New Delhi: The novel coronavirus pandemic continues to devastate several countries across the world — the latest count is more than 11 million cases and more than 5.36 lakh deaths.
In Iran, authorities struggle to make the public take mask-wearing seriously even as the threat of a second Covid wave looms. The pandemic has changed the very idea of how election campaigns were held around the world. It is also hurting US President Donald Trump’s chances in Florida. Meanwhile, Canada looks to capitalise on the US’s visa ban to become the next technology hub in North America.
ThePrint brings you the most important global stories on the coronavirus pandemic and why they matter.
Iran mandates masks as public shrugs off fears of resurgent virus
As fears of a second wave of Covid-19 loom large in Iran, the government instituted the mandatory wearing of masks, but it is struggling to make the average Iranian take the threat seriously, reports the Washington Post.
“Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei publicized an image of himself in a mask in recent days, urging both public officials and the Islamic Republic’s 80 million people to wear them to stop the virus’s spread,” notes the report.
“But public opinion polling and a walk through any of the streets of Tehran show the widespread apathy felt over a pandemic that saw Iran in February among the first countries struck after China. Whether rooted in fatigue, dismissal or fatalism, that indifference has scared Iranian public health officials into issuing increasingly dire warnings,” it adds.
Pandemic is eroding Trump’s chances in key swing state Florida
In what could turn out to be one of the most detrimental political consequences of the pandemic for US President Donald Trump, his fellow Republicans warn that the chances of the president winning the swing state of Florida in the November polls are grim, reports the Financial Times.
While almost all national polls say former vice president and Trump’s challenger Joe Biden has amassed a substantial lead over the president, they suggest a tighter race in Florida, says the report. Meanwhile, according to a recent poll by Real Clear Politics, Biden has a five-point lead over Trump in the state, the report adds.
“Members of the president’s own party are warning that a recent spike in coronavirus cases, as well as the threat of a prolonged shutdown, could hurt him at the ballot box in November. Florida’s department of health reported a record 11,458 new infections on Saturday alone,” notes the report.
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UAE orders government shake-up as coronavirus hits economy
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced a broad government restructuring in order to provide more “agile and swift” decision-making during the pandemic and deal with its economic fallout, reports Al Jazeera. The shake-up saw the merging of several government entities and appointment of new economy and industry ministers.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the country’s prime minister, said, “The aim … is a government that can more quickly make decisions and deal with changes and more adeptly seize opportunities in dealing with this new stage in our history; a swift and agile government,” notes the report.
Life under Sisi: Egyptian crackdown intensifies as Cairo battles Covid
Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who has held a reputation for supressing human rights in his country, is now being criticised for using the pandemic to unleash an even more brazen wave of crackdowns across Egypt, reports the Financial Times.
“More than 70 people, including at least nine doctors and medical workers, five journalists, two lawyers, were “arbitrarily arrested” in Egypt between March and June, according to Amnesty International, as the country grapples with the coronavirus outbreak and its economic consequences,” says the report.
Egypt has recorded more than 71,000 cases and 3,000 deaths. And, the report notes, “the coronavirus outbreak has become a pretext to extend a crackdown that began last year, with the regime emboldened by a sense that the outside world is distracted by the pandemic,” according to Mohammed Sultan, US-based Egyptian rights advocate.
Election campaigns in Singapore during a pandemic
For most politicians around the world, election campaigns are a key opportunity for them to really connect with the public, but the pandemic is changing that dynamic in Singapore, reports the BBC.
“Political rallies held online, socially distanced door-knocking sessions, and fist bumps instead of handshakes would have been unthinkable a few months ago, yet this is what politicians in Singapore are having to contend with as the country gears up for its general election on 10 July,” says the report.
Progress Singapore Party (PSP) was founded last year, and it is among the 12 opposition parties trying to take on the incumbent People’s Action Party (PAP) that has ruled the island-state since 1965. But given that no physical rallies are allowed, this has made taking on the PAP and even more up-hill task, the report adds.
Also read: Wearing masks during Covid not just matter of life or death, but your political leanings
China dominates medical supply market, in this pandemic and the next
Given that China dominates the market for medical supplies including gloves, masks, test kits and other frontline material required for the fight against the novel coronavirus, several countries have set up their own factories to reduce the reliance on Beijing, reports the New York Times.
But as and when the pandemic fades, most of these factories set up around the world would struggle to just break even, as China has “laid the groundwork to dominate the market for protective and medical supplies for years to come.”
“Factory owners get cheap land, courtesy of the Chinese government. Loans and subsidies are plentiful. Chinese hospitals are often told to buy locally, giving China’s suppliers a vast and captive market. Once vaccines emerge, demand will plummet. Factories will close. But Chinese companies are likely to have the lowest costs by far and be best positioned for the next global outbreak,” notes the report.
Canada plans to capitalise as US closes its doors to tech immigrants
As Trump looks to keep Asian talent out, Canada is opening its doors in a quest to become the next major technology hub in North America after the Silicon Valley, reports the Nikkei Asian Review. Just a few days after the US President Trump announced the country’s work visa ban, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced, “If you don’t want to go to the [U.S.], come to us, we will take you.”
“Major U.S. tech players, including Google, Facebook, Twitter and Amazon, have set up sizable offices in Canada so they can hire more foreign workers without having to worry too much about visa issues,” says the report.
“Toronto, Canada’s most populous city, is North America’s fastest-growing technology market, according to a recent report by CBRE Group, a U.S.-based commercial real estate and investment firm. Vancouver, Montreal and Waterloo, where Canada’s best engineering schools are located, are also become increasingly attractive for tech companies,” it adds.
What else we are reading:
Soaring saving rates pose policy dilemma for world’s central bankers: Financial Times
To be hungry in the middle of the pandemic: New York Times
Coronavirus: Why Singapore turned to wearable contact-tracing tech: BBC
Croatia’s ruling conservatives win parliamentary vote: Al Jazeera
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