The drugmaker Moderna out of Cambridge, Massachusetts announced that their coronavirus vaccine appears to be safe and able to stimulate an immune response against the COVID-19 virus. The initial results are from testing performed on eight volunteers. The second phase involving 600 people will begin soon and is on an accelerated timeline.
- Several states will start to re-open on a limited basis this week, including Connecticut, Kentucky, and Minnesota. New York City is expected to meet New York state guidelines for reopening by mid-June.
- Anti-lockdown rallies are planned for later this week in California, Kansas, and Michigan.
Latest global updates:
- India extended the nationwide lockdown until at least 31 May. Domestic and international air travel remains suspended.
- Luxembourg has extended its entry ban for non-EU nationals to at least 15 June, in line with European Commission recommendations.
- Kenya has shut its borders with Tanzania and Somalia as of 16 May.
- Italy announced that international travel may resume on 03 June.
What we know:
- Over 4,840,000 confirmed cases worldwide
- 317,000 deaths
- 1,875,000 recovered
TRAVEL ADVICE
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The U.S. State Dept. has issued Level 4: DO NOT TRAVEL guidance for the entire world amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, Global Guardian recommends the following:
- Return to the U.S. if currently abroad while commercial means are still available. Otherwise, prepare to remain abroad for an indefinite period.
- Avoid all international travel.
- Practice advanced careful hygiene measures, including frequent hand washing and sanitizing.
- Practice "social distancing" while in public spaces.
OUTLOOK
Many countries in Europe are now starting to re-open limited parts of their economies and the success of those restarts will be key for how other nations handle lifting of restrictions. However, others, like Russia and Brazil, are seeing daily increases in new cases and are several months behind on likely re-opening.
JOIN US FOR OUR UPCOMING WEBINAR: A Q&A Session with the Global Guardian Team
Wednesday, May 20 | 1:00 to 2:00 PM EST
As we navigate what the new normal looks like, Global Guardian continues to provide COVID-19 support, including regular intel reporting, employee trainings, protocols on returning to work safely, how we need to think about the future of travel, and more.
Join us for a webinar on Wednesday, May 20, where you will have the chance to ask your COVID-19 related questions and hear directly from Dale Buckner, CEO, Michael Ballard, Director of Intelligence and Dr. Chris White, Assistant Medical Director. The team will provide a 15-minute overview of the current COVID-19 status followed by 45-minutes of Q&A. To register, click here.
