Overseas Situation Report Monday 31^st May 2021

 

By Mike Evans

As we start another week of the State of Calamity in Portugal, this report is looking at what other countries around the world have done or are doing to combat the pandemic. Some may surprise you and some may make you smile but whatever the outcome it has certainly been a strange year.

We start first in Europe and highlight France. France has been one of the hardest hit of all European countries, with over 5.6 million reported cases and just under 110,000 deaths. Whilst the country has seen a 30% drop in cases over the past week, they are still in a lockdown scenario. Nowhere more so than Paris, where residents can go outside for exercise but only within 10 km (6 miles) of their homes. People are not allowed to travel to other parts of the country without proof of a valid reason, such as a death in the family, or business that cannot be done remotely.

Cafes, restaurants, museums, theatres and ski resorts have been closed across France since October 30, with no date set for reopening. A nationwide curfew has kept people home from 6 pm until 6 am every night since mid-January. Masks are required on public transportation, and on top of that, France’s National Academy of Medicine has urged people to keep quiet! – no talking, no phone calls – to reduce the spread of germs on public transport and whenever social distancing is not possible. Officials specified that this is “not an obligation” but a “recommendation.”

During France’s first lockdown in March 2020, the rules were even more stringent. People had to download and fill out a form each time they needed to leave the house. Police would check the forms to make sure the person had a legitimate reason to be outside and issued fines up to $150 (approximately 220 Euros) for violations. At that time, people could only exercise within a 2 km radius (about 1.2 miles) of their homes and recreational cycling was banned.

In Abu Dhabi, where they have seen a steady rise in cases since the start of 2021, they hoped that the curve would even out. However, in the past month the number of cases has risen amid fears of a third wave of infections. Since September 2020, most passengers arriving in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, have been required to wear a tracking wristband during the mandatory 10-day home quarantine. All travellers also have to undergo thermal screening and Covid-19 testing at the airport. “Self-isolation must take place at home and people are required to wear a medically approved wristband for the duration. The wristband is provided by the authorities at Abu Dhabi Airport after travellers clear immigration,” Etihad Airways announced this in the guidelines posted on its website.

Those under the age of 18, over 60, suffering from a chronic disease or holding a diplomatic passport are exempt from having to wear the wristband.

Meanwhile in Singapore; At the start of the pandemic, Singapore started requiring people to carry a special digital device or use an app to help authorities track any contacts with coronavirus cases. It is mandatory for entering shopping malls and public places.

Authorities initially said the contact tracing system’s data was encrypted, stored locally, and only used if individuals tested positive for Covid-19. But last month, officials said the data had been used in a criminal investigation, raising questions over privacy and surveillance.

Additionally, travellers entering Singapore from most countries are required to serve a 14-day quarantine at a government-designated facility – at the traveller’s expense.

The quarantine is strictly monitored by the government and the facilities are randomly assigned. One woman said she spent her entire quarantine in a 5-star hotel, while others recounted their experience holed up in rooms without windows and filled with cockroaches.

Last month, a Singapore Court sentenced a British man to two weeks in jail after he sneaked out of his hotel room to meet his then fiancée during quarantine. He was also fined $752.56 (approximately 620 Euros) for leaving his room three times, according to Reuters.

Similar quarantine requirements are also in place for most visitors traveling to Kuwait, Hong Kong and Australia.

In Mexico, a number of states took steps to ban the sale and marketing of junk food and sugary drinks to minors in September, out of concern that health conditions such as diabetes and obesity were putting people at higher risk from the coronavirus. The law applies to stores and school vending machines.

Many grocery stores, especially those in Mexico City, have instituted rules allowing only one family member at a time into their stores to reduce crowding and potential exposure to the virus. Almost 224,000 people have now died as a result of the pandemic and the country has recorded over 2.4 million cases.

South Africa was home to one of the world’s most stringent lockdowns. At the start of the pandemic, South Africa introduced a total ban on alcohol sales, which lasted until June 1 2020. The ban was brought back in July but reversed a second time a month later. A third ban was put in place in December, which has now been lifted.

“Reckless behaviour due to alcohol intoxication has contributed to increased transmission. Alcohol-related accidents and violence are putting pressure on our hospital emergency units,” President, Cyril Ramaphosa, said in a nationwide address in July 2020.

South Africa also imposed an unprecedented ban on cigarette sales, to help prevent respiratory problems associated with Covid-19. The ban lasted for over three months.

In March 2020, South Africa sealed its borders, barring international visitors from coming into the country and leaving many South Africans stranded abroad. The travel ban was lifted in October, but following a “massive increase” in Covid-19 cases driven by a highly contagious variant discovered there last year, Ramaphosa announced in January that 20 land borders would close until February 15.

As with many of the actions taken when the virus was in full flow, many have now been able to relax the conditions for its citizens.

We can only hope that with newfound freedoms, the population doesn’t take it to mean everything is how it was and we see the virus take hold again.

Until the next time, Stay Safe.

Total Cases Worldwide – 171,040,562

Total Deaths Worldwide – 3,556,957

Total Recovered Worldwide – 153,154,740

Total Active Cases Worldwide – 14,328,865 (9.1% of the total cases)

Total Closed Cases Worldwide – 156,711,697

Information and resources:

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

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-pandemic-mitigation-restrictions-world/

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