The 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic has affected international relations and caused diplomatic tensions. The diplomatic relations have been affected due to the tensions around trade and transport of medicines, diagnostic tests and hospital equipment for coronavirus disease 2019. [1] Leaders of some countries have accused other countries for not containing the disease effectively and resulting in the uncontrolled spread of the virus. [2] [3] Developing nations in Latin America and Africa cannot find enough materials for testing for coronavirus disease, partly because other countries in Europe and the United States and outspending the resources. [4]
The Chinese government has been criticised by the United States for its handling of the pandemic, which began in the Chinese province of Hubei. [5] In Brazil, the Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of President Jair Bolsonaro, caused a diplomatic dispute with China when he retweeted a message saying: "The blame for the global coronavirus pandemic has a name and surname: the Chinese Communist party." Yang Wanming, China's top diplomat in Brazil, retweeted a message that said: "The Bolsonaro family is the great poison of this country." [6]
Some commentators believe the state propaganda in China is promoting a narrative that China's authoritarian system is uniquely capable of curbing the coronavirus and contrasts that with the chaotic response of the Western democracies. [7] [8] [9] European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that "China is aggressively pushing the message that, unlike the US, it is a responsible and reliable partner." [10]
To counter its negative image, China has sent aid to 82 countries, the World Health Organization, and the African Union. [11] [12] [13] According to Yangyang Cheng, a postdoctoral research associate at Cornell University, "The Chinese government has been trying to project Chinese state power beyond its borders and establish China as a global leader, not dissimilar to what the U.S. government has been doing for the better part of a century, and the distribution of medical aid is part of this mission." [13] Borrell warned that there is "a geo-political component including a struggle for influence through spinning and the ‘politics of generosity’." [10]
The United States has come under scrutiny by officials from other countries for allegedly hijacking shipments of crucial supplies meant for other countries. [14] [15] [16]
Jean Rottner, the President of France's Regional council of Grand Est, accused the United States of disrupting face mask deliveries by buying at the last minute. [17] French officials stated that Americans came to the airport tarmac and offered several times the French payment as the shipment was prepared for departure to France. [15] Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada, asked Bill Blair, the Public Safety Minister, and Marc Garneau, the Transportation Minister, to investigate allegations that medical supplies originally intended for Canada were diverted to the United States. [18] German politician Andreas Geisel accused the United States of committing "modern piracy" after reports that 200,000 N95 masks meant for German police were diverted during an en-route transfer between airplanes in Thailand to the United States, [19] but later changed his statement after he clarified that the mask orders were made through a German firm, not a U.S. firm as earlier stated, and the supply chain issues were under review. [20]
Due to shortages in coronavirus tests Maryland Governor Larry Hogan had his wife Yumi Hogan, who was born in South Korea, to speak with the South Korean ambassador and afterwards multiple South Korea companies stated that they would send tests to Maryland. [21]
On 2 April 2020, President Trump invoked the Defense Production Act of 1950 to halt exports of masks produced by 3M to Canada and Latin America. [22] Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that it would be a mistake for both their countries to limit trade of essential goods or services, including medical supplies and professionals, and remarked that this moves in both directions. [22] The Canadian government has turned to China and other places for crucial medical supplies, while they seek a constructive discussion about the issue with the Trump administration. [23]
Donald Trump warned India for retaliation if the government does not release hydroxychloroquine medicine to the US. [24] [25] Following this, India lifted the temporary export ban on the drug paving the way for shipping it to the United States. [26]
The Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that "If we don't propose now a unified, powerful and effective response to this economic crisis, not only the impact will be tougher, but its effects will last longer and we will be putting at risk the entire European project", while the Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte commented that "the whole European project risks losing its raison d'être in the eyes of our own citizens". [27] From 4 to 19 March, Germany banned the export of personal protective equipment, [28] [29] and France also restricted exports of medical equipment, drawing criticism from EU officials who called for solidarity. [30] Many Schengen Area countries closed their borders to stem the spread of the virus. [31]
Debates over how to respond to the epidemic and its economic fallout have opened up a rift between Northern and Southern European member states, reminiscent of debates over the 2010s European debt crisis. [32] Nine EU countries—Italy, France, Belgium, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and Luxembourg—called for "corona bonds" (a type of eurobond) in order to help their countries to recover from the epidemic, on 25 March. Their letter stated, "The case for such a common instrument is strong, since we are all facing a symmetric external shock." [33] [34] Northern European countries such as Germany, Austria, Finland, and the Netherlands oppose the issuing of joint debt, fearing that they would have to pay it back in the event of a default. Instead, they propose that countries should apply for loans from the European Stability Mechanism. [35] [36] Corona bonds were discussed on 26 March 2020 in a European Council meeting, which dragged out for three hours longer than expected due to the "emotional" reactions of the prime ministers of Spain and Italy. [37] [38] European Council President Charles Michel [36] and European Central Bank head Christine Lagarde have urged the EU to consider issuing joint debt. [38] Unlike the European debt crisis—partly caused by the affected countries—southern European countries did not cause the coronavirus pandemic, therefore eliminating the appeal to national responsibility. [35]
Sixteen member nations of the European Union issued a statement warning that certain emergency measures issued by countries during the coronavirus pandemic could undermine the principles of rule of law and democracy on 1 April. They announced that they "support the European Commission initiative to monitor the emergency measures and their application to ensure the fundamental values of the Union are upheld." [39] The statement does not mention Hungary, but observers believe that it implicitly refers to a Hungarian law granting plenary power to the Hungarian Government during the coronavirus pandemic. The following day, the Hungarian Government joined the statement. [40] [41]
The Hungarian parliament passed the law granting plenary power to the Government by qualified majority, 137 to 53 votes in favor, on 30 March 2020. After promulgating the law, the President of Hungary, János Áder, announced that he had concluded that the time frame of the Government's authorization would be definite and its scope would be limited. [42] [43] [44] [45] Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, stated that she was concerned about the Hungarian emergency measures and that it should be limited to what is necessary and Minister of State Michael Roth suggested that economic sanctions should be used against Hungary. [46] [47]
The heads of thirteen member parties of the European People's Party (EPP) made a proposal to expunge the Hungarian Fidesz for the new legislation on 2 April. In response, Viktor Orbán expressed his willingness to discuss any issues relating to Fidesz's membership "once the pandemic is over" in a letter addressed to the Secretary General of EPP Antonio López-Istúriz White. Referring to the thirteen leading politicians' proposal, Orbán also stated that "I can hardly imagine that any of us having time for fantasies about the intentions of other countries. This seems to be a costly luxury these days." [48] During a video conference of the foreign ministers of the European Union member states on 3 April 2020, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Péter Szijjártó, asked for the other ministers to read the legislation itself not its politically motivated presentations in newspapers before commenting on it. [49]
Japan–South Korea relations worsened as a result of the pandemic. [50] After Japan declared it would start quarantining all arrivals from South Korea, the South Korean government described the move as “unreasonable, excessive and extremely regrettable”, and that it couldn't "help but question whether Japan has other motives than containing the outbreak". [51]
Iran's regime spread a narrative that the coronavirus is a conspiracy orchestrated by the United States. [52] Hossein Salami, commander of the guard, suggested that coronavirus may be an American biological invasion. [52]
The Strategic National Stockpile (SNS), originally called the National Pharmaceutical Stockpile (NPS), is the United States' national repository of antibiotics, vaccines, chemical antidotes, antitoxins, and other critical medical supplies.
The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic is an ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The outbreak was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, declared to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30 January 2020, and recognized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization on 11 March 2020. As of 15 April 2020, more than 1.98 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported in 210 countries and territories, resulting in more than 126,000 deaths. More than 486,000 people have recovered, although there may be a possibility of relapse or reinfection. The deaths per diagnosed cases varies significantly between countries.
The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic has had far-reaching consequences beyond the spread of the disease and efforts to quarantine it. As the pandemic has spread around the globe, concerns have shifted from supply-side manufacturing issues to decreased business in the services sector.
After the initial outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), conspiracy theories, misinformation, and disinformation emerged regarding the origin, scale, prevention, treatment, and other aspects of the disease. Disinformation and misinformation can be spread through social media, text messages, as well as the state media of countries such as China, Iran and Turkmenistan, and they may be propagated by celebrities, politicians, or other prominent public figures. Medical misinformation about ways to prevent, treat, and self-diagnose coronavirus disease has circulated on social media. Some false claims may be commercial scams offering at-home tests, supposed preventives, and "miracle" cures. The World Health Organization has declared an "infodemic" of incorrect information about the virus, which poses risks to global health.
The ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019, a new infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, spread to the United States in January 2020. Cases have occurred in all fifty U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and all inhabited U.S. territories except American Samoa. As of April 11, 2020, the U.S. has the most confirmed active cases and deaths in the world, and all fifty states have received disaster declarations from the federal government. The state of New York has seen more than 10,000 deaths, more than any other state.
As of April 2020, the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has had a more moderate impact in Taiwan than in many neighboring countries, with relatively few infections overall. The first case was announced on 21 January 2020.
As of 13 March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) considered Europe the active centre of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic. Cases by country across Europe had doubled over periods of typically 3 to 4 days, with some countries showing doubling every 2 days.
The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic was confirmed to have reached Germany on 27 January 2020, when the first COVID-19 case was confirmed and contained near Munich, Bavaria. The majority of the cases in January and early February originated from the headquarters of a car parts manufacturer there. On 25 and 26 February, multiple cases related to the Italian outbreak were detected in Baden-Württemberg. A large cluster linked to a Carnival event was formed in Heinsberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, with the first death reported on 9 March 2020. New clusters were introduced in other regions via Heinsberg as well as via people coming from Italy, Iran and China, from where non-Germans could arrive by plane until 17-18 March.
The 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic was first confirmed to have spread to Belgium on 4 February 2020, when a Belgian national out of a group of nine Belgians repatriated from Wuhan to Brussels tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. Transmission within Belgium was then confirmed early March at the end of the school holidays around carnival, when many tourists back from Northern Italy returned to work or school, leading to an epidemic with a rapid increase in cases in March–April 2020. By the end of March, cases had been registered in all 10 provinces of the country.
This article documents the chronology and epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in April 2020, the virus responsible for the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic which originated in Wuhan, China. Some developments may become known or fully understood only in retrospect.
During the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic, human rights violations including censorship, discrimination, arbitrary detention, xenophobia were reported from different parts of the world. Amnesty International has responded that "Human rights violations hinder, rather than facilitate, responses to public health emergencies, and undercut their efficiency." The World Health Organization has stated that stay-at-home measures for slowing down the pandemic must not be done at the expense of human rights.
As part of an ongoing worldwide pandemic, the first two patients with COVID-19 in Venezuela were confirmed on 13 March 2020; the first death was reported on 26 March. However, the first record of a patient claiming to have symptoms of coronavirus disease dates back to 29 February 2020, with government officials suspecting that the first person carrying the virus could have entered the country as early as 25 February.
Corona Rintawan is an Indonesian physician specializing in emergency medicine. Active in the field since 2003, he has led the NGO Muhammadiyah's medical response team in multiple disasters, most recently the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.
The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic affected the political systems of multiple countries causing suspensions of legislative activities, isolation or deaths of multiple politicians, and rescheduling of elections due to fears of spreading the virus.
The criticism of response to the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic has included several national governments and some supranational bodies.
Medical material and other goods shortages caused by the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic are a major issue of the ongoing pandemic. The matter of pandemic-related shortage has been studied in the past and has been documented in recent events. On the medical side, shortages of personal protective equipment such as medical masks, gloves, face shields, gear, sanitising products, are also joined by potential shortage of more advanced devices such as hospital beds, ICU beds, oxygen therapy, mechanical ventilations and ECMO devices. Human resources, especially in terms of medical staff, may be drained by the overwhelming extent of the epidemic and associated workload, together with losses by contamination, isolation, sickness or mortality among health care workers. While preparing for the apex of the epidemic, New York governor Andrew Cuomo cited as main components for health care system to support the apex load to be ICU Hospital beds, supplies (PPE) and equipment, together with relevant-skills health care workers, who are at risk from the virus but also from physical and emotional exhaustion. Territories are differently equipped to face the pandemic. Various emergency measures have been taken to ramp up equipment levels such as purchases, while calls for donations, local 3D makers, volunteer staffing, mandatory draft, or seizure of stocks and factory lines have also occurred. Bidding wars between different countries and states over these items are reported to be a major issue, with price increases, orders seized by local government, or cancelled by selling company to be redirected to higher bidder. In some cases, medical workers have been ordered to not speak about these shortages of resources.
This article documents the chronology of the response to the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, which originated in Wuhan, China in December 2019. Some developments may become known or fully understood only in retrospect. Reporting on this outbreak began in December 2019.
There are no confirmed COVID-19 cases in Tajikistan. An article in The Diplomat raised questions about Tajikistan's lack of reported coronavirus cases.
The ongoing 2019–2020 coronavirus pandemic was first confirmed to have spread to the European Union on 21 January 2020 when a person tested positive in Bordeaux, France.
The wearing of face masks during the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic has received varying recommendations from different public health agencies and governments. The topic has been a subject of debate, with public health agencies and governments disagreeing on a universal protocol for wearing face masks. Some groups are recommending that all members of the public wear masks, while others recommend that only COVID-19 patients and their caretakers should wear masks. Additionally, public health agencies of different countries and territories have changed their recommendations regarding face masks over time. Face masks have been a subject of shortages and also been made compulsory in some countries.