"COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis" 2nd Jul 2020
News Highlights
Czechs celebrate end of lockdown with mass dinner party
Thousands of residents of the Czech capital, Prague, celebrated the end of lockdown restrictions by gathering together for an informal dinner at a 1,600 foot table in the middle of the city. The Czech Republic avoided the worst of the pandemic by implementing an early lockdown and being one of the first countries to tell its citizens to wear masks.
Colombia cases cross 100,000 as Bogota mayor threatens lockdown
Latin America is the new hotspot for the coronavirus and Colombia became the fourth country in the region, after Brazil, Peru and Chile, to top the grim milestone of 100,000 cases. The mayor of Bogota intially warned that lockdown would be reimposed but ruled it out after the national government released hundreds of ventilators to help with the burden.
Mini outbreak in Zurich as six people contract Covid-19 from nightclub
Zurich health authorities have placed almost 300 guests and staff of a nightclub on a 10-day quarantine after a guest, and subsequently five others, tested positive for the coronavirus. Switzerland, with 31,851 coronavirus cases, has seen an uptick in new infections since easing restrictions, from 18 on Monday to 69 over the weekend.
Florida counties make mask wearing mandatory as cases rise
The number of new coronavirus cases in the U.S. rose over 50,000 for the first time, even as mask wearing and its enforcement continues to remain a contentious topic. As cases rose sharply in South Florida, Miami-Dade and Broward counties issued emergency orders requiring people to wear face masks in public.
Lockdown Exit
Peru's biggest LGBTQ nightclub reopens as grocery store to survive pandemic
As Peru begins to ease its strict coronavirus lockdown, the country's biggest LGBTQ nightclub opened its doors on Tuesday, but there will be no nighttime revelers; its dance floor will instead be filled with shelves stocked with groceries.
Instead of slinging cocktails at the bar or dancing on stage, ValeTodo Downtown's famed staff of drag queens will sell customers daily household products as the space reopens as a market while nightclubs are ordered to remain closed. The Peruvian government will lift the lockdown in most regions of the country at the beginning of July, but will keep borders closed, as well as nightclubs and bars.
The lockdown has been a struggle for the club's 120 employees like drag queen Belaluh McQueen. Her life completely changed when the government announced the quarantine. Her nights were spent at home, rather than performing as a dancer at the club in vivid-colored costumes.
Peru's biggest LGBTQ disco gets a new look
Peru's biggest LGBTQ nightclub opened its doors on Tuesday as the government began to ease a strict lockdown due to coronavirus. But there will be no nighttime revelers and its dance floor will be filled with shelves stocked with groceries.
Prague celebrates end of coronavirus lockdown with mass dinner party at 1,600-foot table
People in the Czech capital, Prague, built a 1,600-foot table and held a massive public dinner party on Tuesday, to celebrate the end of the country's coronavirus lockdown. Residents stretched through the city's streets and over its famous Charles Bridge after the government lifted restrictions on large gatherings. The Czech Republic was quick to implement a lockdown at the start of the global coronavirus outbreak and became one of the first countries to tell its citizens to wear masks -- helping it avoid the worst of the pandemic and ease restrictions earlier than many other nations. This meant that locals could enjoy a jaw-dropping spectacle of alfresco dining and forgo social distancing to celebrate the country's progress.
Spain and Portugal reopen land border three months after lockdown
The leaders of Spain and Portugal marked the reopening of their land border, more than three months after shutting it because of the coronavirus pandemic. Spain’s King Felipe VI and prime minister Pedro Sanchez met with Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and prime minister Antonio Costa for border ceremonies in Badajoz on the Spanish side and later in Elvas, Portugal. Wearing masks, which they removed to hear their national anthems played, the Iberian leaders toured a Moorish fortress and museum in Badajoz before visiting a 14th-century castle in Elvas, 12 miles away.They gave no speeches in Wednesday’s event.
Ryanair resumes flights from Leeds Bradford to Spain and France | ITV News
The airline Ryanair will resume 40 percent of its flights from today - including from Leeds Bradford Airport to Spain and France. It's introduced new guidelines such as fewer bag checks, online check-in and temperature measures at airport entry, More than 1,000 flights per day will be operated by Ryanair, which has run a skeleton schedule since mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic. It is restoring almost 90% of its route network but frequencies will be lower than normal, with just 40% of its normal July capacity.
Russia: Coronavirus cases to date top 650,000
The number of coronavirus cases Russia has seen since the start of the coronavirus pandemic crossed the 650,000 mark on Wednesday. Over the last 24 hours, 6,556 more people tested positive for COVID-19, briging the tally to 654,405, the country's emergency task force said in its daily report. Over the same period, a spike in coronavirus-related fatalities was seen, with 216 people since yesterday, raising the death toll to 9,536, compared to an average of 100-plus fatalities reported over the last month. Single-day recoveries came in at 10,281, bringing the total number to 422,931. Russia will continue to increase the number of tests although the number of new cases is declining across the country to "identify new cases quickly, helping the patients and preventing them from infecting those around them," said Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. To maintain testing, the government allocated nearly 3.5 billion rubles ($500 million) for the production of COVID-19 test kits for use at federal and municipal establishments, Mishustin added.
Government's $70 million lifeline for New Zealand film and TV industry
The Government has handed a $73 million lifeline to New Zealand's film and TV industry, which has been struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Wednesday's funding boost will cover new and existing projects and is expected to save thousands of jobs. While many people heralded the resurrection of high-profile movie Avatar last month, most of New Zealand's domestic film industry remains in lockdown. "There were 47 films in production at various stages before COVID lockdown, but only one has started up again," Dame Kerry Prendergast, chair of NZ Film Commission, said. The $3 billion, 16,000 job industry was at serious risk of a dramatic shrinking but after continued pleas, they netted a huge multi-million dollar cash injection. Kelly Martin, the producer of the upcoming Robyn Malcolm film This Town says it's "amazing". "It's fantastic that the Government is acknowledging the screen sector needs support," Martin said.
Post-Covid New Zealand tackles a new threat – anxiety over an uncertain future
“It’s not so much the presence of Covid-19 that presents us with our greatest challenge, but the absence of it,” says Sarb Johal, a clinical psychologist based in Wellington, New Zealand. “We’re living with this reduced visibility of what’s coming in the future, and it feels sort of ominous and foreboding at the same time.” “It’s not so much the presence of Covid-19 that presents us with our greatest challenge, but the absence of it,” says Sarb Johal, a clinical psychologist based in Wellington, New Zealand. “We’re living with this reduced visibility of what’s coming in the future, and it feels sort of ominous and foreboding at the same time.”
Czechs mark end of lockdown with bridge dinner
Crowds gathered on Prague's Charles Bridge on Tuesday to celebrate the end of the Czech Republic's coronavirus crisis with a group dinner along a gigantic table set up on the historic landmark. The EU member of 10.7 million people has by now eased most of the anti-virus measures it introduced early on -- thanks to which it has fared relatively well, registering fewer than 12,000 coronavirus cases and under 350 deaths. On the 14th-century bridge, merrymakers munched on snacks and sipped drinks they brought from home, sharing their fare with others at the table spanning 500 metres
Exit Strategies
Miami-Dade, Broward Order Mandatory Face Covering When in Public
As coronavirus cases continue to climb in South Florida, Broward and Miami-Dade counties have issued emergency orders requiring people wear face masks when out in public. In a statement, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said the two counties agreed to a "blanket facial coverings" order in order to avoid overwhelming smaller hospitals. "I want to once again reiterate that if everyone follows the New Normal rules of social distancing of at least six feet, wear facial coverings (which can be homemade) and stay safer at home unless they need to go to work or to a store, we can get back to opening up our economy," Gimenez said in a statement. Broward's emergency order also required that business remain closed between 12 a.m. and 5 a.m. Take out, delivery and drive-thru are still permitted. Miami-Dade issued a similar order late Tuesday night, which goes into effect Wednesday night at midnight.
No 2nd second lockdown in Colombia's capital after major ICU capacity boost
The mayor of Colombia’s capital Bogota said she wouldn’t call a second lockdown, claiming the health ministry would provide more intensive care units (ICU’s) to treat COVID-19 patients. Following a meeting with Health Minister Fernando Ruiz, Mayor Claudia Lopez said the ministry vowed to give the capital more than the 425 ICU’s promised before the end of August. “There won’t be another lockdown”
Consequently, “there’s won’t be another lockdown,” said Lopez. Lopez had stepped up pressure on the government of President Ivan Duque, threatening to suspend the government’s economic reactivation plans if a 75% ICU occupancy rate forced her to declare a red alert. The increased number of ICU’s, however, “added to those already bought by Bogota,allow us to have a good care system in July,” according to the mayor.
Two Brazilian cities limit reopening as cases rise
The Brazilian cities of Belo Horizonte and Cuiaba this week rolled back reopening to only essential businesses due to an increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the last few days. The Brazilian cities of Belo Horizonte and Cuiaba this week rolled back reopening to only essential businesses due to an increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the last few days. While the cases and deaths caused by the new virus were falling in cities like Rio de Janeiro an Sao Paulo, reopening commerce and easing the restrictive measures meant the virus spread was moving to the countryside, affecting other cities and small towns. According to Dr. Margareth Dalcolmo, pneumologist and researcher at the renowned FIOCRUZ Institute, less than 20% of the Brazilian municipalities have the ability to properly treat patients in serious conditions.
EU reopens to outside visitors in bid to save tourism
The European Union has reopened its borders to visitors from 15 countries, but excluded the United States where deaths are rising again and a top health official warned the country was heading in the "wrong direction". The final list of nations safe enough to allow residents to enter the EU did not include Russia, Brazil or the US, where the daily death toll passed 1,000 yesterday for the first time since 10 June. US infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci said the US could see 100,000 cases a day if the current trend continued, and several US states imposed 14-day quarantines on travellers from other states.
Italy keeps travel ban in place as EU opens borders
Most EU countries have agreed to reopen their external borders on July 1st to visitors from 15 countries - but Italy will be keeping its travel ban in place. Here's what you need to know. The EU 27 member states on Tuesday agreed on a list of 15 countries whose citizens would be allowed to travel to European Union from July 1st. But later on Tuesday Italy, which had seemed to be in favour of reopening, announced it would not be lifting its ban on travel from outside Europe. The 15 non-EU countries on the "safe list" are: Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay.
Korea’s Export Slump Eases on More Work Days, Lockdown Lifts
South Korea’s exports fell at a slower pace in June as economies emerged from lockdowns, offering a sign that the worst of a slump in overseas demand may be over, though economists warned a recovery would likely be slow. The value of overseas shipments fell 11% from a year earlier, according to trade ministry data released Wednesday, improving from declines in excess of 20% in the previous two months. Economists had forecast a 9.1% contraction. The snapshot of Korean export health was complicated by extra working days in June that likely masked some weakness.
Coronavirus is growing': Jacinda Ardern rejects calls to open New Zealand borders
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has hit out at calls from her political opponents to reopen the nation’s borders - calling the suggestion “frankly dangerous”. The pacific island nation has been able to keep its coronavirus case number dramatically low after introducing lockdown measures early - with only 22 instances of the virus currently confirmed in the country and one hospitalisation.
The result has been a return to normality for much of the country - including mass attendance at sports events and a full return of the nation’s hospitality sector.
Post COVID-19 lockdown, new direct flights from Delhi may open up international travel destinations
During the nationwide lockdown, thousands of Indian stranded aboard were flown back to the country from across the world and several foreigners were also sent to their countries. To facilitate their safe travel, Delhi airport served as one the largest transit points, which handled about 92 international flights connecting 28 destinations for the first time. The list includes several long-haul routes such as Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington in New Zealand, Brisbane in Australia, Cairo and Marsa Alam in Egypt, Domodedovo in Russia, Dublin in Ireland, Ankara in Turkey, Hamburg-Finkenwerder in Germany, Johannesburg in South Africa, Manila in the Philippines, Phnom Penh in Cambodia, and Ras Al Khaimah in UAE.
Lockdown easing pits Irish health officials against airline bosses
Ryanair used its return to a more regular schedule on Wednesday to pile pressure on its home market of Ireland to ease travel restrictions in a debate that has pitted airline bosses against increasingly cautious health officials. Ireland’s then caretaker government said last week it planned to lift a 14-day quarantine for anyone travelling to and from countries that have also suppressed the coronavirus from July 9 and would publish a list of safe countries. However, new prime minister Micheál Martin, appointed last weekend, said on Monday he would take a cautious approach to opening up air travel after health authorities warned this could reignite the coronavirus crisis in Ireland. “We can’t say we’re somehow different, close the doors and throw away the keys. On that basis we may as well move out to the Aran Islands,” Eddie Wilson, chief executive of Ryanair’s main airline unit, told the Newstalk radio station, referring to the tiny Irish islands off its west coast.
U.S. already at 100,000 new coronavirus cases a day, it just isn't testing them all, former FDA Commissioner Gottlieb says
While the U.S. has ramped up coronavirus testing to more than 500,000 tests per day, it still won’t be enough, former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said.
The U.S. has struggled to roll out rapid and effective diagnostic testing since the beginning of the outbreak. By the time the coronavirus had infected more than 1 million people in the U.S., the country had tested just over 6.3 million people. The U.S. already has 100,000 new coronavirus cases per day, it’s just not testing enough to detect all the new patients, Gottlieb said.
Partisan Exits
'Unhelpful distraction': Health Minister David Clark resigns
Health Minister David Clark has resigned as Health Minister after he became an "unhelpful distraction" in the fight against Covid-19. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has accepted his resignation and said it was "essential our health leadership has the confidence of the New Zealand public." Clark said it had been an "extraordinary privilege" and he had given it his all.But continuing was distracting from the Government's Covid response, he said. He wasn't pushed, he said. "The decision was mine."
Campaigners warn big firms could sue over Scotland's lockdown measures
Corporations could sue for millions over Scotland’s longer route out of lockdown, trade unions say. Unison, Unite, the RMT and other unions have sounded the warning as part of the Trade Justice Scotland coalition, a 25-strong network that also includes the Common Weal think tank, Women for Independence and Global Justice Now. It has urged ministers to take action to prevent transnational corporations mounting court challenges for lost profits through the investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) system.
Coronavirus: Local testing data to be shared with councils
Local authorities are to be given access to postcode-level data about the number of people testing positive for coronavirus in their areas after it was agreed with the Department of Health. It comes after Leicester became the first city to have a local lockdown imposed following a rise in cases. Labour leader Keir Starmer said there had been a "lost week" due to city officials not having full testing data. The prime minister said the figures had been shared with all local authorities. But, at Prime Minister's Questions in the Commons, Sir Keir said officials in Leicester had only received full figures on Thursday. Until now local authorities have not routinely had full access to the data on people who are tested for the virus in the community. But the agreement, signed individually with councils over the past week, now gives them access to a digital dashboard which shows test results down to a postcode level.
Local Covid-19 lockdowns too blunt, say German politicians
Locking down entire communities is too blunt an instrument to fight coronavirus flare-ups, politicians from the area affected by Germany’s first “local lockdown” have complained after a week of reimposed physical distancing measures. While restrictions continue to be relaxed across the rest of the country, the Gütersloh district in the western state of North-Rhine Westphalia will from today go into a second week of closed schools, nurseries, bars and museum following an outbreak of Covid-19 at a local abattoir. A lockdown in the neighbouring community of Warendorf, however, has been lifted after mass tests found no sign that the virus had significantly spread across the local population.
Around 1,000 grieving relatives of coronavirus victims want public inquiry into slow lockdown
Families who've lost loved ones to coronavirus are preparing legal action against the Government over claims they would not have died had ministers locked down the country sooner. Around 1,000 grieving relatives say the Government 'gambled' with people's lives when they failed to act quickly enough or heed the warnings from other countries as Covid-19 tore across Europe. They also want an investigation into the flawed testing regime, the levels of protective clothing that was available and other issues surrounding planning for the pandemic.
When did UK lockdown start? Date coronavirus restrictions were enforced - and if government should have acted sooner
Staying indoors has become the norm in the UK, with the country adapting to life in lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak. However, restrictions are now gradually starting to lift across the UK, with the devolved government’s outlining plans for the next phase of handling the virus. But how long has lockdown been in place? The UK government imposed the lockdown on the evening of 23 March. The restrictions were initially put in place for a period of three weeks, until 13 April, but were later extended for another 21-day period
Welsh Government urges Ryanair to postpone 'lockdown breaking' flights to Spain and Portugal
The Welsh Government is urging Ryanair to postpone scheduled flights from Cardiff Airport to Spain and Portugal this weekend. The budget airline is planning to run flights to Faro and Malaga on Friday and Saturday. But passengers boarding the flight would be in breach of Welsh coronavirus lockdown rules which restricts non-essential travel to five miles. That restriction is not expected to be lifted until Monday. The Welsh Government, which owns the airport, is urging Ryanair to postpone the flights Wales Online reports.
Continued Lockdown
Zurich quarantines nearly 300 nightclub revellers after six people contract COVID-19
Zurich’s health authority said on Saturday it had ordered a 10-day quarantine for almost 300 guests and staff of a nightclub after a reveller tested positive for the coronavirus and had been proven to have infected others during his outing. The man was at the Flamingo Club on June 21 and tested positive for COVID-19 on June 25, the statement said. Five other people who were at the club with him have also tested positive since, it said. As other European countries who have eased restrictions, Switzerland has seen a rise in new coronavirus infections. This week, the number of new infections has increased daily from 18 on Monday to 69 on Saturday, according to the Health Ministry.
US daily coronavirus cases jump by more than 50,000 for first time
The number of new US coronavirus cases surpassed 50,000 for the first time ever on Wednesday, propelled by record rises in some of the most populous states, including California and Texas. The surge in cases has increased concerns about the speed at which the disease is spreading in emerging US hotspots ahead of the July 4 holiday weekend. A further 52,982 people in the US tested positive for coronavirus over the past 24 hours, according to Covid Tracking Project, topping the previous record increase from June 26 by more than 8,600. Throughout the month of June, the daily case rate in the US rose 105 per cent.
Pet shop speakeasy busted in Brazilian city
The shutters were down, but the pub chatter in the midst of a coronavirus quarantine gave the game away: a crowded Brazilian bar under the cover of a pet shop with no pets. Municipal authorities in the city of Petropolis said they discovered the speakeasy on Friday after neighbors complained. Inspectors found 16 patrons drinking beer, none of them wearing a mandatory mask or keeping to social distancing rules. "The owner served customers behind a closed door. They came in through the adjacent pet shop," a city spokesman said.
Brazil shuts down bar disguised as pet shop to skirt lockdown
A pet shop with no pets has been busted for being a front for a bar in Brazil. Municipal authorities in the city of Petropolis said they discovered the speakeasy after neighbours complained. Inspectors found 16 patrons drinking beer, none of them wearing a mandatory mask or keeping to social distancing rules.
'Utter abandonment' of special needs families during lockdown
Families of children with special educational needs have felt "utterly abandoned" during school closures, an MPs' committee has been told. Witnesses told the education committee those with extra educational, physical or emotional needs had seen support "fall off a cliff" amid lockdown. Risk assessments linked to Covid-19 had been used by some schools to prevent SEND pupils attending, it heard. There was also concern national catch-up plans do not mention SEND children. Witnesses from the special educational needs and disability (SEND) world painted a bleak and disturbing picture of life for pupils with additional needs.
Coronavirus: Colombian mayor shops son to police for breaking lockdown
The mayor of a town in Colombia has been praised after he turned his own son in to the police for breaking a curfew imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Carlos Higgins Villanueva said he had to set an example. "My family are the first who have to respect the rules," he tweeted. There have been more than 95,000 confirmed cases of the virus in Colombia and more than 3,300 people have died.
Child obesity risk as lockdown causes increased snacking among teenagers
Lockdown has had a mixed impact on healthy eating among young people, with teenagers finding new enjoyment eating as a family but reporting increased snacking, research has found. Over 1,000 14 to 19 year-olds from England were surveyed by the anti-childhood obesity campaign Bite Back 2030 and Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity.
Colombia tops 100,000 coronavirus cases, nears 3,500 deaths
Colombia’s confirmed coronavirus infections tipped across the 100,000 case threshold on Wednesday, as the country’s quarantine measures roll on and intensive care units fill. Confirmed coronavirus cases now number 102,009, the health ministry said, 54,941 of which are active. Some 3,470 people have died. Wednesday also marked the highest-ever daily increase in confirmed cases with an uptick of 4,163. The mayor of the country’s capital Bogota said over the weekend the city should prepare for a stricter lockdown as ICUs reached 70% capacity, but ruled out tougher measures after the national government turned over hundreds of additional ventilators.
Scientific Viewpoint
Covid-19: Evidence of effects on 'many organ systems', long-term damage
Scientists are only starting to grasp the vast array of health problems caused by the Covid-19 virus, some of which may have lingering effects on patients and health systems for years to come, according to doctors and infectious disease experts. Besides the respiratory issues that leave patients gasping for breath, the coronavirus attacks many organ systems, in some cases causing catastrophic damage. "We thought this was only a respiratory virus. Turns out, it goes after the pancreas. It goes after the heart. It goes after the liver, the brain, the kidney and other organs," said Dr Eric Topol, a cardiologist and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla, California. "We didn't appreciate that in the beginning."
The U.S. largely wasted time bought by COVID-19 lockdowns. Now what?
From March to May, much of the United States pressed pause. In the face of a new, highly transmissible coronavirus, widespread lockdowns and social distancing were the only tools available to prevent an overwhelming surge in infections and deaths that threatened to overwhelm healthcare systems. The strategy largely worked to keep most hospitals functioning. The heavy toll after six months — over 125,000 dead from COVID-19 and more than 2 million Americans infected — almost certainly would have been worse without lockdowns.
New Research: Covid testing of entire town in Italy finds 40% cases asymptomatic
A team has studied almost the entire population of a small, quarantined town — Vò in Italy, population 3,200 — and found that 40% of its cases were asymptomatic. The study was published in Nature on Tuesday.
Tracking COVID-19’s spread through an Italian town
Italy was one of the countries hit earliest as the COVID-19 pandemic spread beyond its origin in China, and the country struggled with a sudden surge in cases that threatened to overwhelm its health services. But Italy turned into a success story, as an aggressive lockdown reversed its curve, causing new daily cases to drop from a peak of over 6,000 down to a steady flow of about 300. Compared to a number of other industrialized democracies, this was a major success. Now, a team of researchers largely based in Italy is looking more carefully at the pandemic's spread there as well as the impact of control measures. The researchers have gotten most of the population of a small town to agree to testing before and after Italy's lockdown, providing a window into the behavior of the virus and how things changed during the lockdown.
Lockdown measures return as covid-19 cases spike in several countries
Local outbreaks across Europe have seen authorities taking new action, such as nearly 300 people who went to a Swiss nightclub being quarantined after one person later tested positive. Meat‑processing facilities, where people work close together, have emerged as the source of case clusters in several countries, including Germany. However, the WHO has made it clear that not all local outbreaks are equal. The agency is less concerned about some clusters in Europe that were controlled with a “rapid and targeted response”, including restrictions and ramped-up testing, than in places where there is no such quick and proportionate reaction.
David Heymann at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine says second waves are “not the right way to think about it” because, unlike flu, covid-19 seems to spread in summer. “It may be [better] to think about suppressing and unsuppressing. That’s what the countries are going to have to do: unlock their suppressing activities and if they see suppression isn’t working as they wanted it to do, they’ll have to lockdown again,” he says.
Coronavirus Australia: Lockdown 'will NOT stop Victoria spread'
Two experts have expressed concern over effectiveness of partial lockdowns. Victoria issued stay-at-home orders for 36 suburbs in ten postcodes on Tuesday. The decision comes after two weeks of increased coronavirus diagnoses. Residents in impacted suburbs will only be able to leave home for four reasons
Work or school, grocery shopping, to provide care or exercise are exceptions
WHO warns some countries may have to reinstate lockdowns as coronavirus pandemic accelerates
Some countries might have to reimplement severe restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus such as “lockdowns,” a top World Health Organization official said Wednesday. The outbreak in some countries might seem “overwhelming,” Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove said, urging national leaders to “break down” the problem. Some countries may have not fully committed to their initial coronavirus response, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
Coronavirus Resurgence
Europe’s New Virus Clusters Expose Old Inequalities
This pattern raises the question of whether governments are doing enough to ensure all citizens understand the basic precautions to take to protect themselves, and have the means to do so. It also underlines the failings of several European states to ensure that even the poorest parts of society have access to decent housing and benefit from job safety. The situation could risk fanning social and racial tensions if immigrant communities get blamed for being carriers of the virus.
Five different outbreaks across Europe tell a very similar story. In Germany, the authorities locked down the municipality of Guetersloh, in North-Rhine Westphalia, after hundreds of workers in one of Europe’s biggest meat-processing plants tested positive for the virus. The group was largely made up of poorly paid Eastern European immigrants, who lived together in accommodation for the plant’s workers. Germany’s meat industry has been able to circumvent strict rules on working conditions by using subcontractors, something new legislation is meant to change.
Melbourne Faces New COVID-19 Lockdown As Infections Surge In Australia’s Second Biggest City
Parts of Australia's second biggest city, Melbourne, are to go back into COVID-19 lockdown Wednesday following a surge in cases. Authorities have said 36 suburbs have had an "unacceptably high" number of new infections detected in the past few days. Australia has had 7,834 confirmed coronavirus cases. 104 people have died. With 73 infections, Victoria has accounted for almost all of the national tally of new COVID-19 cases in the past 24-hours. Failures in the hotel quarantine program are being blamed. Travelers returning to Australia from overseas face a mandatory 14-days in isolation.The state government has said that breaches in security have been linked to the spread of the disease in parts of Melbourne. Health officials have said the surge in infections was ‘heart breaking.’
COVID-19: Air New Zealand suspending services to Melbourne
Air New Zealand is stopping flights between Aotearoa and Melbourne for two weeks as the city suffers a second wave of COVID-19. The suspension went into effect immediately on Wednesday, meaning multiple flights scheduled for the day were either cancelled or will operate as cargo flights only. "Due to Australian Government restrictions Air NZ will not operate passenger services from Auckland to Melbourne from July 1 to July 14," the airline said in a statement. "The airline was due to operate two return services to Melbourne today. NZ123 from Auckland to Melbourne is operating as a cargo only flight, with NZ124 operating with inbound passengers to Auckland. "NZ127 and NZ128 today will be cancelled."
Jacinda Ardern says Victoria, Australia's COVID-19 spike a reminder New Zealand 'not immune' to second wave of coronavirus
A resurgence of COVID-19 in Australia is a sombre reminder of the ongoing threat coronavirus poses to New Zealand, the Prime Minister says. After seemingly getting its COVID-19 outbreak under control, Australia's daily cases have been building over the last week - and on Monday it recorded 81 new cases, less than three weeks after recording just two earlier in the month. The majority of these cases are in the southern state of Victoria, which has now entered its second period of lockdown and closed its borders in response to the spike.
New Lockdown
Will the threat of fines really make us comply with lockdown laws?
With the suburban lockdown taking effect in a few hours, what are the chances that the 300,00 residents will comply with a second round of tough stay-at-home orders? Griffith University surveryed almost 2,000 people five weeks after the first mandatory lockdown orders came into affect, and found only half were complying with the measures. We speak with one of the researchers about what could make us more compliant this time around.
Muddled messaging over Leicester lockdown leaves locals baffled
By Tuesday morning, the fact that Leicester was facing a new lockdown was clear. The only question was: what, exactly, did that mean? On a day of confusion in the Midlands city, the council tried to set out the boundaries that would be in place on the outskirts of town, but some residents complained of a lack of communication and a lack of clarity over which side of the all-important red line they lived. Debbie Bass, who runs Sugar and Ice, a cake decoration and supply shop, said she had only 15 minutes’ notice that her business would have to close again. As the shop falls outside Leicester city council’s boundaries, she thought she would be able to open at 10am on Tuesday and continue to restore a business that was just beginning to pick up again two weeks after reopening.
Leicester lockdown: Boundary line branded 'stupid' by residents
Residents on a street cut in half by the Leicester lockdown boundary line have branded it "stupid". Some addresses on Bowhill Grove are now subject to the tighter restrictions introduced on Monday, while others are not. One resident said people living in the lockdown area could easily walk over the line to a nearby pub.
Leicestershire County Council said the boundary had been drawn up rapidly and was "an imprecise science". It comes as shadow health secretary and Leicester South MP Jonathan Ashworth said people in the city were confused by the rules.
Which countries and cities have gone back into lockdown as Melbourne puts 300,000 under local lockdown?
Australia is locking down around 300,000 people in Melbourne due to a spike in coronavirus cases. Victoria has now reported 73 new Covid-19 cases, causing 10 hotspot postcodes to be placed in lockdown from midnight. The state’s premier Daniel Andrews said today that public health officials would be going door-to-door in the most affected suburbs and offering free testing to residents. It’s one of a number of places across the world where restrictions have once again been tightened in the wake of cases surging – with Leicester also facing a local lockdown even as measures are eased across England. Where else has gone back into lockdown?
Fears that other towns and cities could follow Leicester into local lockdown
It is an "illusion" that the UK is past the worst of the Covid-19 epidemic, a leading scientist has warned amid fears that other towns and cities could follow Leicester into lockdown.
Tensions flare as Italian town marks new Covid-19 outbreak and fresh lockdown
When a new outbreak of Covid-19 occurred in the Italian town of Mondragone, violations of an ensuing two-week lockdown incensed some locals who blamed migrant workers. But when far-right leader Matteo Salvini came to town Monday, he was met by protesters, who said he was seeking to exploit the situation for political gain
Hebron sees 200 new virus infections in hours, area ordered locked down
Neighborhoods in virus hotspots Ashdod, Lod to be placed on lockdown
Ministers agree on a seven-day lockdown of neighborhoods in virus hotspots Ashdod and Lod to stem the spiraling COVID-19 outbreak. The so-called coronavirus cabinet will convene on Thursday to debate additional measures, tweets Defense Minister Benny Gantz.
Today: Philippines extends lockdown in central city : The Asahi Shimbun
The Philippine president has retained a strict lockdown in a central city he described as a new coronavirus hot spot, while the capital and the rest of the country were placed in lighter quarantines. President Rodrigo Duterte made the announcement Tuesday night on TV, further stretching three-month lockdowns and quarantines that officials call successful but his critics describe as ridden with failures and confusion. The Philippines has among the most COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia with more than 37,500 people infected, including 1,266 who have died. Duterte blamed Cebu city, which will remain under a lockdown up to July 15, for many violations of the rules that led to infection spikes. “Cebu is now the hot spot for COVID. Why? Many of you did not follow. So don’t get mad at me,” he said.
Getting people to follow coronavirus restrictions is harder the second time around
With residents in 10 Melbourne postcodes banned from non-essential travel until at least July 29, the need for continued vigilance is clear. Across Victoria, the ongoing spike in coronavirus cases means a range of restrictions are still in place, yet for people outside the worst-affected areas these restrictions may seem more like guidelines than rules. There may be many different interpretations of the reinstated restrictions. Also, having been granted some freedoms after the initial lockdown period, people will be reluctant to go back.
Coronavirus: NZ could use localised Covid-19 lockdowns like Australia, says Ashley Bloomfield
A second round of stay at home orders will kick in Wednesday for parts of Melbourne hit by Covid-19, and the Director-General of Health says similar measures could be used here if needed. Dr Ashley Bloomfield told Morning Report implementing targeted lockdowns was "definitely something that could happen and we have done some work and are doing further work on if there was a localised outbreak wither in a suburb, town, city or region what sort of measures should we put in place". New Zealand had worked closely with Australia since the start of the outbreak, so it would be watching to see how the second lockdown was handled across the ditch, he said.
Australia's medical chief 'much less worried' now city is locking down outbreak suburbs
Australia's medical chief says he is "much less worried" now Melbourne is rolling out strict lockdowns on suburbs hit by the new coronavirus outbreak. Acting Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly said with well over 100,000 tests done since Thursday and new measures to lock down hotspots, have left him "confident" the situation will be brought under control. However he said it is a possibility more lockdowns could be implemented.
Coronavirus: Threat of significant fines and jail time as Melbourne tightens lockdown rules
More than 300,000 people in Australia are going into lockdown for a month - with a neighbouring state threatening to fine or jail anyone who travels from coronavirus hotspots. More than 30 suburbs in Melbourne, in the state of Victoria, are going to face tightened restrictions for four weeks - prohibiting them from leaving home unless they are buying food, exercising, or have a health appointment. New South Wales (NSW), a nearby state that includes the cities of Canberra and Sydney, has now imposed measures designed to deter visitors from Victoria.
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield reacts to second Victoria Covid-19 lockdown
A second round of stay at home orders will kick in tonight for parts of Melbourne hit by Covid-19, and the Director-General of Health says similar measures could be used here if needed. Dr Ashley Bloomfield told Morning Report implementing targeted lockdowns was "definitely something that could happen and we have done some work and are doing further work on if there was a localised outbreak within a suburb, town, city or region what sort of measures should we put in place". New Zealand had worked closely with Australia since the start of the outbreak, so it would be watching to see how the second lockdown was handled across the ditch, he said. "We would be looking to use exactly these sorts of measures and approaches [being used in Melbourne] to avoid having to put the whole country up an alert level."
Mayor of Leicester hasn’t been told where local lockdown border will be placed
Speaking about the lockdown to Sky News today, Sir Peter said: ‘We were talking with the Chief Constable yesterday about the role he and his officers will have to play in this, because obviously the council doesn’t have the resources to do it.
Australia to lock down 300,000 in Melbourne suburbs after coronavirus spike
Authorities will lock down more than 300,000 people in suburbs north of Melbourne for a month from late on Wednesday to contain the risk of infection after two weeks of double-digit rises in new coronavirus cases in Australia’s second most populous state. Australia has fared better than many countries in the pandemic, with around 7,920 cases, 104 deaths and fewer than 400 active cases, but the recent jump has stoked fears of a second wave of COVID-19, echoing concerns expressed in other countries. Globally, coronavirus cases exceeded 10 million on Sunday, a major milestone in the spread of a disease that has killed more than half a million people in seven months. From midnight, more than 30 suburbs in Australia’s second-biggest city will return to stage three restrictions, the third-strictest level in curbs to control the pandemic. That means residents will be confined to home except for grocery shopping, health appointments, work or caregiving, and exercise.
Leicester games to go ahead despite local lockdown
Leicester City’s matches will go ahead as planned and they will continue to train at their Belvoir Drive facilities despite a stringent lockdown in the city after a spike in local COVID-19 cases, the Premier League club said on Tuesday. Leicester, in England’s eastern Midlands, accounted for 10% of all positive coronavirus cases in England in the past week, prompting police to enforce a local lockdown.