Minimizing the COVID-19 risk: advice to individuals, communities and governments for the winter holidays

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16 December 2020

Minimizing the COVID-19 risk: advice to individuals, communities and governments for the winter holidays

Winter holidays are a time for family, community and renewal. This year more than ever, across the WHO European Region, people are anxious to gather together and reflect on what has been both an extraordinary and difficult 2020.

Annually across Europe, we see a massive increase in gatherings that bring together people of all ages, including families, religious groups and friends. This brings a significant risk of increased COVID-19 transmission during the upcoming holiday season.

Despite some fragile progress, COVID-19 transmission across the European Region remains widespread and intense. There is a high risk of further resurgence in the first weeks and months of 2021, and we will need to work together if we are to succeed in preventing it.

WHO makes a plea that everyone take the following points to heart.

We must all play our part to prevent yet another resurgence of cases in Europe.
Individual decisions this winter holiday won’t just affect you and the people closest to you – they will also impact your communities.
Do not underestimate the importance of your decisions and your power – as an individual, a family or a community – to influence what happens next in this pandemic.

Table of Contents

Skiing and other gatherings: advice to governments

There are over 1000 ski resorts across the European Region. Eleven months into the pandemic, we know that ski resorts played a significant role in seeding the pandemic across Europe and that social gatherings were key in its resurgence during and after the summer.

Skiing does not spread COVID-19, but busy mountain resorts do. During the upcoming holidays, WHO recommends that countries carefully consider adapting the setup of seasonal activities to remove the possibility of crowding, especially in confined or closed settings, including during travel.

WHO offers this additional advice to countries for the winter.

Assess the winter gatherings that would normally happen, be they sporting, recreational or religious, and evaluate very carefully the risks associated with them. Authorities should consider postponing, limiting or cancelling mass gatherings in the current European transmission context.
Adjust and communicate decisions and any associated travel guidance early, based on how the virus is spreading domestically and internationally. Prevent those who have COVID-19 and their contacts from travelling.
Take measures to decongest public transport and key transportation hubs.

Celebrations, gatherings and travel: advice to individuals and communities

Despite risks, there are a few simple measures that individuals and communities can take to make the holidays and winter season as safe as possible.

On celebrations

Communities across the European Region are weighing whether or not to host religious processions, holiday markets and church celebrations. In countries experiencing widespread community transmission of the virus, postponing or reducing such gatherings should be seriously considered.

Regardless of location, religious services should take place differently this year. They should be held outdoors whenever possible or be limited in size and duration, with physical distancing, ventilation, hand hygiene and mask use, as appropriate.

On indoor gatherings

Indoor gatherings, even smaller ones, can be especially risky because they bring together groups of people, young and old, from different households, who may not all be adhering to the same infection prevention measures.

Gatherings should be held outside if possible, and participants should wear masks and maintain physical distancing. If held indoors, limiting group size and ensuring good ventilation to reduce exposure risk are key.

It may feel awkward to wear masks and practise physical distancing when around friends and family, but doing so contributes significantly to ensuring that everyone remains safe and healthy.

Vulnerable people and older friends or relatives may find it very difficult to ask loved ones to stay away physically, regardless of the anxieties or concerns they may have. Consider what others may be feeling and the difficult decisions they will be facing.

On travelling

For some people, travelling is the only way to visit families and friends. For those who are travelling, avoid any transportation that might be crowded.

Some countries require a negative test before granting access, and some others require quarantine. WHO encourages everyone to follow guidance from authorities when travelling.

While marking the holidays this year may look different, we can still make the most of it. We wish everyone a joyful and peaceful winter holiday season. Play it safe and stay healthy.

Africa needs a Farm to Fork vision too, IFAD official says

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16 December 2020

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Africa needs a Farm to Fork vision too, IFAD official says

Africa needs a ‘Farm to Fork’ vision to change its food systems in a more sustainable way and the EU can be at the centre of this transformation, according to a senior official of the United Nations fund for rural agriculture.

Dr Donal Brown is associate vice-president of the Programme Management department at the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). He spoke to EURACTIV’s journalist Gerardo Fortuna.

With its Farm to Fork strategy (F2F), the Commission aims to make the European food system a global standard for sustainability. Could this F2F model be exported in Africa too?

In Africa, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown just how dependent the world is on small-scale farmers, while also highlighting the vulnerability of the food systems and of the lives and livelihoods of small-scale producers. A majority of them live in poverty and do not have food to put on the table.

Clearly, we need food systems in Africa that follow the Farm to Fork vision, that are sustainable, climate-adapted, that provide sufficient nutritious food for all, including those who produce it, and food systems that are efficient and resilient. Achieving this requires political will, knowledge and financial resources.

The Commission and the EU member states can be at the centre of the transformation of food systems in Africa providing leadership, transferring knowledge and nurturing local solutions, and providing ample financial resources to agricultural development, which would also contribute to eradicating extreme poverty and hunger and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

What challenges for African rural people come from the pandemic?

While the health impact of the pandemic has been limited in African rural areas to date, the economic impacts have unquestionably led to an increase in poverty and hunger.

Rural communities in Africa are particularly vulnerable, as people live hand-to-mouth without economic safety nets. Restrictions in movement and other measures to contain the pandemic meant that many small-scale farmers couldn’t sell their crops and had no income, while many day labourers and other informal workers lost their jobs. Women and young people were typically worst affected, as they are most often employed informally.

In this regard, what needs to be done to ‘target’ aid for the recovery?

While emergency relief agencies provide assistance so that hungry people can access food now, it is equally important to ensure that there are no more hungry people tomorrow. To respond to the challenge, IFAD provided assistance to small-scale farmers in Africa to access the inputs, markets, information and finances they need to keep growing and selling food.

But more needs to be done. It is essential to invest in building the resilience to shocks of rural people in the poorest countries in Africa so that they can get through this crisis, rebuild their lives quickly when it is over and weather future shocks. Without assistance, African countries risk a lost decade, hunger and poverty could trigger further conflict and instability and push millions of young people to migrate.

What are the main difficulties for financial institutions like yours in coordinating the international response for the COVID recovery?

There have been perhaps two particular challenges. The first has been to react fast, flexibly and effectively. To do so, we’ve simplified many of our internal procedures to rapidly repurpose our existing investment projects. And we have also mobilised additional funding under a Rural Poor Stimulus Facility – €74 million thanks to the support of Canada, Germany, The Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland – to finance activities that enable small-scale producers to maintain their capacity to produce and market their produce.

A second challenge has been to understand precisely what the conditions are in remote rural areas and ensure that our efforts respond to the real problems faced by poor small-scale producers. Here, we’ve drawn less on data – because that simply hasn’t existed – and more on the local knowledge of our in-country staff and the managers of IFAD-supported projects.

What has been your experience of cooperating with the EU in Africa?

Over the last seven years, IFAD and the EU have joined forces in emerging areas of mutual and strategic interest, such as pro-poor agricultural research, remittances for development, support to farmer organization networks, public-private sector partnerships and agricultural risk management. As a result of the joint cooperation, there are 17 ongoing agreements for a value of €246 million.

Working together, the EU and IFAD are driving innovation in these areas, and have developed new approaches, particularly in Africa but also beyond. which are now recognised as critical to achieving the SDGs.

EU and Africa step up co-operation on agri-business amid pandemic

When the European Commission and African Union set up a joint rural Africa taskforce in May 2018, their priorities were to promote African food security, climate change adaption and investment in the continent’s agri-business. Its work towards those aims in African agri-business has been accelerated this year by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Can you mention one initiative of this kind?

One of the initiatives is the Yield Uganda Investment Fund, a partnership between public and private investors set up with EU funds through IFAD. It offers innovative and tailored financial solutions, using equity, semi-equity and debt, to small and medium-sized agricultural enterprises and farmer cooperatives, which are generating impact by facilitating the establishment of new companies or product lines in Uganda, creating markets and providing services to small-scale producers, while also generating employment for women and youth.

The EU and IFAD also cooperate in the Agri-Business Capital (ABC) fund in Africa. How is it going?

The ABC Fund is an independent impact fund investing in smallholder farmers and rural small and medium-sized enterprises which consistently encounter difficulties to access funding to develop their operations.

Since it started investing in late 2019, it has provided funding to three farmers cooperatives in Ivory Coast, three small-and-medium agribusinesses in Burkina Faso and Ghana and two financial institutions operating in Ecuador, Kenya and Uganda which on-lend to smallholders, for a total value of around €10 million across the various investments.

In Burkina Faso, for instance, the loan to a cashew nuts processor exporting to Europe and the US has ensured market access and premium prices due to organic and fair-trade certifications to over 1,200 producers, most of them women.

Which kind of agri-innovation African rural people require?

Small-scale producers need a whole range of innovations – from on-farm agricultural technologies to finance to market organization – to become viable market-oriented producers and rural entrepreneurs. They also need to be able to access information about these and develop the knowledge and skills to use the opportunities these provide. ICTs can play a critical role in providing this bridge.

Mobile phones – even those without access to the Internet – can enable farmers to access advisory services that offer tips on increasing productivity, keeping livestock healthy, and up-to-date weather information. Mobile money has opened up new ways for rural people to access financial services. The M-Pesa initiative has nearly 146 million active users in sub-Saharan Africa and accounts for a full 10 per cent of the region’s GDP flows.

AB Science announces that Phase 2B/3 study evaluating oral in Alzheimer’s disease met its primary endpoint

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16 December 2020

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AB Science announces that Phase 2B/3 study evaluating oral in Alzheimer’s disease met its primary endpoint – Book Publishing Industry Today – EIN Presswire

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EU General Court dismisses Junqueras’s appeal against European Parliament for declaring his seat vacant

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16 December 2020

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EU General Court dismisses Junqueras's appeal against European Parliament for declaring his seat vacant

The European justice system ruled in favour of the European Parliament (EP) in the judicial battle that Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya President Oriol Junqueras opened to claim his seat as an MEP. On Tuesday, the European Union’s General Court declared inadmissible the appeal lodged by ERC President Oriol Junqueras against the decision of the President of the European Parliament, David Maria Sassoli, to declare his seat vacant after being elected MEP in the last European elections. Junqueras was unable to take up the post because the Spanish authorities did not allow him to leave prison to take office. Once his seat was declared vacant, Jordi Solé took it over in July this year

The Luxembourg-based court upheld the EP’s decision because it does not have the power to contradict decisions that come from Member State authorities, in this case the Supreme Court. In particular, it argues that “the President of the European Parliament did nothing more than transmit to the institution information on a pre-existing legal situation, derived exclusively from the decisions of the Spanish authorities”. He believes that the EP does not have the power to “control” any decision by the authorities of the Member State if it cancels the mandate of an MEP. He pointed out that the EP only receives information “about this vacancy” and argued that it cannot refuse to take into consideration the decision of the national authorities.

Junqueras has opened several fronts before the European justice system to claim his seat as an MEP after the Court of Justice of the European Union itself agreed with him. Luxembourg ruled that Junqueras had parliamentary immunity from the moment the election results were announced and considered that the Supreme Court should have released him so that he could take office. Since then, however, the defence of Esquerra’s leader and former Catalan vice-president has filed several appeals in Luxembourg which, so far, have been rejected.

In early January, the Supreme Court ignored the ruling of the European Court of Justice on Junqueras’ immunity. It informed the Central Electoral Board and the European Parliament that it was not appropriate to annul his sentence or to allow him to take up the post of MEP. In view of this decision Sassoli announced during the plenary session of the European Parliament on 13th January that Junqueras’s seat was vacant. Junqueras then appealed to the EU’s General Court to have this decision annulled and also asked for urgent precautionary measures until everything was settled in Luxembourg.

But the European courts rejected the interim measures, and Junqueras also appealed against this refusal. In October the ‘no’ vote was repeated and this time the European Court ruled on the first appeal, without going into the substance of the matter and simply giving the European Parliament the right to argue that it lacked the power to contradict the Supreme Court. But the judicial journey in Luxembourg does not end there. Junqueras’s defence has opened other fronts in the European justice system, with other appeals on the same issue.

Will never allow division in the name of religion: Hasina

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16 December 2020

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Will never allow division in the name of religion: Hasina

Lashing out at anti-liberation and radical forces, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said the country achieved independence in lieu of the blood of Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Christians, adding that she will never allow any division and anarchy in the name of religion.

“The people of the country will move on towards prosperity, progress and development keeping the religious morale high based on communal harmony,” she said on Tuesday evening. The 50th victory day of Bangladesh will be celebrated on Wednesday.

“I will never allow any division or anarchy in the name of religion in this country. Keeping the religious values high, the people of this country will move forward towards progress, development and progress,” she said.

“The people of Bangladesh are pious, not fanatics. We must not allow the anti-liberation radical forces to make religion as the weapon of politics. Everyone has the right to perform their own religious rituals,” Hasina mentioned.

“Everyone has the right to practice their religion here, country of Fakir Lalon Shah, Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul, Poet Jibanananda Das and also the Sufis – Shah Paran, Shah Makhdum. No radicalism or fundamentalism is allowed in Bangladesh of Bangabandhu… 16.5 crore Bangalis love to live in peace with communal harmony,” she added.

Addressing the country’s youth, she said: “Take a vow that you’ll transform the country into Golden Bengal imbued with the Liberation War spirit of communal harmony.”

In her 18-minute speech, Hasina urged all to take a vow on the eve of the Victory Day not to forget the debt of blood of millions of martyrs.

“We must not let the spirit of communal harmony of the Liberation War fade away. My request to the youth and the new generation is — You must not forget the supreme sacrifices of your predecessors ever, you must not let dishonour the red and green coloured flag that they have gifted us.”

On the eve of the golden jubilee of independence, Bangladesh PM paid homage to Father of the Nation, ‘Bangabandhu’ Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, four national leaders and martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the country.

“Some people who were defeated against Bangladesh in 1971 are trying to confuse the people by telling lies and distortions of history and religion in an attempt to create unrest,” Hasina said.

–IANS

sumi/pgh

Will prevent any attempt to use religion as political weapon to create social unrest: Sheikh Hasina

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16 December 2020

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Will prevent any attempt to use religion as political weapon to create social unrest: Sheikh Hasina

Dhaka: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday cautioned people against reappearance of fanaticism in the country and said that her government was determined to prevent any attempt to use religion as a “political weapon” to create social unrest.
“Don’t use religion as a political tool…we will not allow anyone to create any anarchy or division in this country in the name of religion,” Hasina said in a televised speech on the eve of the 50th Victory Day.

Hasina said a section of defeated forces of 1971 Liberation War reappeared in the political landscape to mislead ordinary Muslims with concocted and confusing messages to create social unrest to return the country to a situation which the nation overcame 50 years ago.

She said being patronized by a political quarter, these elements even dared to show their red eyes to the government though Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had warned the nation against the use of religion as a political weapon many decades ago.

“The people of Bangladesh are pious, not religious bigots…the people of this country will proceed towards progress, advancement and development upholding the religious values,” she said in an apparent reference to a recently launched move by a quarter against sculpture.

“Let us not trample the Liberation War’s spirit of non-communalism…let us not forget our debt to tens of thousands of martyrs,” she said.

Hasina reminded her countrymen that the country’s independence came in exchange of bloods of the followers of all faiths — Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Christians. Bangladesh still carried the heritage of liberal spirituality, culture and pluralism, she added.

“This Bangladesh is the land of Lalon Shah, Rabindranath, Kazi Nazrul, Jibonanda…This Bangladesh is the Bangladesh of Shahjalal, Shah Paran, Shah Makhdum and Khanjahal Ali; this is a land of 16 and a half crores of Bengalis — this country belongs to all,” Hasina said.

She particularly urged the youths and new generations to uphold this spirit and not forget the “sacrifices of your forefathers”.

Bangladesh won its victory on December 16 in 1971 following a nine-month long Liberation War with Indian support against Pakistan.

Hasina’s warning came as extreme rightwing Muslim groups waged a campaign against sculptures in the wake of the government’s plans to setup statues of Bangabandhu in major cities.

Tea Industry Overview | Size, COVID-19 Pandemic Impact, Value Share, Key Players Strategy, Product Category, Sales and Production by Forecast to 2025

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16 December 2020

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The MarketWatch News Department was not involved in the creation of this content.

   Dec 15, 2020 (AB Digital via COMTEX) --

Market Overview

The popularity of green tea is estimated to ramp up Tea Industry development in the upcoming period. The food, beverages & nutrition industry reports are designed by Market Research Future, focusing on market prospects for evolution. A 4.47% CAGR is estimated to direct revenues to reach USD 22,669.8 Million by 2025.

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The need to dissipate cell damage caused due to environmental pollution and stress is projected to augment the tea market in the course of the forecast period. The surging obesity levels are likely to encourage the use of green tea to induce healthy weight loss, thus bolstering the global tea market in the upcoming period.

Get Free Sample Copy of “Tea Industry” @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2155

Competitive Analysis

The players operating in Tea Industry are likely to seek revision of supply chains to promote further the development of the market in new segments and demographics. The digital elements of business functioning are estimated to emerge more prominently in the period ahead. The global market’s response to new efficiency levels in the forthcoming period is expected to unleash new and transformative changes. The augmentation of commercial interests in the upcoming period is estimated to create a more advantageous position for the market contenders in the forecast period. In the forecast period, the market is appraised to derive a great deal from the market signals while scrutinizing their consumer base to meet their needs better. The diverse regional markets will see steadfast development due to government backup’s influence in re-energizing the global market. The new growth ventures are foreseen to improve the company’s future goal achievement trajectory and are thus estimated to be essential to growth. The inclusion of social impact goals by the companies in the market is estimated to usher in a new development phase in the market in the upcoming period.

The renowned companies functioning in the Tea Industry are Unilever PLC (UK), McLeod Russel India Ltd. (India), DAVIDS Tea Inc. (Canada), Associated British Foods PLC (UK), Barry’s Tea (Ireland), Tata Global Beverages Limited (India), APEEJAY SURRENDRA Group (India), Bettys & Taylors Group Ltd. (UK), Ito En, Ltd. (Japan), and Tea FORTÉ Inc. (US).

Segment Analysis

The segments created in the Tea Industry to enable better scrutiny are formed on the basis of type, form, category, distribution channel, and region. The distribution channel segment of the tea market consists of store-based, which is subdivided into convenience stores, supermarkets & hypermarkets, and non-store-based. The type segment of the tea market consists of oolong tea, herbal tea, green tea, black tea, and others. The form segment of Tea Industry consists of tea bags, loose leaf, and others. The region segment of the tea market consists of Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, and other notable regional markets. The category segment of the tea market consists of conventional and organic.

Detailed Regional Analysis

The tea market’s regional review includes regions such as Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, and other notable regional markets. The Asia Pacific region’s tea market is anticipated to report the global market’s principal portion throughout the forecast period. The region reported a 39.28% stake of the global market in the year 2020. China is a key supplier to the evolution of the Asia Pacific tea market, being the principal maker and user of tea. The nations such as Vietnam, India, Japan, and Indonesia also support the tea market’s growth substantially in Asia Pacific regional market. The European regional conveyed a substantial segment of the tea market in 2020 with the UK being a chief buyer of tea. Though, the North American region is anticipated to be the speediest mounting regional market for the period of the forecast. The elevated commonness of obesity in the region is likely to fuel green and herbal requirements as they support weight loss.

Get More Professional and Technical Industry Insights @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/tea-market-2155

NOTE: Our Team of Researchers are Studying Covid19 and its Impact on Various Industry Verticals and wherever required we will be considering Covid19 Footprints for Better Analysis of Market and Industries. Cordially get in Touch for More Details.

Media Contact
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Website: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/tea-market-2155

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Latest news of Europe and the world.

Minimizing the COVID-19 risk: advice to individuals, communities and governments for the winter holidays

Skiing and other gatherings: advice to governments

Celebrations, gatherings and travel: advice to individuals and communities

On celebrations

On indoor gatherings

On travelling

Africa needs a Farm to Fork vision too, IFAD official says

EU and Africa step up co-operation on agri-business amid pandemic

AB Science announces that Phase 2B/3 study evaluating oral in Alzheimer’s disease met its primary endpoint

EU General Court dismisses Junqueras’s appeal against European Parliament for declaring his seat vacant

Will never allow division in the name of religion: Hasina

Will prevent any attempt to use religion as political weapon to create social unrest: Sheikh Hasina

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