South Korea’s Rapid Virus Response Aided By ‘Smart’ Urban Planning System
Developments in the global pandemic are reported out of South Korea, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, Mexico, Brazil, India, Russia, Pakistan, Italy and other nations.
Reuters:
How South Korea Turned An Urban Planning System Into A Virus Tracking Database
When a man in Seoul tested positive for the new coronavirus in May, South Korean authorities were able to confirm his wide-ranging movements in and outside the city in minutes, including five bars and clubs he visited on a recent night out. (Shin, Jin and Smith, 5/22)
The Associated Press:
Arrivals To UK Face 14-Day Quarantine Under Government Plan
People arriving in the U.K. will have to quarantine themselves for 14 days and could be fined 1,000 pounds ($1,220) if they fail to comply under a plan being announced Friday by the British government. Home Secretary Priti Patel will set out details of the measures, which have already sparked confusion and criticism from airlines, airports and lockdown-weary Britons wondering whether they will get to take a vacation aboard this summer. (Lawless, 5/22)
The New York Times:
Democracy Fades In Malaysia As Old Order Returns To Power
The members of Malaysia’s Parliament, wearing face masks to match their crisp white uniforms, convened this week in the vast lower house chamber for the first time this year. Malaysia’s king, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, sat on an ornate golden throne and spoke for half an hour. No questions were allowed. No votes were taken. Afterward, Parliament was adjourned until July. This is what passes today for democracy in Malaysia. (Paddock, 5/22)
The New York Times:
Hong Kong Protesters Surprised By China's Security Law
The last time they faced a proposal that would have curbed their autonomy from mainland China, Hong Kong residents flooded the city’s streets, stormed its legislature and clashed with police amid flames and clouds of tear gas. They stared down local leaders, who they said were doing the bidding of Beijing, and ultimately the government relented. But Hong Kong’s pro-democracy opposition movement is now confronting a far mightier foe: Beijing itself. (Wang and Ramzy, 5/22)
The Associated Press:
Virus Accelerates Across Latin America, India, Pakistan
The coronavirus pandemic accelerated across Latin America, Russia and the Indian subcontinent on Friday even as curves flattened and reopening was underway in much of Europe, Asia and the United States. Many governments say they have to shift their focus to saving jobs that are vanishing as quickly as the virus can spread. In the United States and China, the world’s two largest economies, unemployment is soaring. (Hinnant, Saaliq and Biller, 5/22)
The New York Times:
The Circus Came To Town, Then It Couldn’t Leave
At the end of Italy’s coronavirus lockdown, one of the camels broke free. On a narrow field surrounded by low-rise apartments, bus stops and a tangled ribbon of highway ramps, the camel scampered past lions, which leapt against their cage. It distracted the acrobats practicing their flips on an aerial hoop and sauntered toward the languid, pregnant tiger, and stalls of horses and African Watusi bulls. An animal tamer, wearing a welding helmet as he attended to some repairs, quickly chased the camel down. (Horowitz, 5/22)
