And How’s The Rest Of The World Doing?

The New York Times: China Uses W.H.O. Inquiry To Tout Coronavirus Response 
Chinese officials are hailing a visit by a team of experts sent to Beijing by the World Health Organization to investigate the source of the coronavirus as evidence that the country is a responsible and transparent global power. But the investigation by the W.H.O. is likely to take many months and could face delays. For starters, there are logistical headaches. China has placed the advance team of experts who are laying the groundwork for a broader investigation under a standard 14-day quarantine, forcing them to do some of their detective work from a distance. (Hernandez and Qin, 7/21)

AP: Over 22% Of People In Delhi Have Had Virus, Study Indicates
More than one in five people in Delhi have been infected with the coronavirus, according to a study released Tuesday, indicating that most cases in the Indian capital region have gone undetected. The National Center for Disease Control tested 21,387 people selected randomly across Delhi, the state that includes New Delhi, and found that 23.48% had antibodies to the virus. Adjusting for false positives and negatives, it estimated that 22.86% of the population had been infected by the virus, Dr. Sujeet Kumar Singh, who heads the institute, said in a news conference Tuesday. (Schmall and Ghosal, 7/21)

The Washington Post: Bahamas Ban American Tourists As Coronavirus Cases Spike 
One of the few countries to welcome U.S. tourists has changed its mind, citing soaring infection numbers. The Bahamas will close its borders to most visitors from the United States starting Wednesday, Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said Sunday. While commercial flights from Canada, Britain and the European Union will still be allowed to land, all visitors must show proof that they tested negative for the coronavirus at an accredited lab in the past 10 days. Other international flights will be banned. (Noori Farzan, 7/20)

Reuters: Social Distancing Canadians Eye New Sight At Niagara Falls: Crowds Of Americans 
The tourist hotspot of Niagara Falls has gained a new photo-op for social distancing Canadian visitors on board ferries taking them into the mist of the falls: crowds of Americans. Although cases of COVID-19 continue to rise across the United States, neighboring Canada has largely managed to contain the spread of the virus, helped by strict social distancing measures and mandatory masks in several jurisdictions. At the famous waterfalls on the U.S.-Canadian border, Canadian ferries are limited to just six passengers per boat, out of a 700 person capacity. But on the U.S. side, the ferries are operating at 50% capacity, according to Maid of the Mist boat tours. (Osorio, 7/21)

AP: Nobel Prize Banquet In Sweden Canceled
The Nobel Foundation, which manages the prestigious Nobel Prizes, says it has canceled the traditional December banquet at the Stockholm City Hall due to the coronavirus pandemic. Lars Heikensten, CEO of the Nobel Foundation, said it is not possible to gather up to 1,300 banquet guests and let them sit next to each other amid the current COVID-19 restrictions. He said the pandemic also makes it uncertain whether prize winners can travel to Sweden. (7/22)

AP: Australian State Leader Says Sick Not Isolating
Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said nine out of 10 people did not self-isolate between having symptoms and being tested. More than half did not self-isolate between when they were tested and when they got the results. Andrews also announced two more deaths, both men in their 90s, bringing the national death toll to 128. Face masks will become compulsory from Thursday for residents in lockdown regions when they leave their homes. (7/22)

Reuters: Masks For Melbourne As Australia's Coronavirus Tally Rises By Record 
Residents of Australia’s second most populous city, Melbourne, must wear masks when leaving home from Wednesday as the country posted a record rise in novel coronavirus cases while New South Wales state was on “high alert." Australia recorded 501 new coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours, its highest since the epidemic took hold in March. Its death toll also rose by 2 to 128. Victoria state, of which Melbourne is capital, accounted for most of the new cases, with 484. (Pandey, 7/21)

AP: Crisis Hits Lebanon's Hospitals, Among The Best In Mideast
Lebanon’s hospitals, long considered among the best in the Middle East, are cracking under the country’s financial crisis, struggling to pay staff, keep equipment running or even stay open amid a surge in coronavirus cases. Private hospitals, the engine of the health system, warn they may have to shut down. Chronically underfunded public hospitals, which have led the fight against the virus, fear they will be overrun. (El Deeb, 7/22)

NPR: Brazil Tops 80,000 COVID-19 Deaths As 2 Government Ministers Test Positive For Virus
Two government ministers in Brazil have tested positive for the coronavirus as the country – second only to the U.S. in the number of infections – surpassed 80,000 deaths from the disease. Citizenship Minister Onyx Lorenzoni, a close ally of President Jair Bolsonaro, and Education Minister Milton Ribeiro announced separately their diagnoses on social media. (Neuman, 7/21)

The Washington Post: How Uruguay Has Avoided The Worst Of The Coronavirus
In the weeks and months that followed the March 13 diagnoses of four recent travelers from Europe, the nation of 3.4 million would keep the virus in check. Wedged between Brazil, suffering the second-worst outbreak in the world, and Argentina, where infections are now surging, Uruguay has reported just 1,064 cases and 33 deaths — unusually low numbers for a Latin American nation testing widely. In June, it became the first country in the region to reopen virtually all public schools. It’s the only country in Latin America from which the European Union will accept visitors. (Fernandez Simon, 7/21)

AP: WHO Warns New Ebola Outbreak In Congo Faces Funding Gap
The World Health Organization said Tuesday it is facing a “serious funding gap” to battle the new outbreak of Ebola in remote corners of northern Congo amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. The $1.75 million raised so far will only last for a few more weeks, the WHO warned, adding that the response effort is particularly expensive because of how difficult it is to get health teams and supplies into the densely forested area. (Okamba, 7/21)

In Olympics news —

Reuters: Tokyo 2020 Preparing To Deliver Games With COVID-19: CEO Muto 
Tokyo Olympics organisers are preparing to host the Games next year even if the global coronavirus pandemic hasn’t eased substantially, organising committee chief executive Toshiro Muto told Reuters on Tuesday. The Tokyo Olympics had been scheduled to start on Friday but were put back to 2021 because of the pandemic. (7/21)

Reuters: Confusion Swirls As Japan Launches Tourism Campaign Amid Virus Surge 
Japan on Wednesday kicked off a national travel campaign aimed at reviving its battered tourism industry, but the effort has drawn heavy criticism amid a jump in new coronavirus cases. “Go To Travel” - dubbed “Go To Trouble” by some local media - offers subsidies of up to 50% on trips to and from prefectures excluding Tokyo, which was removed from the programme last week after infections surged to new highs. But many of Japan’s governors wanted the campaign delayed or amended out of fear it would spread the virus to rural areas with low infection numbers, while a Mainichi newspaper poll this week showed 69% of the public wanted the programme cancelled entirely. (7/22)