldwide.

While many other destinations shut their borders, the Maldives chose to fully reopen to travellers from any country in July 2020.

This April, officials announced plans to offer vaccinations to tourists on arrival, once all Maldives residents had received their shots. So far, around 25% of locals have been fully vaccinated. By May, Maldives was introducing new restrictions. All new arrivals were required to show proof of a negative test taken within 96 hours of their departure for the islands. Then, visitors from South Asia were only allowed to stay on inhabited islands. Mehra, the air charter CEO, said that had reduced demand for charter flights to the destination.

Maldives’ restrictions mean many wealthy Indians are now looking elsewhere for a getaway — and Dubai is emerging as a top alternative destination, with bookings increasing by up to 10% in recent weeks, said Mehra. Some customers have paid up to $1,400 for a ticket — five times what it normally costs on a commercial flight, Mehra said.

The Maldives travel ban aside, similar flight restrictions from other countries could also be driving the increase in traffic to Dubai, he added. But that is another story.

Until the next time, Stay Safe.

Total number of cases worldwide – 163,728,898

Total number of deaths worldwide – 3,393,648

Total number of recovered cases worldwide – 142,211,328

Active cases – 18,123,922  (11.1% of Total Cases)

Closed cases – 145,604,976

Information and statistics from:

https://www.worldometers.info/

https://greekreporter.com/2021/05/13/greece-records-2167

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country

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Overseas Situation Report, Friday 14th May 2021

“When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the Fire Department usually uses water.” – Unknown

As we reach the end of another week with the good news that Portugal has the lowest rate of infection in the mainland EU/EEA area, this report is looking in more detail as to how the rest of the area, and some of those countries not included, are faring at this time.

The latest statistics show that 31,545,500 cases have been reported in the EU/EEA: France (5 777 087), Italy (4 111 210), Spain (3 581 392), Germany (3 527 251), Poland (2 835 083), Czechia (1 645 448), Netherlands (1 563 850), Romania (1 066 731), Belgium (1 017 782), Sweden (1 007 792), Portugal (839 740), Hungary (792 386), Austria (627 076), Bulgaria (410 202), Slovakia (385 786), Greece (362 004), Croatia (344 747), Denmark (259 988), Lithuania (258 623), Ireland (252 809), Slovenia (246 231), Estonia (125 337), Latvia (123 963), Norway (116 441), Finland (88 866), Cyprus (69 432), Luxembourg (68 291), Malta (30 458), Iceland (6 519) and Liechtenstein (2 975).

For many countries deciding on who can and cannot enter a specific country, they use the 14 day average rate per 100,000 of population. As you may have already seen, Portugal’s current rate is at 49.55 cases per 100,000 of population.

Across Europe the rates vary considerably. At the top end, or the worst case rate, is Cyprus with a rate of 797.63. However, one should take into account the population and the number of infections over the period, so it may not be too high a number of infections but with a small population the number will be high. The next highest is Lithuania at 599.52 and then Croatia at 535.00.

In Lithuania, since the pandemic started, they have seen 262,355 cases of Covid-19 and 4,071 deaths. In a population of just under 2.7 million, the number of deaths is slightly lower per 1 million than Portugal. Since November 2020 the country has been in a state of lockdown and this is due to continue until the end of May 2021.

Since 10th May, tighter self-isolation requirements for  arrivals from Costa Rica, Maldives and Mongolia, and the regular self-isolation requirements are in force and will apply to arrivals from Serbia and Bermuda. For many this means a 10 day quarantine period as well as a negative PCR test on arrival. These rules are also in place for arrivals from many other  countries as well as from  the EU.

Whilst shops are now open there is a restriction on how many are allowed in at any one time and public transport is restricted to social distancing.

In Croatia, whilst their 14 day average rate is second highest in Europe, the country which depends so much on tourism is looking to open up to tourists as soon as possible, irrespective of the high rate of infections in the country at present.

According to the Minister of Tourism and Sports, Nikolina Brnjac, at the online seminar “Croatia-safe and attractive” of the European Association of Travel Agencies and Tour Operators-ECTAA on Tuesday, Croatia is ready for the tourist season.

Addressing a webinar which was organized on the initiative of Boris Žgomba, the President of the Association of Travel Agencies at the Croatian Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Executive Board of ECTAA, and was attended by representatives of Croatian hoteliers and agencies, foreign tour operators and research companies, “This is our common and urgent goal at the European and even global level, because people want to travel again, and it is our duty to provide all the prerequisites for a safe and comfortable trip, as well as predictable vacation planning. In that sense, Croatia is among the first, if not the first, European destination that already applies broader criteria for tourist visits, the same ones that should soon be applied at the EU level as well,” said the Minister.

She also pointed out that Croatia is participating in a pilot program for European digital green certificates and will be ready to implement this system even before the conclusion of the procedure at the EU level, in early June.

She also mentioned many airlines (180) that should connect Croatia with many destinations in Europe and the world this summer, including directly with the USA (New York), which means that airlines are counting on Croatia this year.

“Croatia also started with the organized vaccination of tourism workers three weeks ago, there is great interest in tourism, but also among other citizens, and we expect that more than 55 percent of Croatian citizens will be vaccinated by the end of June,” she said. There are already more than 300 tourist testing points in tourist destinations in Croatia, and the Government will subsidize antigen tests for tourists.

“We remain very serious in terms of compliance with epidemiological measures and the implementation of our key project ‘Safe Stay in Croatia’, and this label has already marked about 14 thousand different facilities in the country, which we are proud of,” said Brnjac.

She also pointed out that the incidence of Covid-19 in Croatia has significantly decreased in the last week. “I believe that, after the measures taken, this good trend will continue. In fact, we had zero infections in Istria yesterday, and we also have positive experiences with our regional approach to epidemiological measures,” concluded Brnjac. With such a high 14 day rate one does wonder if they are being somewhat optimistic that it will fall quickly enough for June.

Away from the Southern Countries of the EU/EEA the next highest rate of infection is The Netherlands with a 14 day rate of 565.33. Currently anyone arriving form the Netherlands into Portugal is required to quarantine for 14 days on arrival as well as have a negative PCR test. With this high rate of infection we do wonder if this will remain when the new decree is announced this weekend.

Meanwhile in the Netherlands, despite the high 14 day rate, The Netherlands is ready to take new steps to wind down its coronavirus measures, if the decline in hospital admissions continues, and that includes longer opening hours for cafes and fewer regulations for sports and keep fit clubs. ‘It remains a balancing act,’ Prime Minister Mark Rutte told reporters on Tuesday evening, after the national health institute RIVM reported the number of new infections had fallen below 6,000.

In particular, the cabinet plans to allow cafes to open their outdoor seating areas from 6am to 8pm from May 19, so that guests can have both breakfast and dinner outside, Rutte said. Sex workers too will be able to start working again ‘as the last of the contact professions,’ the Prime Minister said. Amusement parks and zoos will also be able to open their doors from May 19, as well as gyms and swimming pools, if they follow strict protocols and limit numbers, the Prime Minister said.

However, because the legislation to introduce compulsory testing for admittance to museums and sports events has not yet been passed by the upper house of parliament, they will remain closed a while longer. Open air museums will be able to open, with limits on numbers. Ministers will take a final decision about a further relaxation of the rules on Monday, May 17 and much still depends on what happens to the infection rate and hospital figures in the intervening period. In particular, the impact of the King’s Day festivities still needs to be fully felt, Rutte said. In Amsterdam, for example, 17 new big clusters have been identified involving dozens of cases at the same time, he said.

The government’s Outbreak Management Team has said that hospital admissions, including intensive care, must be down 20% this week in order for the changes to go ahead.  They currently range between 10% and 20% and are not yet robust enough to allow a further relaxation, according to public health institute, RIVM.

The recommendation not to travel abroad is also being lifted from May 15, Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said. From then, travel to countries with a green or yellow risk level will be allowed, as long as people follow the coronavirus regulations in those countries. ‘But bear in mind that other countries may also refuse entry to people from the Netherlands because they regard us as a high risk country,’ De Jonge said.

We will wait to see if this becomes a reality in Portugal after this weekend.

In the meantime, Stay Safe.

Total number of cases worldwide – 161,518,210

Total number of deaths worldwide – 3,351,757

Total number of recovered cases worldwide – 139,374,136

Active cases – 18,792,317  (11.6% of Total Cases)

Closed cases – 142,725,893

Information and statistics from:

https://www.worldometers.info/

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#main_table

https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/cases-2019-ncov-eueea

https://www.thedubrovniktimes.com/news/croatia/

https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2021/05

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Overseas Situation Report, Wednesday 12th May 2021

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

Today, as the number of new cases of Covid-19 throughout the world have seen a small drop of 5% in the past week, this report is going to look at the vaccine programmes in many countries across the world.

Let’s start with some statistics first. In the USA they have now administered over 261 million doses of vaccine. Over 110 million citizens have received two doses of the vaccine, making up over 30% of the population. The country where the vaccine programme first started off, Israel has now vaccinated almost 60% of the country with two doses edging closer to the “magical” 70% number required, according to scientists, for the herd immunity to start kicking in.

In the UK, with over 50% of the population receiving at least one dose, the number of people who have received both is lower at approximately 27%. This follows the advice early in the programme where it was felt they would be better vaccinating more people with one dose in order to give some immunity rather than leave them vulnerable. This tactic seems to have worked as the number of hospital admissions and deaths due to Covid-19 have fallen dramatically over the past weeks.

In other parts of the world we are seeing a pattern of making sure people are given two doses as close together as possible. The UAE has administered a total of 11.19 million doses of vaccine to the population with over 4 million of their citizens having received both doses.

Throughout the world there are differing views on which of the vaccines is the “best” and which one is the one without reactions. For many the chance of a vaccine whatever the type or make would be a great thing to see!

However, whilst the richer countries of the world are busy trying to stem the infection rate through the vaccination campaigns there are always going to be the losers in the world. The news from some of these smaller countries is not good and, although smaller in numbers of infections and deaths, they are still feeling the effects of the virus with no sight of vaccines in the near future.

Chad, the North Africa state is one of the “losers” in this war against Covid-19.

At the small hospital where Dr. Oumaima Djarma works in Chad’s capital, there are no debates over which coronavirus vaccine is the best. There are simply no vaccines at all.

Not even for the doctors and nurses like her, who care for Covid-19 patients in Chad, one of the least-developed nations in the world where about one third of the country is engulfed by the Sahara desert.

“I find it unfair and unjust, and it is something that saddens me,” the 33-year-old infectious diseases doctor says. “I don’t even have that choice. The first vaccine that comes along that has authorization, I will take it.”

While wealthier nations have stockpiled vaccines for their citizens, many poorer countries are still scrambling to secure doses. A few, like Chad, have yet to receive any. The World Health Organization says nearly a dozen countries — many of them in Africa — are still waiting to get vaccines. Those last in line on the continent along with Chad are Burkina Faso, Burundi, Eritrea and Tanzania.

“Delays and shortages of vaccine supplies are driving African countries to slip further behind the rest of the world in the Covid-19 vaccine rollout and the continent now accounts for only 1% of the vaccines administered worldwide,” WHO warned on Thursday.

And in places where there are no vaccines, there’s also the chance that new and concerning variants could emerge, said Gian Gandhi, UNICEF’s COVAX coordinator for the Supply Division.

“So we should all be concerned about any lack of coverage anywhere in the world,” Gandhi said, urging higher-income countries to donate doses to the nations that are still waiting.

While the total of confirmed Covid-19 cases among them is relatively low compared with the world’s hot spots, health officials say that figure is likely a vast undercount. The countries in Africa still waiting for vaccines are among those least equipped to track infections because of their fragile health care systems. Chad has confirmed only 170 deaths since the pandemic began, but efforts to stop the virus entirely here have been elusive. Although the capital’s international airport was closed briefly last year, its first case came via someone who crossed one of Chad’s porous land borders illegally.

Regular flights from Paris and elsewhere have resumed, heightening the chance of increasing the 4,835 already confirmed cases.

The Farcha provincial hospital in N’Djamena is a gleaming new campus in an outlying neighborhood, where camels nibble from acacia trees nearby. Doctors Without Borders has helped supply oxygen for Covid-19 patients, and the hospital has 13 ventilators. The physicians also have plenty of Chinese-made KN95 masks and hand sanitizer. Still, not a single employee has been vaccinated and none has been told when that might be possible.

That was easier to accept at the beginning of the pandemic, Djarma said, because doctors all around the world lacked vaccines. That has changed dramatically after the development of shots in the West and by China and Russia that have gone to other poor African countries.

“When I hear, for example, in some countries that they’ve finished with medical staff and the elderly and are now moving on to other categories, honestly, it saddens me,” Djarma said. “I ask them if they can provide us with these vaccines to at least protect the health workers.

“Everyone dies from this disease, rich or poor,” she says. “Everyone must have the opportunity, the chance to be vaccinated, especially those who are most exposed.”

COVAX, the U.N.-backed program to ship Covid-19 vaccines worldwide, is aimed at helping low- and middle-income countries get access. A few of the countries, though, including Chad, have expressed concerns about receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine through COVAX for fear it might not protect as well against a variant first seen in South Africa.

Chad is expected to get some Pfizer doses next month if it can put in place the cold storage facilities needed to keep that vaccine safe in a country where temperatures soar each day to 43.5 degrees Celsius (110 degrees Fahrenheit).

Some of the last countries also took more time to meet the requirements for receiving doses, including signing indemnity waivers with manufacturers and having distribution plans in place.

Those delays, though, now mean an even longer wait for places like Burkina Faso, since a key vaccine manufacturer in India scaled back its global supply because of the catastrophic virus surge there.

“Now with global vaccine supply shortages, stemming in particular from the surge of cases in India and subsequently the Indian government’s sequestration of doses from manufacturers there, Burkina Faso risks even longer delays in receiving the doses it was slated to get,” said Donald Brooks, CEO of a U.S. aid group engaged in the Covid-19 response there known as ‘Initiative: Eau’.

Front-line health workers in Burkina Faso say they’re not sure why the government hasn’t secured vaccines.

“We would have liked to have had it like other colleagues around the world,” says Chivanot Afavi, a supervising nurse who worked on the front lines of the response until recently. “No one really knows what this disease will do to us in the future.”

In Haiti, not a single vaccine has been administered to the more than 11 million people who live in the most impoverished country of the Western hemisphere.

Haiti was due to receive 756,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine via COVAX, but government officials said they didn’t have the infrastructure needed to conserve them and worried about having to throw them away. Haitian officials also expressed concerns over potential side effects and said they preferred a single-dose vaccine.

Several small island nations in the Pacific also have yet to receive any vaccine, although the lack of outbreaks in some of those places has meant there is less urgency with inoculation campaigns. Vanuatu, with a population of 300,000, is waiting to receive its first doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine later this month, but it has recorded only three cases of coronavirus, all of them in quarantine.

The inequality of the vaccine system is something that is happening on a large scale and we can all hope that as the richer nations start to get to the magical herd immunity number they will then be able to send these less well off countries the vaccines they need. If the world wants to get back to normal and part of that is the Global Traveller then we must all hope that the whole world gets to benefit from the vaccines we have at our disposal.

Until the next time. Stay Safe

Total number of cases worldwide – 160,083,801

Total number of deaths worldwide – 3,324,955

Total number of recovered cases worldwide – 137,821,021

Active cases – 18,937,825  (11.8% of Total Cases)

Closed cases – 141,145,976

Information and statistics from:

https://www.worldometers.info/

https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/weekly-trends/#countries

https://apnews.com/article/africa-coronavirus-vaccine