Tag: lockdowns

Categories : COVIDTags :

WHO Urges Equitable Travel Requirements

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Tim Gouw on Unsplash

The WHO has urged that as air travel is restored, vaccinations should not be a prerequisite for travellers, potentially locking out those in poorer regions, especially Africa.

In a virtual press briefing on Thursday, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organization Regional Director for Africa said that the WHO believes that schemes to remove quarantine and entry restrictions for travellers that have been vaccinated, are discriminatory and could deepen already existing inequalities even further.

Meanwhile, she warned that Africa’s third wave, already underway in 12 countries, with cases rising in another 14, threatens to be the worst yet with 5.3 million cases across the continent. It is projected that in three weeks the third wave will surpass the previous wave’s peak.

Public fatigue and new variants are driving this surge across Africa, with Delta the variant  detected in 14 countries. She stated that Africa can “blunt this third wave” but “the window of opportunity is closing”.

The WHO aims to strengthen variant surveillance in Africa by reinforcing the regional laboratory hub have a 8 to 10 fold increase in next 6 months for genome sequencing

Though vaccination rates remain low in Africa, there is nevertheless a great demand for vaccines, with 18 countries having used over 80% of the vaccines received through COVAX. Fortunately only mild side effects from the vaccines have been seen in African communities, she said.

Mr Kamil Alawadi, Regional Vice President for Africa and Middle East, International Air Transport Association (IATA) said that inconsistent requirements added additional complications in travel, increasing cost for the passenger and the airline. For travellers, PCR testing can range from $100 up to $400 for a single, one direction trip.

The key requirement for the recovery of the airline industry is the lifting of restrictions, said Alwadi, citing a survey that showed that 84% of passengers will not fly if there were quarantines in place. However, demand still existed for air travel, as evidenced by travel bookings spiking as soon as governments relaxed their border restrictions.

Alawadi said that the IATA agreed with the WHO that only lifting quarantine requirements for vaccine individuals was inequitable, and that “a robust and flexible testing system” was needed in place of quarantine, using systematic testing at the point of departure such as rapid antigen tests which are cheaper, faster and more accessible.

Graphic from Skyscanner.net showing countries with major travel restrictions from South Africa (red, 83 countries), moderate (orange, 29) and low restrictions (green, 42)

The situation was urgent for the African aviation industry as it had lost USD7.8 billion in 2020, with eight airlines filing for bankruptcy, he noted. This was against a background of USD430 billion global loss for the industry, though he noted that some countries are seeing a rebound to 2019 numbers for domestic travel. However, it is projected that losses will only stop by 2023 and return to profit by 2024.

The IATA has developed protocols in concert with the  International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and WHO that will be non-discriminatory not require vaccinations, said Alwadi. However the aviation industry is sinking very rapidly without governmental support.

Categories : COVIDTags :

Lockdowns Loom as COVID Spreads Again in SA Provinces

On By ModernMedia
Image source: CDC/Unsplash

The Western Cape provincial government has said it is actively preparing for a resurgence of COVID cases while three other provinces have now declared they are in a third wave.

The province’s premier Alan Winde said in a statement on Sunday that based on current trajectories, the province is likely to officially enter its third wave two to three weeks from now.

Gauteng premier David Makhura confirmed that his province officially entered into a third wave more than a week ago. This was followed by similar declarations in the Free State and the Eastern Cape.

“The Western Cape is currently facing a resurgence as it has seen increases in its case numbers every day, over the past 12 days. While this is not yet a third wave, it is the first sign that we are moving towards one,” Winde said.

“Our guiding principle remains that no person will be denied access to life-saving medical treatment. We must make sure we have enough beds, staff and oxygen to respond effectively in the month ahead.”

He added that in the meantime South Africans should continue to follow the level 1 lockdown restrictions, adhering to social distancing and avoid social gatherings to help flatten this curve. But health experts have warned that the rise in cases could require further lockdown restrictions.

Head of the Western Cape Health Department Dr Keith Cloete told EWN that it is a national competency to put lockdown restrictions in place, but they are highly likely to appear given that the number of cases is on the increase countrywide.

Health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize has likewise warned of likely additional restrictions in South Africa due to rising COVID numbers.

He said that the government has discussed the rising numbers. “At some point we are going to have to start looking at additional restrictions,” he said.

“We are going to be recommending that there should be more focus on the size of gatherings, and look at the focus on some of the measures that were actually released when we thought the situation was much more improved.”

He highlighted the importance of trying to maintain a balance to ensure that people continue to be able to work. “We do need to send a strong message still, that people can’t be complacent.”

As of 23 May, there were 2894 new cases in South Africa and the COVID test positive rate stood at 9.86%. Data collected up to 15 May showed the highest positive rate was in the Northern Cape (24.1%), Free State (17.5%) and North West (15.1%) provinces. The percentage testing positive was <10% in all other provinces. (Source: NICD PDF, note this is a 10 MB size)

Source: BusinessTech

Categories : COVID General InterestTags :

Chinatowns around the World Battle COVID and Xenophobia

On By ModernMedia

The BBC explores how the various Chinatowns around the world have been battling loss of business caused by COVID lockdowns, along with fear and xenophobia.

Sam Wo’s, a restaurant in San Francisco’s Chinatown, had been hit hard by COVID just like other businesses there.

The lockdowns had not yet happened but anti-Asian sentiment kept customers away. “All the Italian restaurants in North Beach were still busy and packed and then you went through the tunnel to Union Square and those guys had lines waiting to get in. And then you drive around Chinatown and it’s completely empty,”  Sam Wo’s co-owner Steven Lee told the BBC.

“So we know that xenophobia was affecting small businesses. Why would other districts be busy and we’re not?”

In the 12 months since, it has been forced to cut its staff numbers from 23 to three due to a lack of customers.

“People wouldn’t show up, they were just scared,” Mr Lee tells the BBC. “We had to rally and tell people to fight the virus, not the people and all this kind of stuff – but it didn’t help much.”

In the Japanese city of Yokohama, this went beyond mere avoidance; anti-Chinese notes were left on the doors of restaurants in March. Sales had plummeted to 10% of what they were the year before. The mayor of Yokohama railed against these notes, and locals voiced their support for their Chinatown, telling businesses to “hang in there” and promising to visit again.

In many Chinatowns, the lockdowns then worsened an already dire situation. 

“I know many businesses in Chinatown have closed. It’s terrifying,” Ying Hou, who runs Shandong MaMa in the Australian city of Melbourne, told the BBC. “There are gift houses where tourists come to buy souvenirs – most of them didn’t make it and have closed down.”

Ms Ying says her business is down 50%, but fortunately the shop is the only one in Chinatown to sell fish dumplings. Melbourne gave rent relief to many businesses, but this is now coming to an end. And now Melbourne is about to be plunged into a new five day lockdown surrounding the Australian Open. 

However, many are finding new answers to the problems posed by COVID. In New York, after Chinatown turned into a “ghost town” with the lockdowns closing down even essential businesses by May, Karho Leung took a page out of Hong Kong barber shops’ reactions to COVID and installed dividers and other measures. He advertised these safety enhancements, which went viral and resulted in a surge of business from pent-up demand.

Mr Leung added to his business and others that were struggling by embracing social media and online delivery companies such as Uber Eats. 
Organisations made up of ordinary citizens are also helping to keep their cities’ Chinatowns afloat as well. Send Chinatown Love is helping Chinatown businesses there with their online and social media presence to help generate business, creating “food crawls” to drum up foot traffic.

“Everything started happening around January, February of last year, which is the most lucrative and joyous and festive times for Chinatown. They took a hit with that business and lost most of it,” said Louise Palmer, who is a representative for the group. “So they ended up going into lockdown in March at a deficit, which kind of set a really terrible precedent for what the rest of the year would look like.”

Meanwhile, in San Francisco, in a hopeful development, business is picking up again since outdoor dining became allowed. Mr Lee said that Chinatown is booming again, and is planning to open a nightclub.

“We’re the oldest Chinatown in the country. We’re the tourist attraction that everybody comes to when they come to San Francisco. So we have to preserve it,” Mr Lee said.

Source: BBC News