Covid-19: Breaking news across the world this week

Tokyo Olympics and Covid: Cases surge

The Tokyo Summer Olympic Games 2020 are currently playing out as usual, despite no spectators at any events. Initially scheduled for last year, the Olympics have been marred by Covid-19 controversy, as the host nation grapples with a surge in cases.

As of Friday (July 30), 193 officials and athletes had tested positive for Covid-19. The city confirmed on Thursday (July 29) that 3 865 new cases had been recorded – the highest the city has ever seen.

Tokyo remains under a state of emergency because of Covid-19, with limits and restrictions on gatherings, a curfew, and a total ban on alcohol sales.

CDC recommends new indoor mask mandate for vaccinated Americans

The United States’ Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended that fully vaccinated Americans again need to wear masks indoors, as one study shows that the Delta variant of Covid-19 thrives in the nose and is thus very easily transmissible.

The director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr Anthony Fauci, was quoted as saying, “The Delta variant has a very unusual capability of spreading much more easily than the Alpha did. And the other data we’re having right now is that, when people get breakthrough infections, when they’re vaccinated and they get infected, even when they have a situation where they don’t have an advanced disease, they clearly can transmit it to other people.”

This new recommendation has received much criticism.

Military deployed in Sydney to enforce lockdown

The Australian government has deployed 300 soldiers to enforce lockdown regulations in the country’s biggest city, Sydney, which has a population of five million people.

Sydney is currently on a four-week lockdown – until August 28 – in a bid to curb its climbing Covid-19 cases. The city recorded 171 cases on Friday (July 30).

New South Wales Police Minister David Elliott said the deployment was necessary because a small minority of people within the city thought the ‘rules didn’t apply to them’.

The unarmed soldiers will be working under police command, helping police with enforcement strategies. One of the rules that the military will be enforcing is a 10km travel limit in hotspot areas within the city.

Australia has recorded a total of 33 909 cases and 923 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

South Africa sets record straight on teachers who are not vaccinated

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has disputed reports relating to the circular it distributed last week on educators who are not vaccinated.

Department spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said media reports from a Johannesburg publication reporting a ‘no jab, no job’ narrative had created confusion and fear among educators.

He said the department has strongly recommended that education sector personnel should get vaccinated, but ‘at no stage did the DBE seek to compel employees to be vaccinated’.

SA voter registration weekend postponed

The Electoral Commission has rescheduled its planned voter registration weekend to an undetermined date, due to the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

It was set to take place today and tomorrow (July 31 and August 1).

The commission is seeking judicial approval to defer the municipal elections after the Moseneke report recommended delaying the October elections until February.

Even if a court grants approval, a myriad of legal and political ramifications can be expected, says Prof Erwin Schwella of the Hugenote Kollege in Wellington.

He chats to journalist Izak du Plessis about postponing the elections, possible challenges, and ramifications:

*Notice: Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news

Dear reader,

As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).