New Delhi: The novel coronavirus pandemic continues to devastate countries across the world — the latest count being over four crore cases and more than 11 lakh deaths.
The tourism industry in Phuket has been gravely affected by the pandemic and many workers have lost their jobs. Hundreds of churchgoers in Netherlands did not abide by coronavirus guidelines and over one million Israelis are now unemployed due to the pandemic.
ThePrint brings you the most important global stories on the coronavirus pandemic and why they matter.
Phuket’s tourism industry hit hard by pandemic
In 2019, Thailand’s Phuket saw 9.89 million visitors from across the world, averaging up to 27,095 people a day. However, in 2020, the pandemic has cost workers in the tourism industry their livelihoods, reports South China Morning Post.
Research from consulting group ‘C9 Hotelworks’ indicates that 50,000 jobs are under threat due to the pandemic.
“According to Phuket governor Narong Woonciew, the pandemic has to date cost the island 400 billion baht (US$12.82 billion) in losses. The 300 daily flights seen last year have slumped to just 81 domestic landings, with passenger arrivals tumbling by 65 per cent on year for the January to July period,” notes the report.
Thailand has recorded 3,691 Covid-19 cases and 59 deaths.
Also read: Twitter removes Trump’s health adviser’s tweet claiming ‘masks don’t work’
Worshippers in Dutch ‘Bible Belt’ defy Covid-19 guidelines
On Sunday, hundreds of Dutch churchgoers from a conservative group of Protestantism in Netherlands did not follow the government’s Covid-19 guidelines, reports Reuters.
According to the guidelines, only less than 30 people can gather in an indoor seating area. However, the church witnessed 600 people in attendance. Moreover, they did not wear face masks and also participated in communal singing.
Netherlands has recorded 2,28,234 cases of Covid-19 and 6,751 deaths.
Pandemic leaves 1 million Israelis unemployed
According to a report by the Israeli Employment Service, almost one million people in the country have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic, reports Jerusalem Post.
The report also revealed that in September, more women and younger people were likely to file for unemployment compared to the first lockdown in March.
By the end of September, the number of unemployed people in Israel touched 944.5 thousand, a 20 per cent increase from August.
Israel has recorded 3,03,109 Covid-19 cases and 2,209 deaths.
Also read: Stigma to wearing second-hand clothes leaves China with 26 mn tons of discarded garments
24 million students in Egypt go back to school
24 million Egyptians students are now starting their school year in 56,000 schools, reports Arab News.
The first day of school was spent teaching students how to contain the spread of Covid-19.
“The Ministry of Education and Technical Education circulated precautionary measures for schools, such as following up on those who have been in contact with infected people to limit the transmission of infection, raising awareness among all groups participating in education, including students’ families, and maintaining social distancing,” notes the report.
Egypt has recorded 1,05,424 cases of Covid-19 and 6,120 deaths.
Things go ‘out of control’ in US’ Salt Lake district after schools reopen
Before the district opened up, Salt Lake county was recording 187 new cases per 1,00,000 people after which experts advised the city government against opening up.
However, the advice was not heeded and after schools and colleges in the district opened, the county has emerged as a hotspot, reports The New York Times.
“In the two weeks that ended Thursday, Salt Lake County had nearly 617 cases per 1,00,000 people. Over the last week, Utah had the sixth highest rate of new cases per 1,00,000 people of any state and set a new state record for the number of people hospitalised with the virus,” states the report.
The US has recorded 83,87,799 cases of Covid-19 and 2,24,730 deaths.
Also read: Italy, once a lockdown pioneer, follows others now as Europe fights Covid surge
UK may be looking at shortage of leisurewear as pandemic increases demand
The UK is expected to face a shortage of sports wear, shoes, track pants, leggings. This is because retailers and suppliers are dealing with a massive increase in demand due to the pandemic, reports The Guardian.
Fashion analysis firm Edited revealed that sportswear items sold out in the past month had increased by 17 per cent when compared to last year.
“Retailers and brands said they had been taken by surprise by the level of demand online during the spring and summer as the nation ditched its traditional workwear and changed into something more casual to work from home during lockdown and diverted more spare hours to keeping fit,” notes the report.
UK has recorded 7,22,409 cases of Covid-19 and 43,646 deaths.
What else we are reading:
As the coronavirus surges, a new culprit emerges — pandemic fatigue: The New York Times
Melbourne’s best-in-nation social distancing crushed the virus: The Sydney Morning Herald