Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
How The World Is Faring
The New York Times: U.K.’s Boris Johnson To Order Pubs And Restaurants To Close Early
Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain plans to impose new restrictions on nightlife, including the forced early closure of pubs and restaurants in England, as he ramps up the country’s efforts to curb a rising tide of coronavirus infections. Pubs and restaurants will be restricted by law to offering table service only and must close at 10 p.m., beginning on Thursday, Downing Street said late on Monday; ordinarily, there is no mandatory closing time, though many close at 11 p.m. The new rules are the most stringent since restaurants, pubs and many other businesses were allowed to emerge from full lockdown in July. (Castle, 9/21)
The Washington Post: UK To Face 50,000 New Cases A Day By October If Trend Continues, Say Scientists
Britain could face 50,000 coronavirus cases a day by mid-October if it stays on its current trajectory, top government scientists warned Monday. In a rare televised address from 10 Downing Street, Patrick Vallance, the British government’s chief scientific adviser, and Chris Whitty, chief medical officer for England, said the number of coronavirus cases is doubling roughly every seven days. (Adam, 9/21)
AP: As Europe Faces 2nd Wave Of Virus, Tracing Apps Lack Impact
Mobile apps tracing new COVID-19 cases were touted as a key part of Europe’s plan to beat the coronavirus outbreak. Seven months into the pandemic, virus cases are surging again and the apps have not been widely adopted due to privacy concerns, technical problems and lack of interest from the public. Britain, Portugal, and Finland this month became the latest to unveil smartphone apps that alert people if they’ve been near someone who turned out to be infected so they can seek treatment or isolate - a key step in breaking the chain of contagion. (Chan, 9/22)
In other global news —
The Washington Post: Critic Of China's Coronavirus Response Is Sentenced To 18 Years In Prison
China on Tuesday sentenced an outspoken critic of President Xi Jinping to 18 years in prison on graft charges, signaling Beijing's determination to crush dissent. Ren Zhiqiang, 69, a former real estate tycoon turned prominent political critic, has been a marked man since February, when he wrote an essay criticizing Beijing’s response to the coronavirus outbreak and called Xi a “clown with no clothes.” He was placed under investigation by the Chinese Communist Party in April. (Dou, 9/22)
USA Today: Indonesia Punishes Non-Mask-Wearers With Grave Digging
Eight people in Indonesia who refused to wear masks in public were ordered by a local official to dig graves for COVID-19 victims. As Indonesia faces an uptick of COVID-19 cases, leaders in Cerme, a district located in East Java, established stricter enforcement of social distancing and mask-wearing policies. For the eight people who violated the local mask mandate, that meant digging graves. (Bote, 9/15)
AP: As Rich Nations Struggle, Africa's Virus Response Is Praised
At a lecture to peers this month, John Nkengasong showed images that once dogged Africa, with a magazine cover declaring it “The Hopeless Continent.” Then he quoted Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah: “It is clear that we must find an African solution to our problems, and that this can only be found in African unity.” The coronavirus pandemic has fractured global relationships. But as director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Nkengasong has helped to steer Africa’s 54 countries into an alliance praised as responding better than some richer countries, including the United States. (Anna, 9/22)
The Washington Post: New Zealand, An Early Success Story, Set To Ease Most Restrictions Once Again As Second Outbreak Slows
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced plans Monday to lift coronavirus-related restrictions for most of the country, saying the nation’s mystery outbreak that began in August appears to be largely under control. The cluster of cases detected in Auckland, the country’s largest city, disrupted what had been a relatively normal few months for New Zealanders, even as other countries that had enacted stringent measures to control the spread of the virus earlier in the pandemic recorded surges in new case numbers. (O'Grady and Noori Farzan, 9/21)
