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And points to how we prevent the next pandemic.
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Chinatopix / AP
By early February 2020, China had effectively locked down tens of millions of its citizens. Entire hospitals were sprouting from scratch to cope with an onslaught of coronavirus cases there. The World Health Organization had just declared that the outbreak of the novel coronavirus was a “public health emergency of international concern.” And on February 7, I went on a radio show and spent much of the segment discussing the economic implications of the ordeal for East Asia.
I often think about that segment now and wonder how I could have been so unimaginative. I was so focused on the desperate scenes in China that I failed to consider that similar scenes could soon transpire around the world. Why didn’t I grab the mic, dispense with the usual commentary, and issue an urgent plea for the world to wake up?
There is no spinning around a botched border ban
The Morrison government seems to have completely misread the consequences of stranding its own citizens.
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The media release from the Prime Minister announcing the resumption of repatriation flights from India to Australia hit journalists’ inboxes just before midday on Friday.
And within seven words, it was clear just how ‘back on track’ was the debacle that has seen Australia not just close its borders to its own citizens this week, but threatened them with jail if they came home.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison this week walked back from a statement released late last Friday mentioning jail terms for Australians returning from India.
Published April 29, 2021, 4:21 PM
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) called on Thursday, April 29, its previous scholars, Filipino scientists, and those experts in the fields of microbiology, molecular biology and biochemistry to be part of the Virology Science and Technology Institute of the Philippines or VIP.
Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Undersecretary for Research and Development Rowena Cristina L. Guevara (Manila Bulletin File Photo)
DOST Undersecretary for Research and Development Rowena Cristina L. Guevara made the call during the “VISION 2021: Virology Science and Technology Institute of the Philippines, Information, Opportunities and Networking” webinar initiated by the DOST’s National Research Council of the Philippines (NCRP).
Australians who use the New Zealand travel bubble to fly onto the rest of the world could potentially face prison.
As reported by 9News, New Zealand Customs this week said it has no power to stop Australians leaving that country to travel anywhere else - despite Aussies still being under a strict travel ban for the rest of the world.
And while this week Australian authorities simply warned people who did fly on further it would be tough to get back to Australia, it appears to be cracking down on those planning to use the back door route to visit family overseas or holiday elsewhere.
President Cyril Ramaphosa offered little clarity on what would happened during his televised address on Monday evening, hinting that an announcement was imminent.
“As schools and other educational institutions prepare to begin the new academic year, there is understandably concern about whether this is advisable in the midst of a second wave of infections,” said Ramaphosa.
Differences on whether schools should reopen differed by income, race and type of accommodation in the survey conducted using social media adverts to draw potential participants and through the popular #datafree Moya Messenger app, which has 2 million active users.
UJ said low income earners were more likely to oppose reopening schools than those on higher incomes. Fifty-three percent of those earning less than R1,000 a month were against schools reopening, compared to 41% of those who earned more than R20,000 a month.