ICYMI: Staying on top of current happenings remains a top priority for mobility programs

As time passes, the pandemics continues, but many are excited about what the future is expected to bring. On Thursday, May 13 the CDC shared that fully vaccinated Americans can now go without a mask to most places. As you might expect, people in the U.S. were thrilled about this news. Given that the pace of vaccinations had slowed, this news alone may get many of the holdouts to get their jabs! Currently, states, cities and businesses are sorting through exactly what to do and how to adjust current restrictions with this guidance. New York has ended mask requirements and capacity limits on restaurants, gyms, and retail stores. Many companies have already dropped mask requirements for those that have been vaccinated. Predictions are that new cases and deaths will continue to drop as we head into the future. But Dr. Fauci does acknowledge that booster shots will be needed in a year.

Elsewhere, there is such a wide range of how locations are being impacted by COVID, that it takes an effort to stay on top of things. While Singapore had a mini-outbreak (24 locally transmitted cases in a day, 17 of which were from a cluster at the airport), other places like India, Nepal, and most of LATAM, wish that was the kind of problem they were having. Let's have a look around the world and see what's happening so that you can consider how this might impact your mobility program!

1.  Singapore: As of May 16, Singapore moves back toward a lockdown until mid-June. It has implemented the strictest curbs on gatherings and public activities since a coronavirus lockdown last year, amid a rise in locally acquired infections and with new clusters forming in recent weeks. The latest adjusts things like limiting social gatherings to two people, a halt on dining in at restaurants and for employers to make working from home a default arrangement for staff. International travel rules remain in effect. (Garda) The travel bubble with HK, initially scheduled to launch on 22 Nov last year was postponed after an outbreak of COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong. It was supposed to be re-launched on 26 May and is now deferred for a second time due to increase in unlinked community cases in Singapore. Our partners handling the packing, loading and delivery of personal goods are still able to perform moving services but are limited to smaller crew sizes so pack/load/deliveries may take longer due to these new restrictions. Mobility teams should be aware there could be some impacts (primarily delays) felt over the next few weeks to a month for moves in and out of Singapore.
2.  Taiwan: on Friday, May 14, Taiwan recorded a record rise in domestic COVID-19 cases (with 29 new cases, the most in a day since the outbreak) and then 4 days later reported 245 new Covid cases. It is now fighting its biggest outbreak yet. Taiwanese authorities have imposed new social distancing measures, closing bars, clubs and gyms around the island, restricting indoor gatherings in Taipei and New Taipei City. It has also closed schools for 10 days from May 19-28. However at this point, Taiwan has not raised the alert level and at this point, Taiwan has never gone into a full lockdown. (Aljazeera) Then according to Time, Taiwan is banning non-resident foreigners from entering the country as of Wednesday, May 19.
3.  Thailand: Particularly Bangkok and the surrounding areas, has gone from very few cases to skyrocketing numbers of cases in a third wave of infections. Time reported that Thailand had recorded fewer than 5,000 cases up to December and that has increased by 18 times to more than 90,000 cases. On Tuesday, May 18 Thailand reported it most fatalities since the pandemic started. Currently, all inbound travelers must quarantine for 14 days in a government-approved quarantine facility or an Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) facility. (CNN)
4. India: the situation in India is the worst of any where on earth as it suffered the deadliest single day of the pandemic this past week. Adding confusion and fear into the mix is the issue of thousands of cases of black fungus being reported in patients whose immune systems have been weakened by the virus. Black fungus commonly affects the sinuses or lungs after inhaling fungal spores in the air, and can also affect the skin after a surface injury like a cut or burn. (CNN) Additionally, India has ramped up testing across the country to try to help contain the current surge. (NYT)
5. Japan: With just 2 months before the 2020 Olympic Games, doctors in Japan are worried given the worsening outbreak within the country. The country has been challenged by a slow vaccination process and a faulty booking system. The pandemic has also caused consumption and the economy to shrink. According to Japan Times, tougher measures in the fight against the coronavirus came into effect in six prefectures on Sunday, with three coming under an expanded state of emergency and another three under a quasi-emergency. (Japan Times) With only about 2 months to go before the Olympics, 40 towns that had volunteered to host athletes have abandoned that commitment. (Yahoo)
6. France: Having begun to lift restrictions, restaurants are moving back to half capacity with no more than 6 people per table which has not been able to happen since last October. Per the NY Times, "Nonessential businesses were permitted to reopen on Wednesdays, as were movie theaters and museums, with limits on their capacity. The nighttime curfew, enforced since last fall, was also pushed back to 9 p.m. from 7 p.m." (NYTimes)
7.  Latin America: The Americas have for the first time surpassed Europe in terms of the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Wednesday, May 12. The surge is in Latin America which is now considered the epicenter and where the rate of increase in the number of infections is among the highest on the planet. Ecuador, Brazil, Mexico and Peru have all been called out as being indifferent to the harm and death caused by COVID-19, especially Mexico and Brazil which just saw their highest daily number of deaths. (USNews) Time shared that "Brazil has long been suffering from a runaway outbreak, but new spikes are now being reported in Argentina, Bolivia, Uruguay and more. The situation on the continent is another reminder that, absent mass vaccination, new outbreaks can take hold at lightning speed."

If it is not obvious yet, the vaccines are having an impact. News from Wednesday, May 19 shared that the European Union was going to allow visitors that have been vaccinated to come there, just in time for the summer tourist season. The bloc will reopen its borders to tourists and other travelers more freely after being largely inaccessible for over a year.