There is a wind of panic blowing across Asia and this wind of panic is coming from India. The Covid-19 pandemic in the world's second most populous country seems to be out of control. In just one month, the number of Covid-positive cases has almost doubled. Yesterday, India recorded 21.07 million positive cases and 230,000 deaths. At the beginning of April, the number was 12.3 million and 164,000 respectively.
Critical situation across the Indian sub-continent
Virologists believe that India is still mainly affected by the English variant, which is 70% to 80% more contagious than other strains of the virus. The suspension...
There is a wind of panic blowing across Asia and this wind of panic is coming from India. The Covid-19 pandemic in the world's second most populous country seems to be out of control. In just one month, the number of Covid-positive cases has almost doubled. Yesterday, India recorded 21.07 million positive cases and 230,000 deaths. At the beginning of April, the number was 12.3 million and 164,000 respectively.
Critical situation across the Indian sub-continent
Virologists believe that India is still mainly affected by the English variant, which is 70% to 80% more contagious than other strains of the virus. The suspension of air services to the country and the ban on visas for Indian nationals have not prevented the spread of the pandemic to neighbouring countries.
Sri Lanka and Nepal are now affected. Le Nepal has also decided to close its airspace at the start of the week, while the number of cases of infection reached almost 9,000 on 5 May. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, recorded its first 2,000 cases of infection in a single day last Wednesday.
This very rapid spread also affects South-East Asiaincluding countries that seemed to have the pandemic well under control, such as Cambodia, Laos or Thailand.
A third wave out of control in South-East Asia
The three countries are now facing a a new wave they can't stem. Laos, which prided itself on having masterfully controlled the pandemic, now has more than 1,100 cases, compared with just 60 a month ago. And the local government is not releasing all the information... It's the same story in Cambodia, where there are now 18,000 official cases and more than 100 deaths. Not so long ago, the country had 2,400 cases and 14 deaths respectively.
Thailand is expected to reach 80,000 positive cases and 350 deaths by the end of the week. This compares with 29,000 cases and 95 deaths a month ago. As a result, the Thai government postpones the reopening of its borders. And once again, the compulsory quarantine of foreign travellers for 14 days instead of 7 or 10 days.
La Malaysia is also in the eye of the storm. The country now has 425,000 cases of Covid and 1,600 deaths. On 5 May alone, the Malaysian government announced 3,744 new cases and 17 deaths. As a result, movement restrictions - curfews and reinforced health protocols - are imposed on Kuala-Lumpur and Johor Bahruwhere several clusters were discovered.
And yet, Johor Bahru faces Singapore. The island state has therefore decided to err on the side of caution. Even though, officially, it is in full control of the progress of the pandemic, with only 18 new cases recorded on 6 May and just one new death in the space of a month. Having eased up on health protocols over the last four months, offering a near-normal life to its citizens and visitors, here we have Asia's financial hub is tightening the rules again.
Singapore requires a tracing application
From 8 May, the country falls back to "level 2 social restriction".. In concrete terms, residents will be able to meet with no more than 5 people, compared with 8 previously, while 50 % of employees will have to be teleworking. Public meetings reduced from 750 to 250 people while the capacity of cultural institutions has been reduced to 50 %. However, the government insists that these measures are only temporary and are due to end on 30 May.
In addition, the Singaporean government has decided to bring forward the obligation to use the application TraceTogether. All visitors must have downloaded it onto their smartphone or purchase a TraceTogether beeper at 17 May instead of 1 June.
The application can be used to check whether people have been in contact with Covid-positive cases. It should be scanned at the entrances to public buildings or busy places such as shopping centres. This will make it easier to trace and identify a Covid case..
This New wave of Covid calls into question the gradual opening up of Asian borders. Particularly as vaccination is virtually non-existent in these countries at the moment, with a few rare exceptions. A situation that would explain why United States in favour of lifting intellectual property protection on patents anti-Covid vaccines. Such a measure would boost production in countries that do not have the resources to pay for a licence.
