News Update – Tuesday, November 24, 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, December 1.

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

Business & Economic Impact

1. After new coronavirus lockdown, Eurozone business activity shrinks to a six-month low and some leaders considering gradually lifting restrictions in the coming weeks, CNBC

2. JPMorgan expects the U.S. economy will shrink in the first quarter as states rollback businesses reopening due to the new wave of COVID-19 infections, Fox Business
3. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador called on the G20 major economies to improve external debt conditions for poor and middle-income countries, Reuters

Global Policy

1. During the virtual G20 summit hosted by Saudi Arabia, G20 leaders pledged to strive to ensure affordable, equitable and global access to COVID-19 vaccine, Financial Times

2. Chinese President Xi Jinping is pushing for a global COVID-19 tracking system using QR codes to help fast-track international travel and business during the pandemic, CNN
3. U.S. President-elect Joe Biden named Antony Blinken as secretary of state, who plans to pressure China to follow international norms on the coronavirus and trade, Reuters

Control Measures

1. The U.S. CDC recommends that those planning to travel internationally get tested for the COVID-19 both before and after their flights, The Washington Post

2. The Danish parliament has approved legislation that will allow companies to force their employees to take COVID-19 tests and disclose the results, Bloomberg
3. As new daily caseloads fall, France will begin to ease its lockdown restrictions using a three-stage process in order to avoid potential infection flare-ups, The Guardian

Worth Noting

1. Australia's national airline Qantas announced that they will require future international travelers to prove they have been vaccinated against COVID-19 before flying, CNN

2. Facebook has labeled over 167 million users’ posts as misinformative and deleted a further 12 million posts in 2020 for including misinformation about COVID-19, Bloomberg
3. A decline in enrollment numbers for U.S. community colleges highlighted the wider-reaching effects of the pandemic on students of color, The Wall Street Journal

Stay Ahead: Insights from APCO

What the U.S. Election Means for U.S. Policy Toward China
Rosalind Reischer, a senior consultant at APCO’s Washington, D.C, discusses how the U.S. election impacted relations with China:

"Companies should expect the U.S.-China relationship to continue to be characterized by deep friction, regardless of which party is dominant in Washington come January.

This thesis is evident in the continued flurry of legislation introduced in Congress in the run up to the election, with both political parties articulating a broad strategic approach to China. This is a stark contrast to the Trump administration which did not have a clearly defined China strategy, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic."

The Need for a European PASTEUR Act to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance
Sture Alne, a consultant in APCO Worldwide's Brussels office, discusses how antimicrobial resistance is an important to address even as we face the coronavirus pandemic.

For more on how Europe can address AMR, check out the APCO Brussels x Health: Back on the Agenda podcast episode, featuring Aleks Engel, partner at Novo Holdings, David Tordrup, health economist specializing in pharmaceutical policy and access to medicines and Ghada Zoubiane, head of partnerships and stakeholder engagement at the International Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions (ICARS).

"While European health systems are busy fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, another ‘silent’ pandemic is looming in the background; antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Since the last class of antibiotics was developed in the 1980s, there has been a lack of innovation in the field resulting in few novel antimicrobials being launched.

At the same time, the effect of existing antibiotics has perpetually diminished due to increasing development of resistance, hence securing a robust pipeline of new antimicrobials is more important than ever."

Some Positive News

Christmas cheer: In a bid to bring joy to people in lockdown around the world, Israel’s Ministry of Tourism arranged for Santa to be filmed swimming in the dead sea with a Christmas tree, Reuters
Vertical farming: The pandemic has led Singapore to rethink its domestic food supply and invest in new, innovative vertical farms to try and grow more of the nation’s fresh fruit and vegetables at home, The Wall Street Journal
Guitar sales boom: Fender Musical Instruments Corp., the legendary guitar maker, has seen a 17% increase in sales during the pandemic as housebound consumers look for new hobbies, CNBC

More Tips from Around the Water Cooler

Thanksgiving with COVID-19: How to stay safe with the family, Bloomberg
Use with care: COVID makes work emails trickier than ever, Financial Times
Make mindfulness a habit, Harvard Business Review
Is self-sabotage burning you out?, Harvard Business Review

Quotables

“The recent breakthroughs on COVID-19 vaccines offer a ray of hope. But that ray of hope needs to reach everyone. That means ensuring that vaccines are treated as a global public good - a people’s vaccine accessible and affordable to everyone, everywhere…This is not a ‘do-good’ exercise. It is the only way to stop the pandemic dead in its tracks. Solidarity is indeed survival.”

- António Guterres, The United Nations Secretary-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.