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More than 188 million people have tested positive for the virus worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 4 million infected people have died. About 3.5 billion vaccine doses have been administered worldwide.
The latest developments
A week before the start of the Olympics, the Japanese daily Asahi Shimbun reports that it is obvious that the organizers’ plans to separate Olympic participants from the general population have failed miserably. At airports, he said, there was chaos among staff trying to guide Olympic delegations. There were also problems at hotels in enforcing the rules of conduct for Olympic participants, he said. The bubble that athletes and their caregivers were supposed to be in to prevent the spread of the virus had already burst, he said. On Friday (7/16), Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga had reiterated that they would host games that protected the lives and health of the Japanese people.
According to media reports, the president of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, has asked the Japanese government to reconsider the exclusion of spectators at the Olympic Games, which was decided only a week ago, in the event of an improvement in the corona infection situation. Japanese media reported Friday (July 16), citing unnamed government sources, that Bach expressed the desire for spectators during his recent meeting with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. Suga reportedly replied to Bach that the government, together with the organizers and the IOC and Paralympic Committee, would review the spectator matter as agreed, provided there was a significant change in the infection situation, the report added. Tokyo is once again in a state of emergency for the entire duration of the Games as Corona infections are again rising significantly.
Los Angeles County will reinstate mandatory masking for its 10 million residents
Los Angeles County will reinstate mandatory masking for its 10 million residents beginning Saturday (7/17). With this, the region with the major city of Los Angeles wants to combat the increase in new infections with the delta variant of the coronavirus. In the past six days, the number of infections had risen by more than 1,000 cases per day, and almost 400 people had to be hospitalized within a week. Nine people died from covid-19. Other regions in California are also reintroducing restrictions. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration urged all Americans to get vaccinated.
With nearly 800 deaths in one day, the number of people who died with the coronavirus in Russia has reached a new high. The country, which has developed three vaccines of its own but does not allow Western preparations, also recorded 25,293 new infections. Russia is among the countries most affected by the spread of the virus worldwide. Authorities had recently significantly increased pressure in some regions to get vaccinated. In Moscow, employers in many areas are required to enforce vaccination of their employees.
Protest in France
Dozens of French police used tear gas to break up protests against Emmanuel Macron’s plans. France’s president wants only people with a Covid 19 vaccination certificate or a negative PCR test to be allowed access to bars, restaurants and cinemas starting next month. The measures announced also include mandatory vaccination for healthcare workers and new rules for vaccination certificates. Starting in September, those willing to be vaccinated will even be fined. In doing so, it went further than most other European countries. Police cracked down on dozens of protesters marching down a street in central Paris on Wednesday (7/14). Some wore badges reading “No to the health passport.” They accused the president of trampling on freedoms and discriminating against those who did not want the Corona vaccination.
Demonstrations in Greece
Some 5,000 people demonstrated outside the Greek parliament in Athens on Wednesday evening (7/14) against a raft of Corona measures. Police said several hundred people also took to the streets in Thessaloniki and Heraklion on Crete for the same reason. These were the largest demonstrations of anti-vaccination activists in Greece to date, state radio reported. The conservative government had announced Monday that only vaccinated people would be allowed indoors in catering and cultural establishments. Employees in the health sector and in care of the elderly will also be required to be vaccinated in the future – otherwise they could be excused from work.
Mandatory Corona Vaccination in Latvia
In Latvia, the government has decided on mandatory Corona vaccination for healthcare and education staff. From October, employees of medical, social and educational institutions will have to show a vaccination certificate. In other sectors, employers will have the right to dismiss unvaccinated workers after Oct. 1, according to legislative changes approved Wednesday (July 14) in Riga. The Baltic EU country’s parliament must still approve the new regulations.
Curfew in Barcelona
Because of high Corona infection figures, the Catalan regional government wants to order a nighttime curfew for the tourist metropolis of Barcelona and other cities in the region. The measure, which is to apply from 0:30 a.m. to 6 a.m., still has to be approved by the regional Supreme Court. People will then only be allowed out of their homes with good reason. The measure does not affect the entire region in northeastern Spain with the Costa Brava, but only cities with a particularly high number of contagions, stressed the regional government in Barcelona on Wednesday (14. 7.). The restriction is aimed at young people, who are to be prevented from celebrating parties, so-called botellones, on beaches, in parks and in public places. It is infections among young people under 30 that have caused infection rates to skyrocket in Spain, especially in Catalonia.
Massive COVID infections in Indonesia
The corona situation in Indonesia has again come to a head. On Wednesday (7/14), health authorities reported more than 54,000 new infections in 24 hours – the highest number since the pandemic began. A month ago, the number was less than 10,000, making the Southeast Asian island nation now “the global center” of the virus crisis, the Jakarta Globe newspaper reported. Indonesia has even overtaken India, where the numbers are declining and about 38,000 cases were confirmed Wednesday. The main reason, it said, was the spread of the highly contagious delta variant, which now accounts for 90 percent of all new infections, according to authorities. According to Our World in Data statistics, less than six percent of the population in Indonesia has been fully vaccinated so far.
- source: nzz.ch/picture: pixabay.com
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