Covid-19: Delta variant forces US to keep international travel ban

It is the latest sign that the White House is having to recalibrate its thinking around the Coronavirus pandemic

The United States (US) served a notice on Monday that it will keep existing Covid-19 travel restrictions on international travel in place for now due to concerns about the surging infection rate because of the delta variant.

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It was the latest sign that the White House is having to recalibrate its thinking around the Coronavirus pandemic as the more infectious variant surges across the US and a substantial chunk of the population resists vaccination.

It was also a reversal from the sentiment President Joe Biden voiced earlier this month when he said his administration was “in the process” of considering how soon the US could lift the ban on European travel bound for the US after the issue was raised by German Chancellor Angela Merkel during her visit to the White House.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the restrictions would continue for now. “Driven by the delta variant, cases are rising here at home, particularly among those who are unvaccinated, and appears likely to continue in the weeks ahead,” she said. The rising cases also are causing the administration to take a closer look at policies on wearing masks. On Monday, the Department of Veterans Affairs became the first major federal agency to require its health care workers to get Covid-19 vaccines. And over the weekend, US health officials acknowledged they’re considering changing the federal government’s recommendations on wearing masks.

Also read: Covid-19: Brazil scraps request for Covaxin use

France’s 60% adult population vaccinated

Nearly 60 per cent of the adult population in France have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, hitting the government’s target previously set for the end of August, President Emmanuel Macron announced. So far, France has administered the first dose to 40 million people, with four million citizens having received the shot in the past two weeks, Xinhua news agency quoted Macron as saying in a Twitter post. “All together, we will beat the virus. We will carry on,” the President added.

Tokyo records highest daily Covid cases

Tokyo reported its highest number of new Covid infections on Tuesday, days after the Olympics began. It reported 2,848 new Covid-19 cases, exceeding the earlier record of 2,520 cases on January 7. It brings Tokyo’s total to more than 200,000 since the pandemic began last year. Tokyo is under its fourth state of emergency, which is to continue through the Olympics.

Over 50k arrested in Sri Lanka for Covid violations

Over 50,000 people have been arrested in Sri Lanka since last October for violating the government-imposed quarantine laws amid the pandemic, which has infected 298,181 people to date in the island nation, police said. In a statement on Monday, Police Spokesperson Ajith Rohana said that 52,154 people have been arrested so far since October, reports Xinhua news agency.

Pandemic forces foreigners to leave Indonesia

Thousands of foreigners have left Indonesia in last few weeks, airport records released on Tuesday showed, apparently spurred by a brutal pandemic wave and a general shortage of vaccines, which have gone to high-priority groups first. Indonesia now has the maximum number of confirmed daily cases in Asia, as infections and deaths have surged over the last month.

Tokyo records highest daily Covid cases

Tokyo reported its highest number of new Covid infections on Tuesday, days after the Olympics began. It reported 2,848 new Covid-19 cases, exceeding the earlier record of 2,520 cases on January 7. It brings Tokyo’s total to more than 200,000 since the pandemic began last year. Tokyo is under its fourth state of emergency, which is to continue through the Olympics.

4,22,294 
No. of new cases reported globally in the past 24 hours

19,49,95,684
Total no. of cases worldwide

41,72,379
Total no. of deaths worldwide

Source: WHO/Johns Hopkins

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