While most cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus have been reported in the U.S. , Europe, and China, the virus is spreading rapidly across the African continent. 



The confirmed worldwide cases for the virus have surpassed 200 million with the current figure being at 222,262,640



The death toll continues to rise globally now surpassing 4 million. It is currently at 4,593,598.



The world is currently dealing with a new variant of the virus known as the &#8216;Delta Variant&#8217;. The variant is known to be in over 85 countries globally. 



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">Africa has just marked the continent’s most dire pandemic week ever. But the worst is yet to come as the fast-moving third wave continues to gain speed and new ground. The end to this precipitous rise is still weeks away. Cases are doubling now every 18 days, compared with every 21 days only a week ago. We can still break the chain of transmission by testing, isolating contacts and cases and following key public health measures.” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa on July 8 2021</blockquote>



The U.S. leads with 666,627 deaths. Brazil comes second with 583,866. India&#8217;s deaths are at 441,433; Mexico is with 263,470 deaths, and Peru is with 198,523.



China, where the virus originated from, maintains that the country&#8217;s death toll is at 4,634.



The figure of the global recoveries stands at 198,882,734.



The African continent now has a total figure of 8,003,746 confirmed cases of Covid-19, while the death toll stands at 200,275. The continent has made 7,162,070 recoveries. 



World Health Organization Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti said in an online briefing Thursday (1 July) that &#8220;The speed and scale of Africa’s third wave are like nothing we’ve seen before.&#8221; 



&#8220;The continent is on the verge of exceeding its worst week ever in this pandemic,&#8221; Moeti said



Here are the country-wide numbers for Africa:



<figure id="main_table_countries_today" class="wp-block-table"><table><thead><tr><th>Country</th><th>Total Cases</th><th>Total Deaths</th><th>Total Recovered</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Africa</td><td>8,003,746</td><td>200,275</td><td>7,162,070</td></tr><tr><td>Algeria</td><td>198,313</td><td>5,445</td><td>135,232</td></tr><tr><td>Angola</td><td>48,790</td><td>1,282</td><td>44,054</td></tr><tr><td>Benin</td><td>16,946</td><td>135</td><td>11,890</td></tr><tr><td>Botswana</td><td>162,186</td><td>2,309</td><td>155,403</td></tr><tr><td>Burkina Faso</td><td>13,851</td><td>171</td><td>13,575</td></tr><tr><td>Burundi</td><td>12,585</td><td>38</td><td>773</td></tr><tr><td>Cabo Verde</td><td>36,012</td><td>316</td><td>34,725</td></tr><tr><td>Cameroon</td><td>84,210</td><td>1,357</td><td>80,433</td></tr><tr><td>CAR</td><td>11,296</td><td>100</td><td>6,859</td></tr><tr><td>Chad</td><td>4,996</td><td>174</td><td>4,816</td></tr><tr><td>Comoros</td><td>4,086</td><td>147</td><td>3,909</td></tr><tr><td>Congo</td><td>13,588</td><td>183</td><td>12,421</td></tr><tr><td>Djibouti</td><td>11,785</td><td>157</td><td>11,592</td></tr><tr><td>DRC</td><td>55,307</td><td>1,061</td><td>30,858</td></tr><tr><td>Egypt</td><td>290,395</td><td>16,801</td><td>242,623</td></tr><tr><td>Equatorial Guinea</td><td>9,939</td><td>129</td><td>8,971</td></tr><tr><td>Eritrea</td><td>6,648</td><td>38</td><td>6,601</td></tr><tr><td>Eswatini</td><td>44,234</td><td>1,156</td><td>38,871</td></tr><tr><td>Ethiopia</td><td>316,174</td><td>4,785</td><td>284,895</td></tr><tr><td>Gabon</td><td>26,177</td><td>168</td><td>25,775</td></tr><tr><td>Gambia</td><td>9,789</td><td>328</td><td>9,379</td></tr><tr><td>Ghana</td><td>121,307</td><td>1,069</td><td>113,267</td></tr><tr><td>Guinea</td><td>29,877</td><td>358</td><td>27,742</td></tr><tr><td>Guinea-Bissau</td><td>5,902</td><td>121</td><td>4,967</td></tr><tr><td>Ivory Coast</td><td>57,056</td><td>477</td><td>54,804</td></tr><tr><td>Kenya</td><td>241,134</td><td>4,800</td><td>229,762</td></tr><tr><td>Lesotho</td><td>14,395</td><td>403</td><td>6,830</td></tr><tr><td>Liberia</td><td>5,459</td><td>148</td><td>2,715</td></tr><tr><td>Libya</td><td>318,069</td><td>4,363</td><td>230,995</td></tr><tr><td>Madagascar</td><td>42,884</td><td>957</td><td>41,311</td></tr><tr><td>Malawi</td><td>60,852</td><td>2,217</td><td>49,374</td></tr><tr><td>Mali</td><td>14,942</td><td>542</td><td>14,135</td></tr><tr><td>Mauritania</td><td>34,297</td><td>737</td><td>31,832</td></tr><tr><td>Mauritius</td><td>11,466</td><td>32</td><td>1,854</td></tr><tr><td>Mayotte</td><td>19,925</td><td>175</td><td>2,964</td></tr><tr><td>Morocco</td><td>886,008</td><td>13,145</td><td>828,148</td></tr><tr><td>Mozambique</td><td>148,054</td><td>1,881</td><td>137,891</td></tr><tr><td>Namibia</td><td>125,772</td><td>3,414</td><td>120,812</td></tr><tr><td>Niger</td><td>5,888</td><td>199</td><td>5,624</td></tr><tr><td>Nigeria</td><td>195,890</td><td>2,556</td><td>184,882</td></tr><tr><td>Rwanda</td><td>90,145</td><td>1,134</td><td>45,362</td></tr><tr><td>Réunion</td><td>50,346</td><td>342</td><td>47,752</td></tr><tr><td>Saint Helena</td><td>2</td><td></td><td>2</td></tr><tr><td>Sao Tome and Principe</td><td>2,692</td><td>37</td><td>2,461</td></tr><tr><td>Senegal</td><td>73,257</td><td>1,812</td><td>64,582</td></tr><tr><td>Seychelles</td><td>20,323</td><td>108</td><td>19,767</td></tr><tr><td>Sierra Leone</td><td>6,374</td><td>121</td><td>4,364</td></tr><tr><td>Somalia</td><td>17,947</td><td>1,005</td><td>8,896</td></tr><tr><td>South Africa</td><td>2,824,063</td><td>83,617</td><td>2,599,667</td></tr><tr><td>South Sudan</td><td>11,526</td><td>120</td><td>11,195</td></tr><tr><td>Sudan</td><td>37,715</td><td>2,837</td><td>31,675</td></tr><tr><td>Tanzania</td><td>1,367</td><td>50</td><td>183</td></tr><tr><td>Togo</td><td>22,625</td><td>197</td><td>17,669</td></tr><tr><td>Tunisia</td><td>675,191</td><td>23,846</td><td>639,708</td></tr><tr><td>Uganda</td><td>120,714</td><td>3,061</td><td>95,679</td></tr><tr><td>Western Sahara</td><td>10</td><td>1</td><td>8</td></tr><tr><td>Zambia</td><td>207,294</td><td>3,620</td><td>202,500</td></tr><tr><td>Zimbabwe</td><td>125,671</td><td>4,493</td><td>117,036</td></tr></tbody></table><figcaption><a href="https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/">Data From World O Meter</a></figcaption></figure>



Note: The numbers will be updated as new information is available.

South African truck drivers receive COVID-19 vaccine

[IN NUMBERS] Coronavirus Update: COVID-19 In Africa

TOPLINE: In addition to the threat of Covid-19, athletes taking part in the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games will also face the dangers of extreme heat as soaring temperatures in the Japanese capital, spurred on by climate change, look set to make this year’s Games the hottest on record.&nbsp;



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h3>



This year’s summer Olympics are slated to be the among the hottest ever, with peak temperatures&nbsp;<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2021/07/17/weather/olympics-heat-forecast-climate/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">predicted</a>&nbsp;to average around 30 degrees Celsius, or nearly 90 degrees Fahrenheit.&nbsp;



Combined with Tokyo’s stifling humidity, the dangerous conditions—which have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jul/20/tokyo-olympics-fears-athletes-could-face-hottest-games-on-record?CMP=twt_a-world_b-gdnworld" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">prompted</a>&nbsp;multiple government notices warning residents against exercising outdoors—impair&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/57255563" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">performance</a>&nbsp;and put athletes at risk from heat-related conditions like heatstroke, dehydration and burns, with beach volleyball players already&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/burning-sand-and-35c-sun-promise-hottest-olympics-ever-zlt0q65n2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">complaining</a>&nbsp;the sand is too hot to play on.&nbsp;



The issue was not unforeseen to organizers, who made the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/nov/01/2020-olympics-tokyo-accepts-painful-decision-to-move-marathon-to-sapporo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">decision</a>&nbsp;to change event times and move marathon and walking events out of Tokyo in an attempt to avoid the heat, but is becoming a more pressing issue for all sports events as climate change drives temperatures up.



Outside of the Olympics, major&nbsp;<a href="https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/australian-open-2020-heat-rule-temperature-hot-melbourne-suspended-matches-383229" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tennis</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/28075216" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">soccer</a>&nbsp;tournaments have had to put&nbsp;<a href="https://eu.usatoday.com/story/sports/tennis/2018/08/28/us-open-new-heat-rule-allows-players-10-minute-break/1123268002/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">policies</a>&nbsp;in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/about_wimbledon/heat_rule.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">place</a>&nbsp;to protect players from extreme heat, U.S. triathlons and horse races have been&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/07/19/heat-wave-prompts-cancellations-new-york-triathlon-horse-races/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">canceled</a>&nbsp;due to heatwaves and the world’s biggest sporting event, the soccer World Cup, will be held in climate-controlled&nbsp;<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2019/11/21/football/qatar-2022-fifa-world-cup-spt-intl/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">stadia</a>&nbsp;to avoid the worst of host nation Qatar’s heat in 2022.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



The effects of climate change are not restricted to extreme heat: shortening winter seasons pose an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/56972369" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">existential threat&nbsp;</a>to snowsports, severe typhoons led to several 2019 Rugby World Cup matches to be&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2019/oct/10/rugby-world-cup-tournament-japan-super-typhoon-hagibis-england-scotland-france-game-live" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">canceled</a>&nbsp;and smoke from wildfires has disrupted numerous outdoor events across the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climatechange-sport-idUSKCN1UJ0OC" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">U.S.</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/15/21065784/australian-open-wildfire-smoke-health-effects-tennis" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Australia</a>.&nbsp;



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h3>



The International Olympic Committee told&nbsp;Forbes&nbsp;it “takes concerns about heat very seriously” and has taken a “wide range of measures” to mitigate the effect of temperature on athletes. These measures include scheduling longer distance athletics and cycling events later in the day, moving equestrian and triathlon events to early morning and improving access to shade and water.&nbsp;



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h3>



Tokyo’s Medical Association has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jul/20/tokyo-olympics-fears-athletes-could-face-hottest-games-on-record?CMP=twt_a-world_b-gdnworld" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">stressed</a>&nbsp;that holding the games in July and August was “a serious issue even before the coronavirus pandemic” and a report by the British Association for Sustainable Sport&nbsp;<a href="https://basis.org.uk/rings-of-fire" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">outlined</a>&nbsp;the likelihood of impaired performance due to heat. Heat has already been an issue in the lead up to the event—three rowers were&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/aug/12/concerns-rise-with-tokyo-heat-after-rowers-treated-at-olympic-test-event" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">treated</a>&nbsp;for heat exhaustion after an Olympics test event in Tokyo in 2019—and other sporting events around the world are increasingly encountering similar problems. 28 out of 68 starters&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/49860159" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pulled</a>&nbsp;out of a World Championships marathon held in Doha, Qatar in 2019 due to the conditions, with one runner being taken away in an ambulance. The race started at midnight in an attempt to avoid the worst of Qatar’s heat.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h3>



71,000. That’s how many people sought emergency care for heatstroke between June and September 2019 in Japan. 118 of these died. A smaller number—65,000 cases and 112 deaths—occurred during the same period in 2020, though fewer people were out due to the pandemic.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR&nbsp;</h3>



Qatar’s cooled stadia for the 2022 World Cup will likely give an insight into how outdoor sports events can be held in hot weather, especially if its cooling&nbsp;<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2019/11/21/football/qatar-2022-fifa-world-cup-spt-intl/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">technology</a>&nbsp;is both ecologically friendly and effective. The event is set to be carbon&nbsp;<a href="https://www.euractiv.com/section/health-consumers/news/fifa-commits-to-carbon-neutral-2022-football-world-cup/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">neutral</a>, as are the forthcoming summer and winter Olympics’, the IOC told&nbsp;Forbes. Paris 2024 is&nbsp;<a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/news/paris-2024-commits-to-staging-climate-positive-olympic-and-paralympic-games" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">slated</a>&nbsp;to be the first “climate positive” games.&nbsp;&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h4>



<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jul/20/tokyo-olympics-fears-athletes-could-face-hottest-games-on-record?CMP=twt_a-world_b-gdnworld" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tokyo Olympics: fears athletes could face hottest Games on record</a>&nbsp;(Guardian)



<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climatechange-sport-idUSKCN1UJ0OC" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Canceled races, fainting players: Climate change turns up heat on sports</a>&nbsp;(Reuters)



<a href="https://www.rapidtransition.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Playing_Against_The_Clock_FINAL.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Playing Against the Clock: Global Sport, the Climate Emergency and the Case For Rapid Change</a>&nbsp;(Rapid Transition Alliance)



By Robert Hart, Forbes Staff

Aerial view of Munich’s Olympic stadium illuminated at night

As Record Heat Threatens Tokyo Olympics, Here’s What Climate Change Means For Future Sporting Events

TOPLINE Three researchers working at a Wuhan virology lab went to the hospital with Covid-like symptoms weeks before the first Covid-19 case was confirmed in China on December 8, according to newly disclosed U.S. intelligence obtained and reported by the Wall Street Journal on Sunday—corroborating previous State Department findings and casting further doubts on the longstanding assertion that Covid-19 did not escape from a lab.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h3>



The State Department previously&nbsp;<a href="https://2017-2021.state.gov/fact-sheet-activity-at-the-wuhan-institute-of-virology/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>&nbsp;that U.S. officials have &#8220;reason to believe&#8221; several researchers inside the Wuhan Institute of Virology faced &#8220;symptoms consistent with both COVID-19 and common seasonal illnesses&#8221; last fall, but it didn&#8217;t specify that the researchers were hospitalized or the exact timing of their illnesses.



Unnamed officials familiar with the intelligence reportedly gave the&nbsp;Wall Street Journal&nbsp;varying accounts of the new information&#8217;s veracity, with one person saying it needed further investigation while another described it as &#8220;very precise.&#8221;



“The U.S. continues to hype the lab leak theory,&#8221; China&#8217;s Foreign Ministry, which did not immediately respond to&nbsp;Forbes&#8217;&nbsp;requestfor comment, said in a statement to the&nbsp;Wall Street Journal.&nbsp;



In its statement, the Foreign Ministry pointed to March&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/who-convened-global-study-of-origins-of-sars-cov-2-china-part-annexes.pdf?sfvrsn=3065bcd8_5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">findings</a>&nbsp;from the World Health Organization saying it was &#8220;extremely unlikely&#8221; that Covid-19 originated from a lab leak and that it was instead more likely the virus spread from bats to humans.



However, after the report was released, WHO head Tedros Ghebreyesus called for a deeper investigation on the matter,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-30/who-chief-critiques-covid-report-says-lab-leak-study-needed" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">saying</a>&nbsp;the probe didn’t adequately assess the possibility of a lab leak.



Forbes&nbsp;is awaiting comment from the State Department.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



Many scientists last year&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackbrewster/2020/05/10/a-timeline-of-the-covid-19-wuhan-lab-origin-theory/?sh=370c029e5aba">initially dismissed</a>&nbsp;claims that Covid-19 originated in a Wuhan lab, but the theory quickly became a hot-button issue among conservative lawmakers casting blame onto China for the pandemic. However, as widespread vaccination helps the U.S. turn a corner on the virus, a growing number of domestic officials—from both sides of the aisle—are once again calling for investigations into the origins of Covid-19. Secretary of State Antony Blinken&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanponciano/2021/04/11/biden-secretary-of-state-condemns-chinas-acts-of-genocide-against-muslim-uyghurs/?sh=26f49b7050ca">condemned</a>&nbsp;China last month for its lack of transparency during the pandemic&#8217;s early days, saying the country failed to give international health experts real-time access to information about the virus&#8217; spread and urging the country to help put in place a stronger global health security system to revisit the pandemic&#8217;s origins.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surprising-fact">SURPRISING FACT</h3>



Though the virus was first confirmed in December 2019, WHO researchers have since&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/possible-early-covid-19-cases-in-china-emerge-during-who-mission-11612996225" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">identified</a>&nbsp;more than 90 potential Covid-19 cases dating as far back as October of that year.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE&nbsp;</h3>



Asked earlier this month whether he was confident Covid-19 developed naturally, Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the nation&#8217;s top infectious disease experts,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fauci-not-convinced-covid-19-developed-naturally" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">responded</a>: &#8220;No actually&#8230; I am not convinced about that. I think we should continue to investigate what went on in China until we continue to find out to the best of our ability what happened… Certainly, the people who investigated it say it likely was the emergence from an animal reservoir that then infected individuals, but it could have been something else, and we need to find that out.”



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h3>



<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/intelligence-on-sick-staff-at-wuhan-lab-fuels-debate-on-covid-19-origin-11621796228?reflink=share_mobilewebshare" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Intelligence on Sick Staff at Wuhan Lab Fuels Debate On Covid-19 Origin</a>&nbsp;(WSJ)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackbrewster/2020/05/10/a-timeline-of-the-covid-19-wuhan-lab-origin-theory/">A Timeline Of The COVID-19 Wuhan Lab Origin Theory</a> (Forbes)



By Jonathan Ponciano, Forbes Staff

gettyimages-1201569878-594×594

Report: Wuhan Lab Staff Went To Hospital With Covid-Like Symptoms Before Confirmed Outbreak, New Intelligence Finds

TOPLINE Evidence is growing that reopening schools with proper precautions will not increase the spread of Covid-19, with the Centers for Disease Control concluding Tuesday that in-person learning is not causing significant outbreaks—but the agency warned indoor athletics may derail efforts for safe in-person schooling.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h4>



The CDC&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7004e3.htm?s_cid=mm7004e3_w" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">evaluated&nbsp;</a>17 schools in rural Wisconsin from August and November, and found only seven students (3.7%)—no staff—contracted the virus from school.



Those schools were able to limit Covid-19 by wearing masks, separating students into groups of 11-20, social distancing and having established quarantine measures when a student did become infected, the study says.



Another study released by the CDC Tuesday found that an indoor wrestling tournament in Florida caused 30% of attendees to become infected, leading the researchers to&nbsp;<a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2775875" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">note&nbsp;</a>that indoor athletics lacking proper social distancing and other safety measures “could jeopardize” school Covid-19 safety precautions.&nbsp;



Several recent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6950e3.htm?s_cid=mm6950e3_w" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studies</a>, both in the U.S. and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/children-and-school-settings-covid-19-transmission" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">abroad</a>, have reached similar conclusions, including a&nbsp;<a href="https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/early/2021/01/06/peds.2020-048090.full.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study&nbsp;</a>in the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics finding in-school transmission was “extremely limited” during the first nine weeks of in-person instruction in North Carolina.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h4>



&nbsp;“As many schools have reopened for in-person instruction in some parts of the US as well as internationally, school-related cases of COVID-19 have been reported, but there has been little evidence that schools have contributed meaningfully to increased community transmission,” the CDC researchers&nbsp;<a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2775875" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wrote&nbsp;</a>in the Journal of the American Medical Association.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h4>



The school reopening debate has gripped districts across the country for the entirety of the pandemic. For the fall 2020 term, 24% of school public districts were fully online, while 51% were using a hybrid model and 17% were fully open for in-person instruction,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mchdata.com/covid19/schoolclosings" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according&nbsp;</a>to data firm MCH. Though large school districts and local officials, recognizing the harms of distance learning on students, are starting to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/school-districts-reopening-coronavirus/2020/10/19/3791c952-0ffb-11eb-8074-0e943a91bf08_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">push&nbsp;</a>for full in-person instruction, they are at times at odds with teachers unions, who&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/25/nyregion/montclair-schools-covid.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">argue&nbsp;</a>that districts aren’t taking strong enough measures to protect teachers.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h4>



There was a large outbreak linked to school reopenings in Israel last spring. But the CDC researchers say the outbreak was tied to crowded classrooms, exemption from face mask use and “continuous air conditioning that recycled interior air in closed rooms during a heat wave.”



By Rachel Sandler, Forbes Staff

Empty classroom at a school in central Naples. After the

Covid-19 Doesn’t Spread In Schools With Safety Precautions, CDC Reports—But Sports Are A Different Story

Sports tours and tournaments remain cancelled, and those which do go ahead play in empty stadiums without fans. For South Africa’s tourism sector last year, it has been a losing game.



AS THE SUN BEAT DOWN ON THEIR REDDENING skin, the thousands of England fans packed into Newlands Cricket Ground broke into song.



“We get R18 to the Pound, R18 to the Pound!” they bellowed, taunting the home faithful as the beer flowed and the lips loosened.



The Newlands New Year test is one of the great experiences in South African sport, and is comfortably the most well-supported five- day fixture in the country.



World-class cricketers and a stunning backdrop are not all that attract fans – particularly from overseas – but also a chance to experience all of the varied delights of the Mother City, Cape Town, at a much more palatable cost than many of the world’s other leading destinations.



The slip in the Rand is bad news for locals, who have seen their cost of living spike, but for visitors to the country, particularly sports fans, it is an added sweetener when you can enjoy outstanding food, many drinks and a heady night on the town for what you may pay for a mediocre pub meal and a taxi fare in London.



According to South African Tourism’s official report for 2019, the sector added R125 billion ($8 billion) in spend to South Africa’s coffers, with R81.2 billion ($5.2 billion) of that from international visitors. They stayed on average 11.4 days in the country for a total of 112 million bed nights.



There were 10.2 million international arrivals into the country in 2019, most from the rest of Africa, but around R2.6 million of those from outside of the continent.



It has been steady year-on-year growth, but it is now obvious that the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has hit tourism hard the lack of spectators at sports events.



“A game of soccer lasts 90 minutes, but it is what happens around that game that is important to us,” SA Tourism CEO Sisa Ntshona tells FORBES AFRICA in a sobering assessment of the state of play.



“We have seen the PSL [local Premier Soccer League] is back up and running here in South Africa, but because crowds are not yet allowed in stadiums, we are not seeing the movement of fans to different cities.



“For example, for big matches, there would be a large number of fans who would travel from Johannesburg to Durban. That alone provides a sizeable boost to the local tourism sector.”



For a cup final outside of Gauteng involving Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, you may find 30,000- 40,000 people will travel to Durban, Polokwane, Nelspruit or even as far as Port Elizabeth within South African provinces.



It is these types of events that, as well as international cricket and rugby tours, that drive the sports tourism market, along with recreational golf, and schools and university events, all of which are on hold.



“There is not the budget any longer for the so-called big- ticket events like the Soccer World Cup and the Olympics, so our challenge is how to fill the calendar with smaller events, but lots of them,” Ntshona admits.



But there are green shoots amid the gloom. What South across all sectors, especially the sports environment with tours and tournaments canceled, and those which do go ahead played in empty stadiums without fans.



Teams might bemoan the lost gate revenue and match-day income from merchandise and catering sales, but the economic impact runs much deeper than that.



Empty hotels and restaurants around the venues that would usually be brimming with guests, other tourist attractions that enjoy a place on a sports travelers’ itinerary, shops, and even taxi drivers all suffer from 



Africa in particular does have is a world in one country, such a vast and varied variety of options that make it appealing.



Because with sports tourism, according to Ntshona, where the events are held is of vital significance.



“The destination is very important. If someone is invited to a golf tour, they will check where it is first. They want to know the destination is part of the experience, because the playing of the sport, or the match you are watching, is only part of it.



“For example, if someone is coming to Cape Town to run a marathon, we want them to bring the whole family, because that is when we see the true benefit from a tourism perspective.



“So it is about creating that ‘destination’ which will make people want to do that, and in South Africa, we have a lot to offer.



“You could start on the Highveld, go to Durban, on to Bloemfontein and Kimberley, and finally Cape Town, and all of those experiences will be different and have something unique to offer.”



SA Tourism has 12 offices around the world that actively market the country, including from a sports perspective.



The Cape Town marathon is a prime example of what they are trying to achieve across many similar events, where they lobby organizers for precious entrance forms to be able to draw runners from all over the world.



The theory is those taking part will largely not come on their own, and just for the race, but rather bring their family to make a holiday out of it.



So 1,000 entrance forms to the Cape Town marathon could turn into at least 4,000 visitors.



With domestic travel, car hire, accommodation and attending attractions and events, or just shopping and eating out, that could easily result in an average spend of R4,000 ($257) per day.



And if those visitors stayed on average the 12 days that is the statistical norm, that turns into a tourism spend of almost R50 million ($3.2 million) from the single event.



But the reality is this is a market that has been decimated by Covid-19, with a global recession on the horizon and fears around travel, which is now both expensive and comes with potentially greater risk of infection.



The next big test for South Africa is the British &amp; Irish Lions series in July-August 2021, where some 30,000 fans, at a minimum, are expected to travel from the United Kingdom and other parts of the world.



The tour itself is five weeks, and while most fans will come for part of it, likely the last two weeks that feature the test matches against the world champion Springboks, it is a potentially huge money-spinner for South African Rugby and Brand South Africa.



But with a second wave of Covid-19 having hit Europe and the potential for one in South Africa during the build-up to the winter months, whether fans will be able to travel, or will come en masse, remains to be seen.



“The Lions tour will go ahead, it is just in what form it takes, from full stadiums to the prospect of restrictions on the number of people in the stadiums. That is something that we cannot say. The situation is very fluid,” Ntshona says.



“We have learned a lot already through the Cocid-19 pandemic. And we continue to learn by monitoring the situation in Europe. They have shown us what to do, and maybe what not to do &#8230;”



President Cyril Ramaphosa has told the South African tourism sector that he would like to see 21 million annual international arrivals in the country by 2030, a tall order that would mean a doubling of the current number.



Sports tours, either to watch a favorite team or to take part as a competitor, will have to play a big role in reaching that number, and will be a major focus for SA Tourism once the global picture around Covid-19 clears.



But just hosting sports events in the country and beaming them around the world can build confidence among an overseas audience.



For now, that will have to be the major focus.



 &#8211;BY NICK SAID

Tag: Sports Covid-19

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

[IN NUMBERS] Coronavirus Update: COVID-19 In Africa

As Record Heat Threatens Tokyo Olympics, Here’s What Climate Change Means For Future Sporting Events

Report: Wuhan Lab Staff Went To Hospital With Covid-Like Symptoms Before Confirmed Outbreak, New Intelligence Finds

Covid-19 Doesn’t Spread In Schools With Safety Precautions, CDC Reports—But Sports Are A Different Story

Sports Tourism: The State Of Play