(Bloomberg) — Sydney added further restrictions on travel and increased penalties for non-compliance as outbreaks of the Covid-19 delta variant reached a new peak in the Australian city of almost 6 million.
Beijing reported two local coronavirus cases, ending a six month run without a community infection, while authorities in Ho Chi Minh City and surrounding provinces estimate it may take months to contain the worst outbreak in Vietnam’s commercial hub. The organizing committee for the Tokyo Olympics found 24 new cases related to the event while Australia’s track and field team is in isolation after exposure to a confirmed infection.
South Africa’s president will promote vaccines to help overcome people’s hesitancy while Apple Inc. reinstated a mask mandate at most U.S. stores and Walt Disney Co. is again requiring face coverings at its parks in Florida and California.
Key Developments:
- Global Tracker: Cases top 195 million; deaths surpass 4.18 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 3.98 billion doses administered
- Sailing on a Knife Edge as Genting Starts Hong Kong ‘Seacations’
- Delta’s Spread Is Testing Even Aggressive ‘Covid Zero’ Defenses
- What Makes Delta the Most Disruptive Virus Variant: QuickTake
- London’s Largest Taxi Firm Says Freedom Day Was a ‘Damp Squib’
- The best and worst places to be as reopening, variants collide
Beijing Adds 2nd Local Confirmed Covid Case as Couple Infected (2:42 p.m. HK)
Beijing reported its second confirmed local case since Wednesday, breaking a six month streak of zero community infections in the Chinese capital.
The two people, a couple, had returned from a trip to the central province of Hunan.
Israel Covid Committee Recommends Booster Shot for Seniors (2:25 p.m.)
A committee advising Israel’s Health Ministry on the coronavirus pandemic recommended giving seniors a third dose of vaccine to help control the recent uptick in cases.
The “vast majority” of the committee was in agreement, although opinions differed over the minimum age for eligibility, ranging between 60 and 70 years old, according to a statement from the ministry on Thursday. The ministry’s director-general, Nachman Ash, will make a final decision on the booster shot in the coming days, the ministry said.
South Africa President to Promote Vaccines After Hesitancy Study (2:05 p.m. HK)
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will promote vaccines after a survey found more than half of the country’s population say they are unlikely to get immunized against Covid-19.
Ramaphosa will visit two vaccine sites in Gauteng province on Thursday, the presidency said in a statement on its website. Vaccines are a safe and effective defense against serious illness, hospitalization and death, it said in the statement.
About 54% of South Africans say they are unlikely to get a vaccine and almost half say they believe prayer provides more protection than the shots, according to an Afrobarometer survey of 1,600 South Africans. The study highlights a hurdle for the government’s drive to inoculate two thirds of its 60 million people in a bid to curb infections.
Australian Track Team Isolates as U.S. Athlete Gets Covid: 7 (12:58 p.m. HK)
Australia’s Olympic track and field team has gone into isolation as a precaution after an athlete may have been exposed to a confirmed Covid-19 case from a rival team, Channel Seven news in Australia reported Thursday.
The Australian team will remain in isolation, pending tests, the television network said. The move comes after U.S. officials said pole vaulter Sam Kendricks had tested positive to Covid-19 and won’t compete in the Games.
Earlier, the organizing committee reported 24 new coronavirus cases related to the event, three of them among athletes. While the number of infections directly connected with the Olympics has so far been relatively low, Tokyo and its surrounding areas are experiencing their worst-yet virus wave.
Thai Finance Ministry Cuts GDP Growth Forecast (12:26 p.m. HK)
Thailand’s Ministry of Finance cut its forecast for economic growth as the country battles political tensions and surging infections that have dimmed prospects for a tourism revival.
The ministry expects Thai GDP to grow 1.3% in 2021, down from an April prediction of 2.3%. The economy contracted 6.1% last year, the most in more than two decades.
With new Covid infections and deaths continually breaking records since the latest surge began in April, some economists are flagging the possibility of a technical recession in the second half of the year or even a second straight annual contraction.
Germany Demands Fair Play From Biden on U.S. Travel Rules (12 p.m. HK)
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government charged President Joe Biden’s administration with hampering German business interests by continuing to restrict European travelers from entering the U.S.
The rules have caused tensions with Berlin because the European Union has opened its doors to Americans, and it’s time for the U.S. to do the same, according to Peter Beyer, the transatlantic coordinator for Merkel’s government.
England has also dropped some of its rules with visitors from the U.S. and most EU countries who have received two shots no longer required to self-isolate.
Sydney’s Delta Case Surge Prompts Tougher Lockdown Restrictions (9:26 a.m. HK)
Sydney’s delta-outbreak cases reached a new peak even as the city nears the end of its fifth week under strict stay-at-home orders, triggering authorities to implement further restrictions and penalties to enforce compliance.
New South Wales, Australia’s biggest state economy, recorded 239 new cases Thursday — the highest tally since this outbreak started in Sydney in mid-June. At least 70 cases were active in the community while infectious, concerning health officials that the delta variant may further spread in the city.
Mask-wearing in public will be mandated for the city’s worst-hit areas, with penalties increased from a A$200 ($147) fine to A$500, New South Wales state Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters on Thursday. Stricter travel restrictions will be implemented, and thousands of additional police officers are being tasked with ensuring compliance.
Disney to Require Masks Again at Florida, California Parks (9:23 a.m. HK)
Walt Disney Co. is requiring masks again at its theme parks in Florida and California, a response to surging cases of the new delta variant, joining other companies in reinstating mask mandates after new guidance from U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Disney, the world’s largest theme-park operator, reopened its Florida resorts last year and its California parks in April. It and other resort operators lifted mask requirements for vaccinated guests at the start of the summer as inoculations rose nationally. Now, all visitors age 2 and over will be required to wear masks in all indoor locations at the parks starting Friday, regardless of vaccination status, Disney said in an emailed statement.
Ho Chi Minh City May Need Months to Contain Covid-19 Outbreak (9:09 a.m. HK)
Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City and surrounding provinces estimate it may take months to contain the region’s worst Covid-19 outbreak, the government website reported, citing Deputy Premier Vu Duc Dam.
Eleven of 12 Mekong Delta provinces followed Ho Chi Minh City by imposing night curfews, Tuoi Tre newspaper reported. Multiple localities, including Ho Chi Minh City, have put in place stay-home orders.
Twitter Closes Offices it Had Reopened, NYT Says (8:32 a.m. HK)
Twitter Inc. is closing its newly reopened offices in San Francisco and New York and indefinitely postponing other reopening plans, the New York Times reported.
Twitter made no announcement about when it would allow employees to return and the decision was made after the company considered the latest advice from the CDC, the newspaper said. The social media company had allowed employees to return to its San Francisco and New York offices on July 12.
Lyft Pushes Office Return Date to February, Citing Virus Concern (6:08 a.m. HK)
Lyft Inc. postponed the date for employees to return to most of its offices by six months, saying in an email to staff on Wednesday that it now expects employees to return on Feb. 2.
The decision follows an advisory from the CDC advising even vaccinated people to wear masks inside in some parts of the country. Lyft’s offices will remain open for employees who want to come in, and company will require those currently working there to be vaccinated started Aug. 2.
California Joins Mask Recommendations (4:16 p.m. NY)
California is recommending mask use in all public indoor settings, regardless of vaccination status, following the CDC’s revised guidance. More than 90% of the state’s population is in areas with substantial or high transmission, the Department of Health said. Los Angeles County, the nation’s most populous, has made masks a requirement.
Apple to Restore Mask Mandate at Stores (3:30 p.m. NY)
Apple Inc. plans to restore a mask requirement at most of its U.S. retail stores on Thursday for both customers and staff, even those who are vaccinated, in a response to a resurgence in Covid cases.
The company informed retail staff of the move Wednesday in a memo obtained by Bloomberg News. Apple already started requiring masks for employees at select stores earlier this month, and it pushed back a return-to-office deadline for corporate employees. It also began requiring masks for customers in a few counties based on local guidelines.
Google to Require Employee Vaccines (1:40 p.m. NY)
Alphabet Inc.’s Google postponed its date for bringing employees back to its offices by a month, and will require returning workers to be vaccinated, Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai wrote on Wednesday.
The internet search giant will now ask most of its staff to return to campuses starting Oct. 18. Previously, the company had set September for the return. Employees who come back will be required to show proof of vaccination, Pichai wrote in a note to employees that was posted on a Google website.
Apple also extended its return to office to October earlier this month.
N.Y. Eyes Vaccine Mandate for Employees (11:34 a.m. NY)
New York state is working with unions to mandate employees be vaccinated or get tested, Governor Andrew Cuomo said. Officials aim to have that done by Labor Day, he said, and urged local governments do the same.
All patient-facing health-care workers in New York state hospitals must get vaccinated, and there will be no testing option, he said. In response to revised CDC guidance on indoor masking, Cuomo said he is reviewing the issue and speaking with federal and international experts.
Pfizer Raises Vaccine Revenue Forecast (6:46 a.m. NY)
Pfizer said the vaccine it developed with Germany’s BioNTech SE is bringing in more sales than expected, prompting the company to raise its revenue estimate for the year to about $33.5 billion. The drugmaker previously expected the vaccine to garner about $26 billion in sales this year.
The Covid shot is poised to set a record for sales of a drug in a single year. In the second quarter, the vaccine drew $7.8 billion, more than the $7.05 billion analysts expected.
Norway Leads Covid Resilience Ranking (5 a.m. NY)
Norway now leads a group of European nations that have leaped ahead of the U.S. in Bloomberg’s July Covid Resilience Ranking.
The U.S.’s reign as the No. 1 on the ranking was short-lived. Its vaccination drive has plateaued and cases, fueled by the delta variant, surged anew in July, triggering renewed restrictions in some parts of the country. Still, deaths remain a fraction of what they were during previous waves.
The U.K. is also facing uncertainty, dropping 16 rungs to 25th as cases at one point jumped the most in the world. Though deaths have so far stayed low thanks to high vaccine penetration, the resurgence has undermined confidence.
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