Taoiseach Micheál Martin will join fellow EU leaders for discussions on Brexit next week when they gather in Brussels for a special European Council meeting.
<p class="no_name">Brexit was added to the agenda of the meeting on Friday, and EU officials said the leaders would have the opportunity to “briefly analyse” the current situation.</p>
<p class="no_name">The leaders are expected to discuss the prospects for a trade agreement with the British government, the EU’s response to recent moves in London to abandon parts of the withdrawal treaty and the preparations for a no-deal outcome at the end of the year.</p>
<p class="no_name">Leaders will also discuss the single market, industrial policy and digital transformation, as well as external relations, in particular relations with Turkey and with China, officials said, in an indication that the EU is anxious to get on with non-Brexit business. </p>
<p class="no_name">There is a strong feeling in Brussels that Brexit has taken up too much of the EU’s attention in recent years, often dominating summits to the exclusion of other topics.</p>
<p class="no_name">The summit will also be an opportunity to take stock of the status of the Covid-19 pandemic, officials added.</p>
<p class="no_name">Charles Michel, who heads the EU Council of national leaders, met with chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier on Friday to discuss the state of the talks.</p>
<aside class="related-articles--instream has-3"/><div class="row section" readability="1.5724637681159">
World View – Brexit latest
Officials said the two men agreed the need “to fully implement the withdrawal agreement”. There was “no question about it”, they said.
“The EU is neither intimidated nor impressed but breaking [an] international agreement is extremely worrying.”
The summit comes as the Brexit process reaches a critical stage. The final round of negotiations between EU and UK teams on a possible future trade agreement is scheduled to start the following week, though EU sources said on Friday night they expected further rounds as there was little hope of agreement by then.
<p class="no_name">The EU will also watch next week’s events in the House of Commons closely, when MPs consider amendments to the Internal Market Bill tabled last week.</p>
<p class="no_name">It is understood that informal contacts between the two sides have continued this week with “limited but helpful progress”.</p>
<p class="no_name">Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney is also travelling to Brussels next week for meetings with EU foreign ministers. He will meet Mr Barnier for discussions on the Brexit talks. </p>
<h4 class="crosshead">Compromises</h4><p class="no_name">In Dublin, according to three senior officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, there is a belief the UK will want a trade deal and will be willing to make compromises to achieve its objective. </p>
<p class="no_name">Dublin’s initial view that the move against the withdrawal agreement was part of a tactic to prepare for the negotiations – “sabre-rattling” in the words of several officials at the time – has strengthened this week.</p>
<p class="no_name">One source suggested London had been “licking its wounds” in recent days, especially in the wake of the frosty reception from senior politicians in Washington to the British plans despite a visit there by UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab this week. </p>
<p class="no_name">Dublin believes Downing Street was “taken aback” by the Washington response.</p>
<p class="no_name">However, officials also stress the difficulties in concluding a deal, citing the uncertain direction at the top of the British government and the extent to which trust has been damaged by the events of recent weeks.</p>
<p class="no_name">“The path to a deal is very narrow,” said one source, “but it is also very clear.”</p>
MADRID: A host of European countries imposed new local restrictions on Friday to reduce spiralling new cases of coronavirus as they seek to avoid the example of Israel which enforced a second nationwide shutdown. City authorities in Madrid announced a partial lockdown on nearly a million people, the British government unveiled new measures limiting social contact in several regions, while Ireland banned indoor dining at restaurants and pubs in Dublin. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said there was “no question” that his country was “now seeing a second wave coming in” as he toured the site of a new vaccine center. “We are seeing it in France, in Spain, across Europe — it has been absolutely, I’m afraid, inevitable we were going to see it in this country,” he added. In France, where new daily cases hit a fresh record of 13,000 on Friday, the government is struggling to create enough testing capacity as new hotspots emerge daily. The city of Nice on the Riviera banned groups of more than 10 people meeting on its beach, in parks or public gardens. Worldwide the respiratory disease has killed nearly 947,000 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP, while more than 30.2 million cases have been registered. “We’re adding about 1.8 to two million cases per week to the global case count, and an average somewhere between 40,000 to 50,000 deaths,” WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan told a virtual news conference. “Thankfully that is not rising exponentially. This is a hugely high figure to be settling at. That is not where we want to be.” In Madrid, one of the worst affected areas in Europe during the first wave of Covid-19 in March and April, medics warned that hospitals were getting close to capacity again. “Intensive care units are overwhelmed with Covid patients,” Santiago Usoz, an accident and emergency medic at the October 12 hospital, told AFP. A partial lockdown was announced for residents of several areas in densely populated, low-income neighborhoods in the south of the capital which will come into force on Monday. People will only be allowed to leave their zone to go to work, seek medical care or take their children to school, while bars and restaurants will have to reduce their capacity by 50 percent, the regional government of Madrid said. Rules preventing people from socialising with anyone from outside their household were imposed in northeast England on Friday, putting more than two million people under new restrictions. These will be extended to other parts of northwest, northern and central England from Tuesday. “We’re prepared to do what it takes both to protect lives and to protect livelihoods,” Health Secretary Matt Hancock told BBC television on Friday. Music legend Van Morrison made his frustration known on Friday, saying he had recorded three “protest songs” called “Born To Be Free,” “As I Walked Out” and “No More Lockdown.” Israel has become the first major country to impose another national shutdown which began on Friday, hours before Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year, and wil last for three weeks. The measures, under which people will be limited to within 500 meters of their home, will also hit other key religious holidays including Yom Kippur. “The economy is in freefall, people are losing their jobs, they’re depressed,” said 60-year-old Yael, one of hundreds who protested in Tel Aviv late on Thursday. “And all this for what? For nothing!“ Meanwhile, most of a group of more than a thousand Orthodox Jewish pilgrims who had camped along the border between Ukraine and Belarus left on Friday after being refused entry due to coronavirus rules. Tens of thousands of Hasidic Jews head to the central Ukrainian city of Uman every Jewish New Year to visit the tomb of Rabbi Nahman, the founder of the Breslov Hasidic movement. In the United States, US President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden continued to trade barbs over the handling of the pandemic. Trump has expressed confidence that a viable Covid-19 vaccine would be ready by October, directly contradicting a top administration health expert Elsewhere, new details emerged about a wedding in rural Maine in August which became a so-called “superspreader” event that left seven people dead and 177 infected. The nuptials at a church and hotel near the picturesque town of Millinocket were attended by 65 people, breaking the official limit of 50 allowed at a gathering.
“When I last spoke here, I was just about to enter university…optimistic about what was ahead: university life, making new friends and access to an incredible education”, she told the inaugural SDG Moment event, intended to renew the effort to meet the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) over the coming decade. “This June, I graduated in the midst of a reeling world — one many of us could not have predicted”.
The young Nobel Laureate recalled that five years ago Member States signed on to the SDGs, but, “so far, you have not kept up with your work”, she declared.
While acknowledging that COVID-19 has been “a striking setback to our collective goals” she stressed, “it cannot be an excuse”. “On education alone, 20 million more girls may never go back to the classroom when this crisis ends [and] the global education funding gap has already increased to 200 billion dollars per year”, she flagged.
The young advocate signaled that moving forward, things should not return to the way they were.
“When will you commit the necessary funding to give every child 12 years of quality education? When will you prioritize peace and protect refugees? When will you pass policies to cut carbon emissions?”.
Underlining the need for “a profound commitment to the way the world should be – a place where every girl can learn and lead, a place where we put people and our planet ahead of profits, a place where leaders keep their promises”, Ms. Yousafzai requested that those gathered “set the norms” of a new sustainable, healthy, educated and equitable era.
“We must look beyond the current crisis and set our sights high…to show that transformation is possible and is happening right now”, he said.
A world ‘shaken to the core’
The UN chief painted a vivid picture of a world “shaken to the core” – by the COVID-19 pandemic “pushing us towards the worst recession in decades”, causing widespread disruption, rising hunger, skyrocketing debt, plunging fiscal resources and threatening children’s education. Even before the virus, inequalities were growing, he pointed out, noting that globalization benefits had failed to reach “millions upon millions of destitute people” as greenhouse gases soared to record levels.
“We need a path that brings health to all, revives economies, brings people in from the margins of society and builds long-term resilience, sustainability, opportunity and peace”, outlined the UN chief.
The path ahead
He said the pandemic has undercut the very fragilities that the 2030 Agenda was designed to address – to end poverty and leave no one behind.
“The poor have a special claim on our efforts and energies and must be reached first” by expanding social protections, ensuring universal access to essential services, strengthening education, health systems and internet connectivity and placing women at the centre of decision-making, he detailed.
According to Mr. Guterres, the 2030 Agenda additionally demands transitioning to inclusive, low-carbon, resilient economies that deliver more jobs and a cleaner environment, which will not only reduce the risk of future pandemics but also mitigate the worst effects of climate change.
“In short, the 2030 Agenda provides the guiding light we need to end the pandemic, to respond to its socio-economic impacts and to chart a course for a transformative recovery”, he spelled out.
Three-pronged approach
Underscoring that there is “no time to procrastinate”, the UN chief highlighted the three crucial areas of finance, COVID-19 recovery and greater ambition, moving forward.
On finance, he stressed the importance of addressing the immediate, medium and longer-term challenges faced by developing countries and pointed to an upcoming UN financing meeting on 29 September as “an opportunity to get behind the most significant policy options”, such as extending the Debt Service Suspension Initiative to at least the end of 2021.
Turning to COVID-19 recovery, Mr. Guterres asserted that plans must be inclusive and green to help countries transition to a more equitable and sustainable economy, including by using taxpayer’s money for a resilient recovery, ending fossil fuel subsidies and placing women at the centre of building back.
On the third priority, the UN chief argued that the world needs “ambition and solidarity” to provide the billions of dollars needed to deliver COVID-19 vaccines and treatments to everyone; cut carbon emissions in half; and protect biodiversity, achieve gender equality and fulfil the SDGs’ promises.
“When the public appetite for change is matched with political will and smart policy choices, rapid progress is unstoppable”, the Secretary-General said. “This annual SDG Moment is our opportunity to demonstrate that, as one united family of nations, we have what it takes to eradicate poverty and hunger, tackle climate change, deliver gender equality and achieve all 17 global goals”.
‘Collective priority’
President of the General Assembly Volkan Bozkir, noted that the world needs “collaboration, cooperation and dialogue”, saying this was the kind of crux moment, for which the UN was built.
“Halting the spread of COVID-19 and regaining progress against the SDGs must be our collective priority”, he said, arguing that countries in special situations should be prioritized.
“It will not be easy, but the SDGs themselves provide us the very blueprint needed to recover, better”.
At the same time, Deputy Secretary-General Amina J Mohammed stood with the UN chief in affirming that “transformation is happening everywhere and must not leave anyone behind”.
“Let this 2020 SDG Moment propel us into a transformative Decade of Action”, she said. “Now is the time to demonstrate the value of multilateralism and deliver hope, opportunities and sustainable development for all”.
The head of the UN Development Fund (UNDP), Achim Steiner said that for the first time in 30 years, the march of progress in human development, was expected to go sharply into reverse, maintaining that social protection solutions were key to protect communities worldwide.
“Building people’s resilience against vulnerability, risk and deprivation, and helping them to get on their feet if they falter, defines social protection in the 21st century”, he said.
Munir Akram, President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), said that the “global magnitude of the challenge we are facing” as a result of COVID-19, was “the greatest since the creation of the United Nations.”
With nearly a million dead so far, he warned that more than 100 million people will fall back into extreme poverty – a huge challenge for the whole 2030 agenda.
“Therefore, the highest priority, we have is to control the virus”, he said. “We must hope that the vaccine will be available in the very near future and we must commit ourselves to ensure that everyone rich or poor, everywhere, will have equal and affordable access to the vaccine, without discrimination.”
Foreign affairs ministers will be informed about current affairs, and exchange views on Libya, Belarus, and relations between the EU and the African Union.
Agriculture and Fisheries Council, 21-22 September 2020
Ministers will advance discussions on the green architecture of the common agriculture policy (CAP) reform package, including the regulation on CAP strategic plans. They will also discuss trade related agricultural issues, based on a presentation by the European Commission.
General Affairs Council, 22 September 2020
The Council will prepare for the special European Council. Ministers will also focus on the next MFF, EU-UK relations, COVID-19 measures, and Article 7 procedures regarding Poland and Hungary.
Special European Council, 24-25 September 2020
EU leaders will meet in Brussels to discuss issues related to the single market, industrial policy and digital transformation, as well as external relations, in particular relations with Turkey and with China.
Video conference of transport ministers, 28 September 2020
Transport ministers will discuss benchmarks for a pandemic contingency plan for the European freight transport sector.
Competitiveness Council (Research and innovation), 29 September 2020
The Council will be invited to reach a general approach on the remaining outstanding issues of both the draft Horizon Europe regulation, the framework programme for research and innovation for 2021-2027, and the decision implementing Horizon Europe.
For video coverage of Council sessions and audiovisual material, please see the following Council websites:
By: Express Web Desk | Panaji |
Updated: September 18, 2020 10:08:36 pm
<span itemprop="image" itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/ImageObject">
<meta itemprop="url" content="https://images.indianexpress.com/2020/09/EUROPE-Covid.jpg"/><meta itemprop="width" content="1200"/><meta itemprop="height" content="667"/></span><span class="custom-caption"><img src="https://images.indianexpress.com/2020/09/EUROPE-Covid.jpg" alt=""/><span class="ie-custom-caption">A face mask left in Roemerberg square, that is usually crowded by tourists, in Frankfurt, Germany, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)</span></span><strong><a href="https://indianexpress.com/about/coronavirus/" class="">Coronavirus</a> cases in Europe:</strong> As the global coronavirus caseload crossed the 30 million mark and the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned of “alarming rates of transmission”, countries across Europe have begun rolling out new restrictions to curb the spread of the deadly infection.
After Europe reported a record 54,000 new infections in one day last week, WHO’s regional director for Europe Hans Kluge said that the recent surge “should serve as a wake-up call” for the entire continent, AFP reported.
Although the numbers reflect more comprehensive testing, it also shows alarming rates of transmission across the region,” Kluge said in a press conference in Copenhagen, Denmark.
According to the WHO, more than five million cases and over 228,000 fatalities have been recorded across Europe since the onset of the pandemic.
With most of Europe witnessing an aggressive second wave of coronavirus infections, governments are now in the process of reintroducing restrictions that were earlier eased following initial lockdowns.
Here’s a look at new Covid-19 rules imposed across Europe
UK: Ban on socialising with people outside household and ‘support bubbles’
Coronavirus in Europe: Students and staff queue up outside a mobile coronavirus testing unit for asymptomatic staff and students set up in a car park at the University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, England, Friday Sept. 18, 2020. (Andrew Matthews/PA via AP)
Amidst a surge in Covid-19 cases in north east England, British Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced that tighter restrictions would be imposed in the region from Friday onwards. Residents in the area are no longer allowed to socialise with people outside their households and support bubbles, AP reported.
Hancock added that leisure and entertainment venues will remain closed between 10 PM and 5 AM, and only table service will be permitted at restaurants and bars. The new restrictions will affect residents of Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Gateshead, Sunderland and County Durham, the Guardian reported.
The United Kingdom is struggling to cope with a sharp rise in cases in recent months. According to Britain’s Health Minister Edward Argar, hospital admissions are doubling every eight days, DW reported. However, UK authorities are reluctant to reveal whether a nationwide lockdown will be imposed next month.
Spain: Masks remain mandatory even for school children
Coronavirus in Europe: Francisco España, 60, is surrounded by members of his medical team as he looks at the Mediterranean sea from a promenade next to the “Hospital del Mar” in Barcelona, Spain, Friday, Sept. 4, 2020. A hospital in Barcelona is studying how short trips to the beach may help COVID-19 patients recover from long and traumatic intensive hospital care. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
As schools begin to reopen following months of closure, the Spanish government has made it mandatory for all children over the age of six to wear masks in class and in most public places, BBC reported. However, just as the school year began the country witnessed a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases, according to an AP report. Masks are mandatory for everyone in most parts of Spain.
In Madrid, which has quickly become the centre of the country’s coronavirus outbreak, local authorities fear that their public health systems cannot possibly accommodate the rampantly rising number of Covid-19 cases. Officials have said that one in five hospital beds are occupied by coronavirus patients, amidst a second wave of infections.
A new set of restrictions will be unveiled in the city on Friday, AFP reported. Regional health chief Antonio Ruiz Escudero said the Madrid government was working on a series of measures “to restrict mobility and reduce activity in certain areas.. where the virus is most-widely transmitted”.
France: No more than 10 people can gather in a public place
Coronavirus in Europe: People wearing protective face masks as precaution against the conoravirus line up to get a seat at a bistro along the Seine river bank in Paris, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020. Health Minister Olivier Veran announced 20 more testing centers nationwide as he told a press conference that the virus is “very active again” in France. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
With France recording over 10,000 new cases each day in recent weeks, the government has strictly prohibited public gatherings of more than 10 people. Wearing a face mask has been made mandatory in some badly-affected areas and towns, including Paris, Marseille and Lyon, BBC reported.
Mask wearing is also compulsory in a majority of French workplaces. The rule applies in factories and offices where a number of people share space.
While bars and restaurants have been reopened with strict health measures in place, nightclubs remain closed. Stadiums and race tracks were permitted to reopen to the public in July with a limit on the total number of people who can attend an event.
On Thursday, the country recorded 10,593 new cases — the highest number of cases recorded in a single day, BBC reported. Authorities in two of France’s biggest cities Lyon and Nice have been given until Saturday to impose new mandates to contain the disease.
Germany: Mandatory airport testing for foreign travellers
German Health Minister Jens Spahn takes off his mask during a visit to Bethany Hospital to get an update on treatment options for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients and speak with medical staff in Moers, Germany, August 28, 2020. REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler
Multiple coronavirus testing booths have been set up in airports across Germany to test travellers from high-risk countries. Travellers landing in Germany from a high-risk area will have to self-isolate for 14 days, DW reported.
Further, a minimum fine of 50 euros has been imposed for people caught in shops or public transport without face masks or coverings, BBC reported. German authorities have also extended the ban on large gatherings until the end of the year.
While the country has recorded a significantly lower number of cases than its neighbours in Europe, health experts fear that herd immunity is unlikely at a national scale for now. According to the German Health Minister Jens Spahn, herd immunity will be reached through a coronavirus vaccine, which could possibly be available by mid-2021, AFP reported.
Czech Republic: All bars and restaurants ordered to close at midnight
The Czech Republic is currently bearing the brunt of a second wave of infections, that is far more brutal than the first. In an effort to contain the surge, the Czech government on Thursday announced that all bars, restaurants and nightclubs must remain shut between midnight and 6 AM.
Authorities also banned more than 10 people from assembling in an indoor space, AP reported. All those attending a gathering are required to be seated and wearing masks. Every visitor is required to have a ticket for the seat that they are occupying.
Mask wearing is also compulsory for all children who are attending school. Dozens of schools were shut down once again after the number of cases began rising in the country, the AP report stated.
In view of the sudden spike in cases, countries like Slovakia, Denmark, Switzerland and Britain have imposed travel restrictions on people arriving from the Czech Republic.
Belgium: Government launches next phase of reopening
A medical worker wearing full protective gear, takes a nose swab from a passenger who recently landed, to be tested for COVID-19 in a test centre at Zaventem international airport in Brussels, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Belgian authorities have begun reopening public places like libraries, shopping malls, cinemas, museums, religious buildings and public transport. But wearing a face mask remains mandatory in almost all public places.
Discotheques and nightclubs remain closed and big events, like festivals, are not yet allowed, BBC reported.
With stadiums reopening, football fans can return to watch their favourite sport live once again. However, upper limits have been set on the number of people who can attend a match.
Netherlands: People asked to maintain 1.5 metre distance, even at home
To prevent the spread of coronavirus, Dutch authorities have urged all residents to maintain 1.5 distance when people come to visit you at home. The distance rule also applies in public places — such as shopping streets, parks and recreational areas.
Several major cities, including Amsterdam and Rotterdam, have chosen to scrap schemes that made wearing face masks compulsory in public places. Meanwhile, children began returning to schools in the country in August. While social distancing rules have not been enforced in schools, a number of hygiene measures have been put in place.
During a Joint Action Day executed on the 9th of September 2020, judicial and law enforcement authorities in The UK and Romania have arrested 21 members of an organized criminal group specialized in trafficking young Romanian girls into the UK, Ireland and Germany for purpose of sexual exploitation.
The criminal group was active since 2009 and had a well-established hierarchical structure. Using the so-called ‘loverboy’-method, the OCG members targeted young Romanian girls from vulnerable backgrounds. The victims (including minors) were seduced by the offenders with false promises of sentimental partnerships, and a future luxury lifestyle. In reality, the victims were instead lured into prostitution and sexually exploited in Romania (until the minor teenagers turned 18), after which they were transported (by use of counterfeit ID documents) and sexually exploited in The UK, Ireland and Germany. In order to conceal and launder the profits from their criminal activity, the members of the group purchased luxury assets, registering it under third parties’ name.
Eurojust has facilitated an integrated approach to this cross-border investigation since February 2019, including judicial cooperation endeavors to create a Joint Investigation Team, which was awarded almost EUR 22.000 in Eurojust funding.
The JIT made it possible to streamline the exchange of evidence, accelerate and intensify the investigation and carefully prepare and coordinate the Action Day’s execution, during which 32 house searches were conducted (23 in Romania and 9 in the UK). Numerous victims were recovered and provided with support and assistance, and the searches also resulted in seizures of a weapon and of multiple valuable assets including five luxury cars, real-estate properties and important amounts of money.
Daniela Buruiana, National Member of Eurojust for Romania, said: “Cross border THB investigations have never been an easy task for prosecutors and police officers. Close cooperation and coordination between the competent authorities in different jurisdictions and the use of the support tools available at EU level are essential in conducting successful THB investigations. This is another good example of excellent joint work across different authorities and agencies. I am glad that Eurojust has been involved and provided assistance and support since the very beginning. Congratulations to all the actors which contributed to the success of this operation.“
Background: Eurojust cases addressing Trafficking in Human Beings
The number of cases at Eurojust related to investigations of Trafficking in Human Beings has increased steadily over the last years from around 100 cases in 2016 to 183 cases registered in 2019. This has also lead to an increase in the number of Joint Investigation Teams (JIT), which has proven an effective tool to fight this form of crime, from 31 JITs in 2016 to 63 JITs in 2019.
Romania and the UK have been particularly active in this respect and cooperated closely in 76 THB investigations in the past four years:
Cases registered by Romania involving the UK
8
7
12
21
5
53
Cases registered by the UK involving Romania
6
6
4
6
1
23
Total registered cases involving Romania and the UK
A demonstration project conducted in Bulgaria has shown that more people get tested for HIV when self-testing is available. In situations where testing is based in health-care institutions, it can be a challenge to encourage some people to come forward. Community-based testing is a good way to overcome those barriers, but it can be labour intensive. Self-testing can work out less expensive, and a demonstration project conducted last year clearly shows the role it can play. The findings are especially relevant to health authorities working hard to maintain essential services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Testing for HIV is a critical public health intervention because it is the first step towards treatment and care. With current antiretroviral treatment, people who test positive can expect to live a healthy life with HIV without passing it on to anyone else.
The population groups in Bulgaria who are most vulnerable to HIV infection include gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people. Despite progress in recent years, many MSM and transgender people in Bulgaria are not aware of their HIV status and are reluctant to seek testing at health institutions because of the associated stigma.
The pilot project was conducted by local nongovernmental organization (NGO) the Single Step Foundation. Momchil Baev, Sexual Health and HIV Manager for the organization, explained more: “We offered MSM and trans people the opportunity to test for HIV completely for free, confidentially, in the comfort of their home, without having to visit a health centre or meet anyone. We used an approved oral test method, which detects antibodies to the HIV virus in saliva. It is easy, convenient and reliable. A swab is rubbed along the gums, then immersed into a reaction solution, and the result is available after 20 minutes”.
Over the course of the campaign, the NGO sent out 900 free HIV self-testing kits to 120 locations, in all 28 districts of the country. The campaign was promoted on social media under #endHIVbg and benefited from Single Step Foundation’s partnership with Grindr, one of the world’s largest social networking apps for gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. Single Step placed full-screen notifications that would appear when users opened the Grindr app, as well as direct inbox messages within the app to all Grindr users in the country. Users were then prompted to order an HIV home test online by clicking through to the Single Step website, where they could fill out a questionnaire and order a test kit. Tests were delivered by post free of charge. Almost 60% of those who filled in the questionnaire ordered the test.
Concerns about how support would be provided to someone who tested positive were answered by setting up a dedicated support phone line, staffed by a sexual health and HIV manager. Twelve positive results were reported to the phone line and callers were given a follow-up test at a medical testing centre to confirm the result. All the people affected received treatment and now have an undetectable viral load.
“For some of the guys with a positive result, it was rather difficult to cope with the sad news,” explained Momchil. “Some were from rural areas with very limited access to quality information, community services or medical care. That took an extra effort on my side, providing support and guidance until they were able to access treatment and start dealing with the diagnosis. It’s an every-day battle to ensure access and dignity for all, no matter how rural their environment.”
Valuable behavioural insights
Questionnaires before and after testing have provided valuable insights into the service and how it has been received. More than 1500 MSM and trans people from 164 towns and villages responded and many did not know their HIV status. The project revealed an important difference between the capital and provincial areas – 68% of MSM and trans individuals living in smaller cities were not aware of their HIV status, suggesting that HIV testing options are not as accessible outside the capital. HIV self-testing can bridge that gap. The demonstration project also showed that 68% of those unaware of their status never or rarely use a condom, one third of all respondents (31%) had never been tested for HIV, and 71% prefer home HIV testing over traditional methods.
“This demonstration project has shown that there is strong demand in the community for HIV self-testing in Bulgaria,” said Dr Masoud Dara, Coordinator for Communicable Diseases at WHO/Europe. “It also shows how self-testing can help expand testing services to reduce inequalities between rural and urban areas. Since 2016, WHO has recommended that HIV self-testing should be offered as an additional approach to traditional HIV testing services. However, not all countries in the WHO European Region have taken full advantage of the possibility. Now, as we are working hard to maintain essential health services in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, HIV self-testing has an extra relevance and I hope countries that have not yet implemented it will reconsider introducing and/or scaling it up.”
The Young Leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent the diverse voices of youth from every region of the world, and are collectively responsible for activating millions of young people in support of the SDGs.
According to Jayathma Wickramanayake, UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, amid unprecedented times, the 2020 Class are a “clear example” of how the youth are leading the way in shaping a more sustainable and inclusive future for all.
”Despite being disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, young people around the world continue to demonstrate immense resilience, resourcefulness and leadership in finding innovative solutions to recover better and achieve the SDGs”, she said.
The group of 17 will come together as a community to support efforts to engage young people in the realization of the SDGs both through strategic opportunities with the UN and through their existing initiatives, platforms and networks, according to the Youth Envoy’s office.
The 17 are announced every two years by the Envoy.
The 2020 Class
Aged between 18 and 29, they hail from across the globe – coming from Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Colombia, Egypt, India, Ireland, Liberia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Senegal, Turkey, Uganda, and the United States.
One of the Young Leaders, Siena Castellon, 18 from Ireland, is an autism and neurodiversity advocate. She said that the platform will enable her to raise awareness of neurodiversity and the importance of recognizing, supporting and harnessing the overlooked strengths and talents of people who think differently and perceive the world differently.
Similarly, for 24-year-old Lester Philipp Vargas Angeles, from Peru, the Young Leaders is an opportunity to help millions of students learn more and faster with the support of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled virtual learning and help re-invent schools, universities and institutions.
More information on the seventeen 2020 Young Leaders, including their profiles and commitments is available here.
Do you need to fast or not on the Monday following Rosh Hashana (September 21)? Like everything else in the Jewish world, it depends on who you are. We have had three Rabbinic fasts since the Pandemic has started (Fast of Esther (Ta’anit Esther), Seventeenth of Tammuz (Shiva Asar B’ Tammuz) and Tisha B’Av This will be the fourth one, so we have had some guidance before.
Only a Jew has to keep 613 mitzvahs, a Gentile does not, just the Noahide laws. A woman keeps fewer stringencies than a man about many religious practices as she is not obligated in many (some she is) time-bound mitzvah, and a Slave (though we don’t have anymore) even less.
Now we have a new fourth class of people. Those over 60 years old. The Pandemic distinguishes between those under 60 and those over.
Judaism is the world’s oldest monotheistic religion, dating back nearly 4,000 years. Followers of Judaism believe in one God who revealed himself through ancient prophets. The history of Judaism is essential to understanding the Jewish faith, which has a rich heritage of law, culture and tradition.
Over the 4000 years, we have had many times questions about whether a fast is canceled or not either for medical conditions or over the safety of the Jewish People as other nations like to threaten us with either loss of our lives or property.
Judaism believes in the principle that life comes first in most instances (not all as there are three primary exceptions–violating beliefs in Idolatry, Harming others, or sexual immorality may supersede life).
So when life is at stake, the fast may have to go. The fast of Tzom Gedaliah is a Rabbinic Fast, not a Torah Fast, (Only Yom Kippur is a Torah fast), so since it was created by the Rabbis, the Rabbis have the right to make the rules about who has to keep it.
Rabbis and doctors have always considered the weighty issue of fasting.
Whether an elderly person or sick person should eat or drink on Yom Kippur or the lesser fasts, depends on whether he is healthy or fragile.
Although religion should promote good health, sometimes the two can clash. In such cases – for example, religious fasts – Rabbis and Doctors should intervene to ensure that patients are not harmed.
“The fast was initiated by the G-d (or in the case of Tzom Gedaliah the Rabbis), “but it is meant for healthy adults, not for the sick or for children or pregnant or lactating women. If you can’t fast for health reasons, it’s just as good to give charity instead.”
One well known Orthodox Rabbi, RABBI YOSEF Zvi Rimon, the rabbi of JCT (The Jerusalem College of Technology, an Orthodox Jewish educational institution in the Givat Mordechai neighborhood of Jerusalem) and head of its Beit Midrash, noted that “medicine develops all the time. Doctors may have said something 20 years ago, and rabbis gave halachic rulings on the basis of that, but maybe the information is obsolete. The principles of Jewish law are the same, but conclusions may be wrong because doctors made statements based on medical evidence and research at the time.
One has to go deeper.” The rabbi produced a pamphlet with guidelines for patients on Yom Kippur fasting.“It there is doubt, one must consult with a rabbi. If it is impossible and there is a real doubt [about whether the fast will cause harm], one should not fast and not endanger life, even if there is no immediate danger but only one that is distant. A patient must not risk his or her health and fast in contravention of doctor’s orders.”
We are in such a time, with the Pandemic. There has always been a way to avoid the issue of fasting in the past, for those who are sick, by a technique called “sherim” Eating or drinking a small amount over a period of time is not defined by the Rabbis as eating or drinking. A sick person, who, in the doctor’s opinion, fasting for a few hours will cause him to require eating regularly, later on, should begin eating “shiurim” from the beginning of the fast. Now we move to the question of eating regularly or via an IV. The prohibition to eat on Yom Kippur or the other Rabbinic fasts is only when the food intake is via the mouth and throat. Nutrition introduced intravenously or via a nasogastric tube etc. is, strictly speaking, also not prohibited. Nevertheless, a healthy person should not use this technique to avoid fasting. Having said this, a sick person who does need to eat on Yom Kippur is not required to receive his food via an IV in order to negate the necessity to eat regularly; rather he may eat in a normal fashion. There are opinions that state that a sick person, who is not currently in danger and is eating only to prevent potential danger, should begin receiving nutrition via an IV from before the onset of Yom Kippur, thereby not introducing something new on Yom Kippur.
“Shiurim” as we said above is to drink small amounts of water every nine (or even six) minutes. The permitted amount of water is easy to measure. Fill your mouth with as much water as you can and then spit it out into a cup. Half of that amount can be drunk every nine minutes by chronic patients who need to hydrate themselves. The average amount is 38 milliliters and should be less than 44 milliliters. Similarly for food. This is not called eating or drinking.
A sick person is also allowed to take a shower on Yom Kippur to refresh himself (it is forbidden to healthy people).
It is preferable to stay home, pray and fast, if permitted by a doctor or rabbi, rather than go to synagogue and forgo the fast. Pregnant and lactating women who are healthy usually are bound to fast (unless the new mother cannot produce enough milk for the baby), but pregnant women should consult with authorities on whether going without food and drink would harm them or the fetus. Chronically ill patients who must take pills during the fast are advised to take them without water, but if this is impossible, they should do so in a different way, such as adding a bit of salt or something bitter, the rabbi suggested.
DR. EPHRAIM Jaul, director of complex geriatric nursing at Jerusalem’s Herzog Hospital, said that ironically, there were many recommendations for vaccination for babies and children up to the age of 18, but only one recommended vaccination (against pneumonia) for those over 65.
“Old age is the most heterogeneous condition, but it is treated as homogeneous.” He urged pensioners to walk fast to improve their heart, brain, and gastrointestinal systems, as well as to do mental exercises.
Before this Pandemic, calling a person “old” should not be determined by his chronological age but more exactly by his biological age, said Prof. Tzvi Dwolatzky, an expert in geriatrics and internal medicine at Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center. “It used to be that kidney-failure patients were not sent to dialysis after the age of 75. Today, one can be 85 or more and still undergo it. The decision is made according to the biological age of the patient,” he said, showing a photo of an 89-year-old woman who piloted a plane, and of Jeanne Louise Calment, a French woman who lived to the age of 122 and of a Holocaust survivor and Israeli named Yisrael Kristal, who died recently at the age of 113.
Before this Pandemic or on Yom Kippur where there are different rules than for Tzom Gedolia, whether an elderly person should eat or drink on Yom Kippur, said Dwolatzky, depends on whether he is healthy or fragile (living at the edge of his abilities and could fall at a slow walking speed). “From my experience, most old people fast better than young people.
”DEHYDRATION FROM fasting is a significant risk in elderly patients, noted Dr. Ephraim Rimon of the Hartzfeld Geriatric Hospital in Gedera, who happens to be the older brother of Rabbi Rimon.
“One should drink three liters of water during the 24 hours before a fast, but it’s hard for the elderly to drink so much. If a patient is dehydrated, the risk of a heart attack or stroke is higher. An elderly person who wants to fast and drink at intervals may forget to drink water and then harm himself.
”He told the story of Rabbi Chaim Sonnenfeld of the Eda Haredit who learned of a blind woman who was fasting and endangered her health. “He came to her and blew the shofar during the fast and told her it was night and the fast was all over.
But every case is different.”Dr. Rabbi Mordechai Halperin, head of Jerusalem’s Schlesinger Institute for Medical-Halachic Research, added that a patient with irregular heartbeats can even die if he fasts.
“If we make an error in our guidelines, we are spilling blood. If a person is sick and at risk, he doesn’t need to drink at intervals. He should eat. If based on medical evidence, a person could be harmed by the fast, he must eat.
”THE ONLY part of the body that needs carbohydrates is the brain, said Prof. David Zangen, a senior endocrinologist at Hadassah University Medical Center.“When you haven’t eaten for hours and the blood sugar level is low, the liver will release sugar from the liver to reach the brain rather than to remain in storage.
If there isn’t enough, a patient can fall and be seriously hurt.”Working with observant adolescents with type-1 diabetes, Zangen asked if they intended to fast on Yom Kippur. Thirty-nine of 190 said they would fast no matter what the doctor said.
“They want to be like all the others, but it could be dangerous. Those who nevertheless insist on fasting are advised to check their blood sugar every 2.5 hours and to start eating if they have nausea, vomiting, or hyperglycemia. A diabetic should always consult their personal physician, as he or she knows the medical condition well.”
Now let us turn to the current issue, not just of health, but of an epidemic condition. During the Holocaust, for the sake of life, one ate or drank, and there was no dispute, but we turn to an epidemic many years before the Holocaust for guidance as that is more similar to the current time.
So to answer the question, about keeping the fast we turn to history. The Place we start is a famous story about the most serious Torah Fast, Yom Kippur. If that fast can be put off, because it is the Torah fast, then certainly a less serious Rabbic fast can be put off, as part of the Rabbi’s job is to make that decision of who must fast, with the help of Doctors.
Following Shacharit on Yom Kippur of 5610, in September 1849, Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, the famous and pious Vilna rabbi -founder of the Mussar Movement, dedicated to injecting the pursuit of ethical excellence into traditional Jewish observance, ascended to the bimah of the Vilna synagogue.
He explained to the congregation that because of the raging cholera epidemic in Vilna,
they must not spend the day gathered together in the synagogue, but should leave the building and walk outside -fresh air was believed to prevent the spread of the disease. Furthermore, he said, it was imperative that everyone maintains their strength so that they would not fall, victim,
to disease. And so, on that Yom Kippur, Rabbi Yisrael Salanter explained, everyone should break their fast, eat and drink so that they could protect their health and survive the disease. And his whole point was to break the fast not in the permitted way of “sherim” but literally to eat and drink, because he was afraid people might take the restrictions of “sherim” to literally and endanger themselves.
It was for this reason, even on Yom Kippur, which is not a rabbinic fast but a biblical one, Rabbi Salanter CANCELED YOM KIPPUR FAST.
Cholera is a horrific disease. It is painful, terrifying, and deadly. The Hebrew word for cholera- רעחולי sounds similar to “cholera” but more literally can be translated as “evil disease. ”Over the course of the 19thcentury, modern medical science learned how to prevent the spread of cholera, and also how to effectively treat cholera. However, in 1849, in Eastern Europe, nobody knew how the disease spread and there were no effective treatments.
Rabbi Yisrael Salanter was one of the most famed rabbis of Vilna. He threw himself into the fight against the disease. He volunteered to care for the sick, and was instrumental in organizing the Jewish community to take care of the sick and to watch over orphans left behind in the wake of the disease
Today during our current epidemic, Doctors and Rabbis have stated that anyone over 60 is at great risk from this new flu (younger people don’t seem to be as affected). It is not much of a stretch than using common sense, that even if you are in good health, anyone over 60 should not fast, and of course, if you are not in good health, no matter what your age you should not fast.
It will be very strange for people who are in jeopardy (and the medical experts say that anyone over 60 is at much higher risk as well as younger people with pre-existing conditions) to skip the fast of Tzom Gedila this year, but they must to protect their health. Someone can be machmir (strict) on something that doesn’t affect their health, like reading more Tehillim or doing more prayers, but if they put themselves at risk by reducing their resistance, they are breaking the Torah not keeping it.
Either go to the synagogue or not (some are afraid of the potential virus in crowds), but as my Grandfather who lived to a ripe old age used to tell me, Stay home, take a bath, save money and be healthy!
Coronavirus in Europe: Students and staff queue up outside a mobile coronavirus testing unit for asymptomatic staff and students set up in a car park at the University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, England, Friday Sept. 18, 2020. (Andrew Matthews/PA via AP)
Coronavirus in Europe: Francisco España, 60, is surrounded by members of his medical team as he looks at the Mediterranean sea from a promenade next to the “Hospital del Mar” in Barcelona, 
Coronavirus in Europe: People wearing protective face masks as precaution against the conoravirus line up to get a seat at a bistro along the Seine river bank in Paris, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020. Health Minister Olivier Veran announced 20 more testing centers nationwide as he told a press conference that the virus is “very active again” in France. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
German Health Minister Jens Spahn takes off his mask during a visit to Bethany Hospital to get an update on treatment options for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients and speak with medical staff in Moers, Germany, August 28, 2020. REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler
A medical worker wearing full protective gear, takes a nose swab from a passenger who recently landed, to be tested for COVID-19 in a test centre at Zaventem international airport in Brussels, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
