The slow corona vaccination campaigns in many countries are ruining a rapid recovery in many tourist regions. Poorer countries are particularly affected, as reported by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad) and the UN Tourism Organization (UNWTO). In the past year, the direct and indirect consequences of the slump in tourism have reduced gross domestic product – the production of goods and services after deducting all intermediate consumption – by an estimated 2.4 trillion dollars (around two trillion euros) worldwide. According to the UNWTO, there were around a billion fewer tourists traveling internationally than in the previous year, a drop of 73 percent.
Also this year, compared to 2019, a minus of 1.7 to 2.4 trillion dollars is to be feared – especially if the vaccination rate does not pick up quickly in countries with low incomes. Accordingly, these countries suffered the most, while the recovery is faster in rich countries with high vaccination rates, such as the EU and the USA. However, the number of tourists traveling internationally is unlikely to return until 2023 at the earliest as there were before the pandemic, according to the organizations. Many countries have not yet lifted their travel restrictions.
The World Health Organization (WHO) speaks of vaccination nationalism in rich countries and moral failure. Some governments have bought a large part of the scarce vaccine instead of joining a solidarity distribution around the world. While in some places young healthy people are already being vaccinated, nurses in other countries put their lives at risk every day in caring for corona patients without having been vaccinated themselves.
Scotland has seen an increase in new infections from the European Football Championship
The Scottish health authorities are reporting around 2000 new corona cases in connection with the European Football Championship. According to the BBC, the Scottish health authority announced 1294 of these, and thus around two thirds of the infections, occurred among fans who had accompanied their national team to the “Battle of Britain” against England on June 18 in London.
Among them were 397 spectators who had attended the game at Wembley. A total of 2,600 tickets had been issued to Scots. However, tens of thousands of fans are said to have traveled to the encounter. 38 people were infected when the Scots met at their home in Hampden Park in Glasgow against Croatia, another 37 at the home game against the Czech Republic. There were 55 positives among visitors to the fan zone after both games. Around 90 percent of the infections occurred in men. Three quarters (1470) of them are between 20 and 39 years old. Since the start of the European Championship on June 11, the number of cases in Scotland has added up to over 32,000. (06/30/2021)
India approves Moderna vaccine
India approved Moderna’s vaccine. The country has given a local company import approval for the US manufacturer’s vaccine, said the head of the Indian Covid task force, Vinod Kumar Paul, at a press conference in New Delhi.
Moderna is the fourth vaccine approved in India. Initially, only two domestically produced vaccines were approved in India, also known as the “Pharmacy of the World” – the Astra Zeneca compound and a locally developed vaccine. During the violent second wave, which is related, among other things, to the Delta variant, a vaccine produced abroad was granted approval for the first time – the Russian Sputnik V.
So far, slightly more than four percent of the more than 1.3 billion Indians have been fully vaccinated – despite the fact that the country produces large quantities of vaccine and stopped exporting corona vaccines in April. (29.06.2021)
Finland’s easing plans endangered by infected soccer fans
In Finland, plans to ease restrictions by infected EM attendees are being jeopardized. At least 300 Finns who saw football matches abroad were infected with the corona virus, the health authorities said.
The number of infections per day rose from around 50 to over 200 last week and will probably continue to increase. It is obvious that this can be attributed to returning football fans, says the head of the health authority, Mika Salminen.
Many of them have not yet received a second vaccination. 4,500 to 6,000 football fans had traveled to St. Petersburg to see games there. The delta variant is rampant in Russia and is leading to increasing numbers of infections. (29.06.2021)
Portugal and Russia are virus variant areas
Because of the widespread use of the delta variant of the corona virus, Portugal and Russia have been classified as virus variant areas since midnight on Tuesday. This means that there is a far-reaching ban on transport for airlines, bus and train companies. You are only allowed to bring German citizens and foreigners residing in Germany across the border. For those who are allowed to enter, there is a strict 14-day quarantine obligation, which cannot be shortened by a test and also applies to those who have been completely vaccinated and recovered.
With Portugal, for the first time in weeks, an EU country has been classified in the highest risk category. The decision is also made by German tourists. The particularly popular coastal region of the Algarve has not even been classified in the lowest risk category.
With the classification of Portugal and Russia, the Number of virus variant areas from 14 to 16. Otherwise only Great Britain is affected in Europe. The other virus variant areas are in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Criticism from Germany of full EM stadiums
The Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) has urged further caution at the European Football Championship because of the Corona crisis. At the Munich venue and in Germany in general, it has “gone well,” said Söder picture. Söder believes that the fact that more than 55,000 spectators were allowed into the stadium in Budapest was a mistake: “I would not have done it like this in Hungary, would not have wanted to be responsible for it. Being the starting point for a superspreader event is what football is all about not worth the ratio. Enjoy, yes, but enjoy with understanding. “
Its predecessor and current Minister of the Interior Horst Seehofer (CSU) criticized the spectator regulation with a view to the Delta variant. Especially in Great Britain, tens of thousands of fans in the stadium are “irresponsible,” said Seehofer SZ. He appealed to the European Football Union (UEFA) and the British government to “revise attendance numbers significantly downwards”.
The Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg, Winfried Kretschmann, has sharply criticized the increase in spectators for the Wembley Stadium in London and the previous images of full stadiums at the European Football Championship. “UEFA and the DFB urgently need to ensure that the rules are respected. The plan to let even more people into the stadiums like at Wembley is blatant,” he said Editorial network Germany. The Green politician urgently warned against a further relaxation of the corona rules for the tournament.
Some of the previous pictures gave the impression that the pandemic was over. “That is an absolutely wrong signal,” said Kretschmann. At the games in Hungary or Denmark, the stadiums were “packed”, the spectators neither kept their distance nor wore masks. This is “irresponsible”. Each of these games could become a superspreader event. “This recklessness makes me stunned.” (29.06.2021)
Thailand tightened measures
A few days before the planned opening of the holiday island of Phuket for vaccinated travelers, the corona numbers in Thailand have risen further. The authorities reported 5,406 new infections within 24 hours on Monday. Only in May have higher numbers been recorded on two days. “The number of cases in Thailand is now growing faster than in any European country except the UK,” the newspaper wrote Bangkok Post on Monday.
The restrictions in the capital Bangkok and five other provinces have been tightened again. For example, eating in restaurants is again banned, only take-away or delivery meals are allowed. Shopping centers must close at 9 p.m., meetings are limited to a maximum of 20 people. The measures should initially apply for 30 days.
The Southeast Asian country has long been considered a model state in the fight against the pandemic, but has been experiencing its worst wave to date since April. In total, almost 250,000 cases have been confirmed so far. More than 1900 people have died in connection with Covid-19. The pandemic is hard on the country’s important vacation industry. The authorities are currently trying to make at least some popular regions accessible to tourists again. It starts with Phuket, where fully vaccinated people are allowed to go on holiday again on Thursday as part of the so-called “sandbox” project. However, strict rules apply. (28.06.2021)
Luxembourg’s head of government tested positive for Corona after the EU summit
Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Xavier Bettel tested positive for the corona virus after the EU summit in Brussels. The Luxembourg government announced this on Sunday evening. The 48-year-old has mild symptoms such as fever and headache, but will continue his work from home. Ten days of quarantine are planned.
At the summit, Bettel had contact with many other European heads of state and government, including Chancellor Angela Merkel. According to his own statements, he has so far been vaccinated against the corona virus. He should have had his second vaccination this week, said a government spokeswoman for the German press agency. For Merkel, Bettel’s positive test is unlikely to have any consequences. The Luxembourg government does not classify any other heads of state or government as a close contact, according to the spokeswoman Bettels. According to the information, this is only the case in Luxembourg if two people are closer than two meters together in a closed room without a mask for more than 15 minutes. A spokesman for EU Council President Charles Michel pointed out on Twitter that the hygiene rules had been observed at the summit.
1300 new infections in EM city St. Petersburg
In the European Championship game city of St. Petersburg, the number of new corona infections rose before the quarter-final game on next Friday. On Sunday, authorities in the Russian port city reported almost 1,300 new cases in one day, 50 more than the previous day. There were again more than 100 deaths within 24 hours. Nationwide, the authorities spoke of 21,600 new infections. The capital Moscow is worst affected, where there were 6,700 new sick people and 114 deaths, more than ever since the beginning of the pandemic, as reported by the Interfax agency.
Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin threatened state television with a lockdown. With a view to the rapid spread of the delta variant, he said: “To solve this problem fundamentally, you have to get vaccinated or go into a lockdown.” Moscow reopened its EM fan zone on Saturday after it had been closed. The numbers in Russia have been rising rapidly since the beginning of June.
In view of the widespread skepticism about vaccinations, certain professions are required to be vaccinated in several regions of Russia. By contrast, up to 100 people reportedly demonstrated in Moscow on Saturday. According to human rights activists, at least eight people were temporarily held in police custody. (27.06.2021)