Qantas, Australia’s national airline, said it will demand that all international travelers provide proof they have received a coronavirus vaccine before flying, according to reports. Alan Joyce, the CEO, told Nine News last week that the move will go into effect after the vaccine is widely available. “Whether you need that domestically, we will have to see...
Tag: dec 1 2020
CALL TO SHUTTER SKI RESORTS IN EUROPE MEETS RESISTANCE
Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, tried to persuade other members of the European Union to close their ski resorts due to concerns about the coronavirus. The Financial Times reported last Thursday that Merkel has faced resistance from countries such as Austria. Sebastian Kurz, the Austrian chancellor, indicated he has little intention to close these venues at the...
CHINESE MEDIA CAST DOUBT ON COVID ORIGINS
One of the main Chinese Communist party newspapers floated the theory last week that COVID did not start inside a wet market in Wuhan, where the disease was first identified. The Financial Times reported that the People’s Daily newspaper presented “fringe theories” that “all available evidence” indicates the virus was brought into the city, which is in the Hubei...
LA ANNOUNCES “SAFER AT HOME” ORDER FOR THREE WEEKS
Los Angeles County announced last week it would implement a three-week-long “safer at home” order in its effort to stem the spread of the coronavirus in the county of 10.04 million. Dr. Barbara Ferrer, the county’s health director, announced last Friday that there were an additional 19 deaths, 3,143 new cases, and 1,951 hospitalizations. “If...
BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT BOLSONARO: NO VAX FOR ME
Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s president, said in a live stream last Thursday that when the coronavirus vaccine is approved by his country’s health department, he will make sure the vaccine is available for free for the public, but he said he has no interest in being inoculated. “I’m telling you, I’m not going to take it....
U.K. POLICE ARREST ANTI-LOCKDOWN PROTESTERS
Authorities in central London clashed with anti-lockdown protesters on Saturday and made 155 arrests after Metropolitan police declared the demonstration unlawful, according to reports. The Guardian newspaper described a chaotic scene that at one point involved a man dressed as Santa Claus who stopped traffic while chanting “Freedom!” The protests broke out after new lockdown orders affected...
SUICIDES IN JAPAN & S. KOREA SURGE AMID PANDEMIC
Although there are no published studies about the coronavirus outbreak and its effect on global suicide rates, Japan and South Korea have announced a troubling increase over the past few months, according to reports. The Washington Post noted that in October, Japan reported the highest number of monthly suicides in five years, bringing the total to 2,153....
CUOMO TO RECEIVE EMMY FOR HIS COVID TV SHOW
Despite totaling up more COVID deaths than any state in the union, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will be honored with an Emmy award for his daily coronavirus briefings held earlier this year at the height of the outbreak. Bruce Paisner, the CEO of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, said Cuomo’s 111...
SMALL GATHERINGS MAY NOT BE HIGH RISK FOR COVID TRANSMISSION
Once again changing their stance, now the media’s top scientists are casting doubt on the widely held belief that small gatherings are a driving force on COVID transmission, which puts a new spotlight on elected officials and their recent restrictions on gatherings for Thanksgiving. Facts Don’t Matter Commenting on the unscientific nature of the limits...
AD COUNCIL APPROVES VACCINE PROPAGANDA CAMPAIGN
COVID vaccines have not been rolled out yet, but the Ad Council has plans in play for the general public to buy their “It’s great to get vaccinated” sales pitch. Lisa Sherman, the Ad Council’s chief executive, told The New York Times, “We’re working in advance so that once those vaccines are proven to be safe...