As the Delta variant of COVID-19 spreads around the world, it has become the mainstream variant of COVID-19 in some countries, catching some countries that had successfully controlled the epidemic unprepared. Bangladesh, Malaysia, Australia, South Africa and many other countries have tightened restrictions again and entered “re-blockade”.
Malaysia’s blockade will be extended indefinitely
Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin recently announced that the nationwide blockade originally scheduled to expire on June 28 will be extended to every The daily number of confirmed cases has dropped to 4,000, which means that the lockdown in Malaysia will be extended indefinitely, and only shops necessary for people’s livelihood will be allowed to open. Many people are in financial difficulties and the lockdown will be extended indefinitely, causing many people’s livelihood to be affected and the unemployment rate to rise.
Malaysian Senior Minister of Defense Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced on the evening of July 1 that due to the serious situation of the new crown epidemic in many places in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian government decided to implement an enhanced version in the above areas. Movement Control Order (EMCO), further tightening epidemic prevention restrictions.
Due to the continued severity of the epidemic, the Malaysian government announced an indefinite nationwide lockdown
Malaysia Phase 1 During the Comprehensive Movement Control Order, starting from June 16, non-essential cargo and containers will be loaded and unloaded in phases every Monday, Wednesday and Friday to reduce congestion at various ports. In terms of containers, including those imported by manufacturers from various parts of Northern Malaysia and exported to Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Qingdao, China, etc. through Port Klang, the cargo storage capacity of Penang Port has been maintained below 50%, and the situation is under control. The Port Klang Authority previously released non-essential containers in phases during the FMCO period from June 15 to June 28 to avoid congestion at Port Klang. The above measures allow port importers and exporters to avoid double losses. In addition to reducing container ship leasing costs, they also reduce the costs of storing goods and containers at the port. The port hopes to cooperate and work side by side with the government to deal with the challenges of the COVID-19 epidemic.
Bangladesh nationwide emergency lockdown
In order to curb the spread of the Delta strain of the new coronavirus variant, Bangladesh is scheduled to implement it nationwide from July 1 “City closure” measures lasting at least one week.
During the “city lockdown”, the military dispatched soldiers, border guards and riot police to patrol the streets to assist the government in implementing epidemic prevention measures.
On the port side, due to long berthing delays at Chittagong and outlying transshipment ports, the available capacity of feeder ships has been reduced, coupled with the unavailability of some feeder ships, export containers are being packed at inland container yards. Backlog.
Ruhul Amin Sikder (Biplob), secretary of Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association (BICDA), said the number of export containers at warehouses is twice the normal level and this situation has continued for the past month or so. “Some containers have been stuck in warehouses for up to 15 days,” he said.
Sk Abul, general manager of Hapag-Lloyd’s local agent GBX Logistics Kalam Azad said the number of available feeder ships has fallen below the level needed to meet demand during this busy period. Currently, the ship’s berthing time at Chittagong Port is delayed by up to five days, and its berthing time at the transshipment port is delayed by another three days.
Azad said: “This waste of time reduces their average monthly sailings, resulting in space constraints on feeder ships, which leads to congestion at the cargo terminal.”
July On the 1st, about 10 container ships were waiting at the anchorage outside Chittagong Port, and 9 of them were loading and unloading containers at the terminal.
Four Australian states announced emergency lockdowns
Different Australian cities have successfully controlled the epidemic through proactive lockdowns, border closures, social tracking apps, etc. However, after a new virus transmission cluster was discovered in the southeastern city of Sydney at the end of June, the epidemic spread rapidly across the country. In less than two weeks, four Australian state capitals, including Sydney, Darwin, Perth and Brisbane, Ban announced the closure of the city one after another. More than 12 million people are affected, nearly half of Australia’s total population. If several small cities that have implemented relatively loose lockdown measures are included, the affected population exceeds 20 million, which is almost 80% of Australia’s total population.
Australia has one of the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates in developed countries. Only 5% of adults have received two doses of the vaccine, and 29% have received the first dose. The outside world believes that this is one of the main reasons for the rapid spread of the Delta variant.
Australian health experts say that because Australia is currently in the middle of winter, the country may face months of restrictions. According to reports, in response to the emerging epidemic in the country, Australian states have begun to implement cross-regional border control measures. At the same time, the mechanism for mutual travel between Australia and New Zealand without quarantine has also been interrupted. Port operations and terminal operating efficiency in Sydney and Melbourne will be affected.
South Africa has once again raised the level of “city closure” in response to the epidemic
Due to the invasion of the Delta mutant strain, the number of infections and deaths at the peak of the recent third wave of COVID-19 in South Africa has increased significantly compared with the peaks of the previous two waves. It is the country with the worst epidemic on the African continent.
The South African government announced at the end of June that it would raise the “city lockdown” level to the fourth level, the highest level after the epidemic, in order to deal with the third wave of the new crown epidemic. This is the third time in the past month that the country has raised the level of “city lockdown”. A number of anti-epidemic measures, such as alcohol bans and curfews, were promulgated to prevent the rapid spread of the epidemic.
Moti, head of the World Health Organization’s African Regional Office, said: “The speed and scale of the third wave of epidemic spread in Africa are unprecedented. The rampant spread of more contagious virus variants has pushed the threat of the new crown virus to Africa. to a whole new level. Action must be taken to strengthen preventive measures to prevent tragedies.”
Others–As the epidemic continues to worsen in India, the world’s second largest textile manufacturer and exporter, Cambodia, Many major textile and apparel exporting countries, such as Bangladesh, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, and Myanmar, have also encountered varying degrees of difficulties in the textile and apparel industry due to strict blockade measures, logistics delays, raw material supply, and domestic political turmoil, and some orders may flow in. A China with more reliable supply security.
Kaiyuan Securities believes that with the recovery of overseas demand, the global textile and apparel market may continue to show a positive trend, and China’s textile and apparel exports will also continue to improve. It is optimistic that Chinese chemical fiber companies will continue to stably supply the world in 2021 and fully benefit from the recovery in global textile and apparel demand. </p
