COVID-19 Update: October 1, 2020

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom made some remarks at the United Nations General Assembly side event on infodemic management. Dr. Adhanom highlighted the fact that rumors, untruths and disinformation about COVID-19 can be as dangerous as the pandemic itself –some people might have not taken the precautions they should have, or have been self-medicating with toxic chemicals. However, it is possible to bring the virus under control “if people have accurate, timely information about the basic measures that they can take to protect themselves and others. (…) This is why it is so important we work together to provide the public and policymakers with accurate information and stop the spread of falsehoods that undermine this response. Today, WHO and our partners are calling on all countries to put in place national action plans to promote science-based health information and to combat misinformation. And we call on the media, technology companies, civil society, researchers, and people everywhere to keep the infodemic from spreading.”
 
On September 25, Dr. Adhanom stated that with the flu season approaching in the Northern Hemisphere, many countries struggle to find the right balance protecting public health, protecting personal liberty as well as protecting their economies. He added that the global economy is expected to contract by trillions of US dollars this year. The WHO urges countries to focus on four essential priorities: 1) prevent amplifying events, 2) protect vulnerable people, 3) educate, empower and enable communities to protect themselves and others, using every tool at their disposal, and 4) get the basics right: find, isolate, test and care for cases, and trace and quarantine their contacts. In addition to this, effective vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics are also vital for ending the pandemic and accelerating the global recovery.
 
Regarding the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, this tool aims to deliver 2 billion doses of anti-COVID-19 vaccines, 245 million courses of treatment, and 500 million diagnostic tests to low- and middle-income countries by the end of 2021.

The General Debate of the 75th Session of The United Nations General Assembly took place on September 22-29. The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. He stated that the pandemic is rising poverty worldwide, causing the decline of human development indicators, wiping away decades of progress on the most vulnerable, and boosting inequalities. He also recognized that the world is facing “simultaneously an epochal health crisis, the biggest economic calamity and job losses since the Great Depression, and dangerous new threats to human rights.”

During the 2020 International Conference on Sustainable Development, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Deputy Managing Director, Tao Zhang, highlighted that global cooperation and multilateral coordination are the most effective strategies to fight the pandemic and its economic impact. In order to restore the dynamism of multilateralism, Mr. Zhang suggested three points: 1) multilateral organizations have to respond quickly to a fast-changing environment; 2) the need to acknowledge that multilateralism is bigger than the international organizations charged with its stewardship, and it is necessary to forge new partnerships, including private investors and civil society; and 3) increase awareness of the benefits of multilateralism. 

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) issued its Economic Outlook of September 2020, Coronavirus (COVID-19): Living with uncertainty. This report outlines that economic output collapsed in the first half of the year. However, it recovered swiftly following the de-escalation of COVID-19 containment measures worldwide, and the reopening of businesses. In order to recover economies successfully, restoring confidence will be crucial, and for this, it is necessary to learn to safely live with the virus. This global outlook is less pessimistic, but risks and uncertainty remain high.
 
On September 18, the OECD participated in the 21st World Knowledge Forum: COVID-19 and the New Economic Normal. OECD Secretary General, Angel Gurría, highlighted that the 6% contraction in global GDP that the OECD projects for the current year is the largest contraction in the 60 years of the OECD’s existence. In the case of a second wave of infections, the decline of global GDP is expected to be more than 7.5%. Mr. Gurría also noted that trillions of dollars have been directed towards supporting individuals, households and companies across the OECD. However, he is concerned about corporate defaults: “corporate defaults can be expected to rise above levels experienced in the Global Financial Crisis. It is therefore imperative that governments put risk capital to use for businesses in need of temporary support to contribute to employment and the wider economic recovery. For example, with appropriate program design, equity investments could reduce the probability of default without undue burden on governments. They can also foster investments that generate long-term value, such as in R&D and intangible assets.”

Australia is gradually relaxing internal border restrictions due to a decrease in COVID-19 infections. South Australia and Queensland are easing restrictions with the neighboring state, New South Wales, for the first time in months, representing a relief to its residents. From October 1, a relaxation of border restrictions is expected between some northern districts in New South Wales and Queensland. The new measures would allow residents in border communities to travel freely between the two states. However, Victoria residents are only able to travel to other areas if they are essential workers or live along a state border. The Victorian State Government is hopeful that falling infection rates may allow it to ease a strict lockdown in Melbourne.

Hong Kong temporarily banned flights from Kuala Lumpur and India until October 3, as some passengers were tested positive for COVID-19. Health regulations became stricter on September 15, and consequently, any airline carrying 5 or more passengers infected by COVID-19, or 2 consecutive flights with 3 or more diagnosed passengers, may be banned from flying to Hong Kong. 

On September 25, the European Council approved €87.4 billion in financial support for Member States under the EU instrument for temporary Support to mitigate Unemployment Risks in an Emergency (SURE). The support is provided as EU loans to mitigate unemployment risks during the COVID-19 crisis. It is expected to help Member States finance the severe increase in public expenditure incurred from the beginning of the pandemic as a result of the use of national short-time work schemes and similar measures, including for self-employed persons, and some health-related measures in response to the pandemic. SURE is one of the three safety nets, worth up to €540 billion, that were agreed by the Eurogroup on April 9, to protect workers, businesses and sovereigns. 

From September 19, bars and restaurants must close at 10 pm in Paris, Lyon and nine other cities. There is also a limit of 10 people at public gatherings and it is mandatory to wear face masks in public areas in the capital. These measures are expected to avoid full lockdowns across the country, as the country’s economy already shrank 8.9% in 2020. The French Government recently announced €100 billion as part of a recovery plan. 

On September 19, Germany recorded the highest daily infection rate since April. As a response, Germany has not brought in any new restrictions, but several cities have imposed their own rules after they crossed the critical infection incidence of more than 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Munich and Kloppenburg banned private gatherings of more than 6 people.
 
Germany declared Dublin in Ireland, Britany and Normandy in France, the Utrecht province of the Netherlands, the greater Lisbon Area, and almost all the Czech Republic as COVID-19 risk areas, and requires travelers from the aforementioned areas to take COVID-19 tests before entering in the country. Travelers from the US, Russia and most African countries are on the high-risk list since June. 

According to a recent USDA GAIN Report, during the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy, many restaurants were forced to close to the public, and offered only delivery. As a consequence, the online channel gained ground due to bookings and requesting online delivery services.
 
The Italian airport Rome’s Fiumicino was awarded the world’s first five-star anti-COVID award from Skytrax –an international airport industry ratings body. The airport was awarded due to “a combination of procedural efficiency checks, visual observation analysis and ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) sampling tests”. On September 1, the airport opened a COVID testing center, which is co-managed with the Italian Red Cross. Three other airports have been awarded three stars for their COVID response: Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport in Spain, Nice Côte d'Azur Airport in France and London's Heathrow.

Madrid region ordered partial lockdown measures in the most COVID-19 hit areas. Therefore, there are movement restrictions in place within six districts. However, citizens are allowed to commute if their workplace is located in another region. In addition to this, the Regional Government of Madrid also restricted access to parks and public areas, banned gatherings of more than six people and ordered the closure of commercial establishments before 10 pm. 

On September 22, the UK Government announced further national measures in order to address rising cases of COVID-19. Businesses selling food or drink (including cafes, bars, pubs and restaurants), social clubs, casinos, bowling alleys, amusement arcades (and other indoor leisure centers or facilities), funfairs, theme parks, adventure parks and activities, and bingo halls, must be closed between 10 pm and 5 am. These measures also include takeaways but delivery services can continue after 10 pm, from September 24. Among other requirements, a wider range of leisure and entertainment venues, services provided in community centers, and close contact services will be subject to the COVID-19 secure requirements and fines of up to £10,000 for repeated breaches.
 
Customers in private hire vehicles and taxis must wear face coverings since September 23. In hospitality venues, customers must wear face coverings and the same applies to hospitality and retail staff since September 24. Face coverings and visors must be worn in close contact services since September 24.

According to a recent USDA GAIN Report, the Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis (CPB) recently adjusted the economic growth outlook for the country. In 2020, the Dutch economy is forecast to contract by 5%. However, it is expected to grow by 3% next year. Regarding the foodservice sector, the turnover is expected to decline at unprecedented levels this year. The industry’s turnover fell by 46% during the second quarter of 2020, compared to the first quarter, when the turnover had already decreased by nearly 14%. Cafés recorded the largest turnover fall, followed by restaurants, caterers and fast food restaurants. Online ordering and home delivery, however, has benefitted and saw sales grow as much as 25% in some cases. 

Regarding the port situation in India, port operations are running normally in Mundra and Mangalore. According to local media reports, in order to respond to container congestion during peak hours, Chennai Port Authorities granted two terminal operators additional carrying time from 5 to 7 days, for one month. This additional time allotment is expected to give exporters more time to move containers and avoid peak hour rushes, which will facilitate more flow of export containers departing the port. In Cochin port, truck movements continue to be slow.
 
Regarding food retail, in Kolkata, vegetable prices at wholesale and retail markets have almost increased 50% compared to mid-August prices due to heavy rains in West Bengal, according to local media reports. In Goa, most staff have returned to their workplaces and stores are operating again under strict COVID-19 prevention measures. No shortages have been reported during the last two months. Prices started to stabilize by mid-September after a huge price increase of imported goods during the past few months. This increase can be attributed to higher freight and logistics costs, product handling expenses, and losses incurred during the lockdown. In Hyderabad, 80% of stores staff returned to work and most retail stores returned to normal. Online sales have increased by over 50%.

South Korea eliminated COVID-19 risk from foreign travelers. However, there is a spike of new infections due to sporadic clusters of infections and untraceable cases.

In the United States, 20 states are reporting a steady number of new cases, while 23 are seeing increases. Experts are warning of a coming surge of COVID-19 cases in the US caused by a relaxation of social measures and the increment of indoor life. Over the summer, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that fall and winter could be "one of the most difficult times that we experienced in American public health."

On September 18, the US Government announced up to an additional $14 billion for agricultural producers who continue to face market disruptions and associated costs because of COVID-19. Producers can apply for Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP 2) at USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) county offices from September 21 to December 11. CFAP 2 payments will be made for three categories of commodities –Price Trigger Commodities, Flat-rate Crops and Sales Commodities. Some of the commodities included are: almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts.
 
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced up to an additional $1 billion in the Farmers to Families Food Box Program. This program has already distributed more than 96 million food boxes in support of American farmers and families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The information above is a review of actions the INC has compiled from government sources, international organizations and press media. This news article is not intended to be exhaustive and it does not reflect the opinions of the INC. While the publishers believe that all information contained in this publication was correct at the time of publishing, they can accept no liability for any inaccuracies that may appear or loss suffered directly or indirectly by any reader as a result of any advertisement, editorial, photographs or other materials published in this news article.