News Update – Tuesday, November 17, 2020

APCO Worldwide's Coronavirus Beat is a weekly publication on the impact of COVID-19 on businesses, economies, policy and culture, and how leaders are responding. The next newsletter will appear Tuesday, November 24.

Have a comment about this newsletter? We welcome your feedback.

Business & Economic Impact

1. Aided by COVID-19 response strategies and demand from global consumers, Asian economies are emerging as winners in the race to a full recovery, The Wall Street Journal

2. Emirates expects to return to profitability within the next two years, as new travel corridors open and the global aviation industry attempts to rebound from the pandemic, CNBC
3. Analysts from BlackRock Investment Institute forecasted that the long-term damage from the pandemic may not be as devastating as the 2008 financial crisis, Business Insider

Global Policy

1. U.S. President-elect Biden will face deep foreign relations dilemmas stemming from President Trump’s clash with China, especially during the pandemic, The New York Times

2. Singapore’s minister for communications says that the RCEP ‘signals a commitment’ to economic integration despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, CNBC
3. The European Union and the United Kingdom continue trade talks in Brussels, after months of stalled debates and stalemate, Foreign Policy

Control Measures

1. Germany plans to set up hundreds of vaccination centers across the country in December to prepare for mass vaccinations in 2021, Bloomberg

2. Austria ordered a three-week lockdown in an attempt to bring down coronavirus cases and relieve the stress on health services ahead of Christmas, Reuters
3. Following a strategy of continuous control, the Japanese government is determined to keep its economy open in the winter despite rising cases, Financial Times

Worth Noting

1. French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced that the country will postpone its elections currently scheduled for March 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, POLITICO

2. A survey by McKinsey & Co. found that the pandemic pushed most Americans to embrace new ways of shopping, driving the development of digital commerce, The Wall Street Journal
3. Up to 15 million jobs for young people are expected to be lost in the Asia-Pacific region, with those who do find work facing lower earnings for years, South China Morning Post

Stay Ahead: Insights from APCO

How COVID-19 Changed the Face of the Future of Travel

Caroline Rowe, senior account director from APCO's Riyadh office, and Rishi Talwalker, director of strategic communications from APCO's Dubai office, discuss how the future of travel looks far different as we look toward a post-COVID-19 "new normal," with digitalization, mindfulness, and domestic travel taking center stage:

"The COVID-19 pandemic has had a universal impact of crippling economies and spreading an all-pervading sense of cabin fever. As the world grapples with the possibility of a second wave, possible return of lockdowns, and an uncertain future, the one certain reality is the effect that this pandemic has had on the travel and hospitality sectors.

Never before have these industries so deeply dealt with the issue of a failing operational infrastructure, compounded by the rapidly depleting workforce. Whether these industries emerge as the proverbial phoenix from the ashes or shrink in size to become much smaller remains to be seen."

COVID-19 Could Save Car Ownership

Richard VanOrnum, director at APCO Worldwide, discusses how COVID-19 has made commuters more cautious about ride-sharing, potentially boosting car ownership:

"For much of modern history, the automobile played a fundamental role in the cultural and economic identity of America and the world. In the post-World War II world, the rise of the family car and the development of suburbs were inextricably linked. Neither could exist without the other and both played critical roles in the global economy.

But in recent years, younger generations have increasingly snubbed suburban comforts for the opportunity of higher income in urban centers. They have opted to forgo the traditional coming-of-age car purchase for a Metro card, a bicycle, or an Uber account. The summer road trip faded as affordable air travel made international travel destinations more attainable. In the eyes of many economists, the heyday of the automobile had passed, replaced by a future dominated by public transportation, ridesharing, and automation.

Then COVID-19 hit."

Webinar: New Paradigms and Realignment in the Eastern Mediterranean

APCO and Concordia are hosting a virtual event about energy discoveries; new and emerging alliances; the fragile status of Libya; and how evolving roles in regional stability are helping to redefine geopolitical fault lines for the Eastern Mediterranean.

On Thursday, November 19 at 1 PM ET, listen to H.E. Alexandra Papadopoulou, Ambassador of Greece to the United States, Nicholas Logothetis, Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board of Concordia, and Andreas Mavroyiannis, Negotiator of the Greek-Cypriot community for the Republic of Cyprus, among other panelists, discuss key questions including What does the current crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean mean for future EU-Turkey relations? What role is the U.S. expected to play? How does strengthened cooperation between Greece-Egypt-Cyprus play out? And what will be the impact of new relations between the UAE, Bahrain and Israel? Register here.

Webinar: European Health Data Space:
How Can We Make Data Governance Models More Patient-Centric?  

The COVID-19 crisis has been an eye-opener for many stakeholders, especially national governments, and has revealed that sharing health data is essential for enabling positive health outcomes and more sustainable health systems in Europe. However, the crisis has also exposed a number of key challenges that stand in the way of digital health realizing its full potential in the EU.

On Wednesday, November 18 at 4 PM CET, listen to panelists discuss technical and structural enablers for the development of digital-driven healthcare, patient rights and security with respect to data use and re-use, and equal access to the future European Health Data Space across the EU. Register here.

Some Positive News

Festive cheer: Many UK families are putting their Christmas lights up early to bring cheer to their neighborhoods during COVID-19 lockdowns, The Guardian
Multigenerational families: Families are opting to have elderly relatives move in with them rather than risk loneliness in senior-living facilities, The Wall Street Journal
Lightening the mood: Singaporean authors are using poetry and humor to capture the realities of day-to-day life since the outbreak of the pandemic, The Straits Times

More Tips from Around the Water Cooler

How to deal with quarantine-induced social anxiety, The New York Times
How to stay on top of your health from home during COVID-19, The Wall Street Journal
Five strategies for reinventing your career in uncertain times, Harvard Business Review
A way forward for working parents, Harvard Business Review

Quotables

“The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the consequences of chronic under-investment in public health. But we don’t just need more investment; we must also rethink how we value health… The time has come for a new narrative that sees health not as a cost, but an investment that is the foundation of productive, resilient and stable economies.”

- Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General

The APCO team is working with clients globally to manage this crisis, and we stand ready to support your needs. For more resources from APCO, including our latest research, information on how we can help or to contact us, visit apcoworldwide.com/coronavirus.

About Coronavirus Beat

Coronavirus Beat is a bulletin of updates and clippings from the most relevant media and government sources created to help APCO’s clients keep abreast of the impacts of COVID-19 from around the world. APCO is supporting clients in managing the issues they confront related to the outbreak. Contact our crisis team at Crisis360@apcoworldwide.com or +1.866.360.APCO (toll-free) or +1.866.483.2726 (outside the United States).

APCO Worldwide is an advisory and advocacy communications consultancy helping leading public and private sector organizations act with agility, and build organizational reputations, brands, relationships and solutions to succeed. APCO has offices in more than 30 major cities throughout the world. To find out how APCO’s integrated services can help your company, visit apcoworldwide.com.