Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
England To Reduce Size Of Gatherings To 6 As Cases Sharply Increase
Politico: Social Gatherings Of More Than 6 To Be Banned In England
Social gatherings of more than six people will be banned in England from Monday in response to a sharp increase in coronavirus cases, Boris Johnson is set to announce. The prime minister is to give a press conference on Wednesday at which he will confirm that the legal limit at which police can disperse gatherings of people will be reduced from the current 30 to just six. (Cooper, 9/8)
The Washington Post: Italy’s Bergamo Finds Covid-19 Leaves Long-Term Effects For Some
BERGAMO, Italy — The first wave is over, thousands have been buried, and in a city that was once the world’s coronavirus epicenter, the hospital is calling back the survivors. It is drawing their blood, examining their hearts, scanning their lungs, asking them about their lives.Twenty people per day, it is measuring what the coronavirus has left in its wake. “How are you feeling?” a doctor recently asked the next patient to walk in, a 54-year-old who still can’t ascend a flight of steps without losing her breath. “I feel like I’m 80 years old,” the woman said. (Harlan and Pitrelli, 9/8)
AP: UN Finds 2 Virus Cases In Syrian Refugee Camp In Jordan
The U.N. refugee agency said Tuesday it has confirmed two coronavirus cases in the Azraq camp for Syrian refugees in Jordan, which is home to more than 40,000 people who have fled their country’s civil war. They are the first infections to be detected among Syrians living in refugee camps in Jordan. The UNHCR said the two patients were transferred to quarantine facilities after testing positive late Monday, and their neighbors have been isolated as more testing is carried out. (Akour, 9/8)
PBS NewsHour: Denmark And Sweden Responded Differently To The Pandemic. How Did They Fare?
Countries around the world have pursued different strategies to cope with the coronavirus pandemic. While many implemented shutdowns, including Denmark, nearby Sweden took a different approach, trusting citizens to follow social-distancing guidelines on their own and setting an objective of herd immunity. (Brabant, 9/8)
In news from France —
Politico: French Prime Minister Tests Negative For Coronavirus
French Prime Minister Jean Castex tested negative for coronavirus after coming into contact with an infected person. "As a contact case of a person who tested positive for COVID-19, I will follow the protocol developed by the Government and the health authorities. It applies to everyone. I will exercise the fullness of my duties while scrupulously respecting the health recommendations," Castex tweeted before he was tested. (Braun and Walker, 9/8)
The Wall Street Journal: Tour De France Plows Ahead, Despite Four Covid Cases Among Team Staffers
The Tour de France survived its first round of in-race Covid-19 testing on Tuesday, despite four team staffers inside the race’s traveling bubble testing positive along with the Tour’s director. No cases were discovered among the 166 riders in the peloton, with nearly two weeks remaining in the race. The staffers were scattered across four teams—AG2R, Cofidis, Ineos, and Mitchelton-Scott—leaving them on thin ice for the rest of the Tour. French government rules that stipulate organizers must send home any team that registers two positive tests within its 30-person bubble of riders and staffers during the race. (Robinson, 9/8)
In Olympics news —
The Wall Street Journal: Tokyo Olympics Can Coexist With Covid-19, Organizers Say
Japan’s Olympics minister said the country was determined to go ahead with the Summer Games next year despite some skepticism about whether athletes from around the world can safely participate in Tokyo. “The athletes are all working towards the event next year. By all means necessary, I think we have to go ahead with the Games,” Olympics Minister Seiko Hashimoto said at a regular press conference Tuesday. (Gale, 9/8)
The Washington Post: Caster Semenya Loses Final Appeal Of IAAF Rule On Testosterone Levels
Switzerland’s top court ruled against two-time Olympic champion Caster Semenya on Tuesday, dismissing her appeal of a 2019 ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport that upheld a rule established by IAAF, track and field’s governing body, affecting female runners who produce testosterone at levels higher than other women. The ruling probably ends Semenya’s chance of defending her 2016 Olympic gold medal in the 800 meters because she has repeatedly said she would not submit to the IAAF rule. (Bonesteel, 9/8)
