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For the EU, banning American tourists is the easy part

By Lionel Laurent

WHEN Donald Trump slapped a travel ban on Europe back in March to halt the spread of COVID-19, the US president declared it “the most aggressive and comprehensive effort to confront a virus in modern history” — and he criticized the European Union for not having acted quickly enough to do the same.

The tables have turned. Today, it’s the EU that is leaving American tourists out in the cold with its new shortlist of 14 countries deemed safe for non-essential travel. Despite Trump’s bluster, the US has racked up more than double the total caseload of the EU’s 27 members, and it hasn’t made the cut. Countries including Canada, Japan, and Morocco have. China will be added to the list, provided it lifts its own curbs on European visitors.

While politically this will sting, it is at heart an epidemiological decision, as my colleague Andreas Kluth has pointed out. As if to prove that flight bans aren’t actually all that effective, especially when compared to domestic measures like widespread testing and movement curbs, the US’ record in controlling the infection curve remains poor. In the two weeks to June 29, cumulative cases per 100,000 people (the EU’s preferred metric) stood at 137 in the US, one of the highest rates in the world. They were below 10 in France, Italy, and Spain.

Still, the comfort of statistics belies the general knottiness of lifting travel restrictions in Europe, which involves coordinating 27 member states with sometimes different priorities and policies.

To start with, the approved list isn’t a law per se, but a recommendation — border controls remain the preserve of national governments. While nobody expects a country to unilaterally fling open its doors to Americans, enforcement is going to be an issue. The ban wasn’t exactly watertight in the first place, as my Bloomberg News colleagues have reported, with allowances made for US citizens living in the EU, Europeans living in the US, students and others. Countries such as Ireland and Denmark aren’t even part of the common border policy. Denmark is unlikely to take a relaxed approach to tourists given it was one of the first European countries to restrict travel and impose stay-at-home measures on its people. But its exemptions include businesspeople, au pairs, and boarding-school students too.

Making matters even more confusing, travel within the EU still won’t be completely free even if the bloc has called for an end to internal border restrictions, restoring the free movement that symbolizes the unity of its single market. Some EU members are keeping others at bay over their handling of the virus. That means some nations will likely now be welcoming tourists from thousands of kilometers away while snubbing their own neighbors. Travelers from Sweden, for example, whose 14-day case rate is almost as high as the US’, are restricted from freely entering countries including Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Cyprus. Brits are also personae non gratae in places such as Greece, where direct flights from the UK and Sweden aren’t allowed until July 15. It’s not only Americans who will have to wait.

How to handle China raises other complications. The country should be a shoo-in based on how few new cases it’s reporting, but questions remain over how it handled the outbreak and the trustworthiness of its data crunching in the past. The Europeans have managed a workaround by asking the country to lift its own restrictions on EU travelers before it can fully make its way onto the EU’s whitelist. Maybe there’s a guide here for how Trump could get the go-ahead from the EU, provided his handling of the pandemic also improves. It’s not all down to data.

For all the loopholes and muddles involved in lifting the EU’s travel restrictions, it’s reassuring that it’s happening at all — you have to start somewhere. But the freedom of countries to go their own way, on top of the World Health Organization’s warning that the pandemic is “not even close to being over,” means the unpredictability will be with us a while yet.

BLOOMBERG OPINION

The price of recovery

Metro Manila, Cavite and a few other areas with significant contributions to the national economy will remain under General Community Quarantine (GCQ) until July 15. With that, the government, people, and business will just have to wait another two weeks to see if these places can transition to the more lenient Modified General Community Quarantine (MCGQ). It depends mainly on the trend of the number of COVID-19 cases reported daily.

The main issue under GCQ is public transportation. Unless these economic centers are placed under MGCQ, and more mass transportation options are made available to the public, then workers’ movement will remain restricted. Things will continue to be difficult even if businesses choose to restart, if many of their workers cannot find their way to work. The economy will continue to hobble.

Remote work or work-from-home is a challenge, especially for manufacturing and service industries. It can be an acceptable arrangement for white-collar work, but it will be difficult to sustain particularly given connectivity issues. And not all can walk or bike to work, given that many Metro Manila workers live in places like Rizal, Laguna, Cavite, and Batangas. And only few companies can afford to hire shuttles for workers for an indefinite period.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III is pushing for Metro Manila and Calabarzon to be soon put under MGCQ, which is the least restrictive level of community quarantine for the country. His concern is the urgent need to restart the economy, noting that the National Capital Region and Southern Luzon cover more than 60% of the economy. Muted economic activity has also impacted negatively on tax collection.

“The reality today is that the virus is not going to go away and we will have to live with it for a long period of time. I really believe we really should begin opening,” Mr. Dominguez was quoted as saying in a news report. “You know, NCR, Calabarzon, that is where the economy is based. About 60% or 67% of our economy is based in that area. [We should move] to the MGCQ as quickly as possible because people have to start working.”

Mr. Dominguez has a point. To date, most COVID-19 patients in the country are considered “mild” or with mild symptoms. But the concern, moving forward, is that with reopening the economy and restarting businesses, more people can get sick, and possibly suffer more severe symptoms and even die. More than 37,000 Filipinos have been infected by COVID-19 so far, and more than 1,200 have died from it. MGCQ might just see those numbers go up significantly — economic recovery will be at the expense of public health.

One of the country’s largest businesses, San Miguel Corp., remains optimistic its business will recover despite the COVID-19 pandemic. “Our major businesses are well-positioned to make recoveries, especially with the lifting of restrictions starting June. Since May, we have been seeing a recovery,” SMC president and COO Ramon Ang told a stockholders meeting.

He also said recovery would be faster if a COVID-19 vaccine could be developed soon. “We are still dealing with a crisis today. Until there’s a cure for COVID-19, we cannot let our guard down. Nevertheless, we are determined to work smart and safe and do our part to help our economy, our country and people during this critical time,” Mr. Ang added.

But a vaccine doesn’t seem to be forthcoming. It may take months to years before a vaccine can become available, if at all. And there is no telling how much that vaccine will cost. To date, what has become available is a drug for treating COVID-19 patients, but not a vaccine to protect people from it. And that drug treatment, now reportedly available in the United States, costs more than an arm and a leg.

A report in The New York Times (NYT) dated June 30 detailed how a new drug to treat COVID-19 patients would “be distributed under an unusual agreement with the [US] federal government that establishes non-negotiable prices and prioritizes American patients.” The drug, called Remdesivir, is made by Gilead Sciences, the same company that made the first hepatitis C cures as well as a daily pill against HIV infection.

Remdesivir will be sold at $520 per vial, or $3,120 per treatment course, to US hospitals for treatment of patients with private insurance. The price will be set at $390 per vial, or $2,340 per treatment course, for patients on government-sponsored insurance and for those in other countries with national health care systems, NYT reported. It added that the drug would be sold only in the United States through September.

The sad part, particularly for poorer countries like the Philippines, is that Remdesivir is deemed a relatively cheaper cure. Experts have noted that other drugs now in late-stage testing cost several times more, while Gilead Chief Executive Daniel O’Day has been quoted as saying, “There is no playbook for how to price a new medicine in a pandemic.” Incidentally, the new drug was reportedly developed with more than $70 million in “public money.”

The New York Times also reported that the non-profit group Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, which calculates fair prices for drugs, estimated that Gilead could charge as low as $1,600 per regimen to recoup its costs in developing and manufacturing Remdesivir. Instead, however, it plans to charge a range of $2,340 to $3,120 for treatment of patients with health insurance.

The Institute added that “Gilead has the power to price Remdesivir at will in the US, and no governmental or private insurer could even entertain the idea of walking away from the negotiating table.” At a price range of $2,340 to $3,120 per treatment, Remdesivir is already too expensive for most Filipinos. But, one can only guess at this point how much the drug will actually cost by the time it gets here, and if it will get here.

But drug treatment is only one side of the equation. A vaccine, I believe, is far more important to us. And for sure, demand for a vaccine will be far greater than for drug treatment anywhere in the world. So far, more than 10 million people have been infected with COVID-19 worldwide, and more than 500,000 have died from it. But hundreds of millions are at risk of getting infected until vaccination is done.

If drug treatment already costs $2,340 to $3,120 in the US, then how much can a vaccine possibly cost in a country like the Philippines? One can only hope that either China or India can make vaccines and drug treatments available to fellow Asians at a discount. Affordable and accessible vaccines and drug treatments are crucial to safeguarding public health, and to economic recovery. Without them, people will continue to live in fear of getting sick. But what good is a vaccine or a drug treatment to a country that cannot afford them? The steep price of economic recovery is a higher body count.

 

Marvin Tort is a former managing editor of BusinessWorld, and a former chairmanof the Philippines Press Council.

matort@yahoo.com

GDP, CO2 emissions, and coal-gas consumption

This year marks several important global milestones in macro-economy and the energy sector. These include the coveted $100 billion/year of climate money starting 2020 as promised by the rich countries to poorer countries during the Paris Agreement in 2015, and steep decline in global GDP growth and energy demand because of the various lockdowns by many countries in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The world hit an all-time high primary energy demand of 584 Exajoules (EJ, 1 EJ = 23.88 trillion tons oil equivalent, or 277.78 tera-watt hours, TWH) in 2019, up from 576 Exajoules in 2018.

Despite the economic hardships worldwide with many rich countries expected to have GDP contraction anywhere from -2% to -10% this year, many leaders in poor countries, big environmental NGOs, and renewable firms demand that the $100 billion/year should be given to them. The money will largely finance energy transition from fossil fuels especially coal, to intermittent renewables especially wind-solar, to reduce global CO2 emissions.

This is a simplistic and parochial goal and does not look at global economic realities that countries and economies have developed and modernized as they used more fossil fuel energy. I compared two decades of GDP (2019 are estimates by the IMF World Economic Outlook, WEO) and CO2 emissions. The positive correlation is very clear: countries with at least 2x expansion in CO2 emissions have at least 4x expansion in GDP size (see the table).

Now there is endless pressure for the Philippine government to hasten the transition away from coal and move towards wind-solar plus more use of natural gas, imported LNG once the Malampaya gas is exhausted in a few years.

Go back to the table : the Philippines’ coal consumption in 2019 of only 0.73 EJ is similar to those in Thailand and Malaysia, less than half of Taiwan, only 1/3 of Vietnam, 1/5 of South Korea, and 1/7 of Japan. Ours is not big, not scary or Frankensteinish so that exit from coal should be hastened or even desirable.

The natgas lobby is correct in saying that our gas consumption is small. As shown in the table above, our gas consumption was only 0.15 EJ in 2019, that is because we only rely on domestic supply from Malampaya gas field. Lobbying for imported LNG, even having nuke power, more big hydro, can be done without calling for killing coal power.

It is also notable that anti-coal Greenpeace has also turned anti-natural gas too on the ground that gas has high methane emission.

The Philippines with 109 million people remains to have a small GDP size of only $357 billion in 2019, comparable to Singapore with only 5.7 million or Malaysia with 33 million people. We need to expand our economic size fast, and a big supply of energy at cheaper or competitive prices will be badly needed.

How about the environment or the planet?

CO2 is not an evil pollutant gas as what we often hear or read. CO2 is the gas that humans and animals exhale, the gas that plants and crops use to produce their own food via photosynthesis. It is a useful gas so that more CO2 leads to more trees regenerating naturally, and more food production.

Meanwhile, there is a new paper published by Ateneo de Manila University on June 23, “COVID-19, Coal, and the Energy Transition in the Philippines” by Dr. Majah-Leah V. Ravago and Dr.James A. Roumasset. They concluded that “FIT subsidies are actually retarding investment relative to free market levels. Using COVID-19 to justify further subsidies is likely to be counterproductive, in spite of recent proposals to extend the feed-in-tariffs. A better approach is for government to facilitate faster approval of unsubsidized projects.”

Right. More subsidies for solar-wind, higher excise tax for coal to make it artificially more expensive, and exempting gas from excise tax to make it look cheaper, are three sides of wrong, anti-consumer policies. Consumers, not government or environmental NGOs or RE lobbies should decide the appropriate energy mix.

 

Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr. is the president of Minimal Government Thinkers.

minimalgovernment@gmail.com

Formal and informal conversations

 

THE NEW NORMAL seems to favor scheduled meetings where discussions are based on the agenda, and questions and answers are recorded in minutes of the meeting. Formal conversations also include media interviews conducted even when the interviewee is in a different time zone from the interlocutor. Replies to reckless questions need to be carefully couched as these are retrievable as video clips — yes, we were elated by his apology.

Is there room for informal conversations when the admonition of the health scolds requires people, especially the elderly, to stay home and avoid unnecessary outings, including lunches with no stated agenda? Idle chit-chat or the inconsequential exchange of pleasantries and unauthorized leaks belong to the “old normal.”

Informal chatter touches on trivial topics, like the light traffic along C5 and the rise of bicycle use, the race for vaccines, and the fate of art auctions in a time of economic uncertainty.

Formal conversations invite controversy. These include postings on the fate of franchises and a conviction in a libel suit being equated to an issue of press freedom. The introduction of a contentious topic, say an investigation on the distribution of face masks or how the social amelioration funds were doled out, is sure to invite heated discourse even in chat groups.

Only the discussion of sex can bring back a runaway debate to the desired level of triviality. Sex, after all, is always relegated to informal conversation, unless the topic attaches to political figures which can invite libelous charges… again.

Informal talk can precede a formal meeting. The former is used as diversion, while awaiting the arrival of the convener without whose attendance the meeting is invalid. However, too abrupt a halt in the ebb and flow of small talk when the big boss walks in (or joins the virtual group) can be misconstrued as being caught mid-sentence in some improper comments about him — where can he be?

The convener formally calls the meeting to order, as if there were other reasons and not his tardiness that delayed the proceedings. An abrupt switch of gears from informal to formal talk only emphasizes that everybody has in fact been waiting only for the boss. Finally, we can start.

The start of a formal meeting and the end of aimless conversation are clearly delineated, often with a ceremonial clearing of the throat — can we call the meeting to order? No matter how riotous the still unfinished joke is, it has to come to an abrupt stop. The conversational gears audibly click from the informal to the formal.

To carry on with informal topics after the meeting has formally started runs the risk of the chatterer being tagged as lightweight, distracting, and irresponsible; somebody who should be sent out of the room.

Formal types in audit or finance can find the extended small talk unnerving. They may need to chase down an uncollected invoice or meet with the external auditor to explain “cash advances to officers.” The rush to get to the main course and skip the appetizer of informal talk, especially when it has gone on too long, leads to undisguised irritability. Rushing too eagerly to discuss the engagement of some consultancy being proposed is seen as being too pushy — why don’t you just go ahead and leave early?

Informal conversation is part of the flow of information in any organization.

The grapevine, which is the touchstone of informal conversation with its entwined roots and low-hanging grapes, is a necessary fount of information. Even in formal matters like the price of stocks, the direction of an embattled company, or the fate of a new entrant in a duopoly, informal rumblings can tell the real stories of organizations.

In the restricted interaction dictated by social distancing where low voices are hard to catch, the informal conversation can only suffer a setback. Isn’t gossip dependent on the whispered musings of an un-distanced pair?

The grapevine needs to be watered and tended in order to spread its tendrils and leaves. Only with unmasked heads nodding closely together can gossip be transferred. Informal conversation, which even analysts of the stock market rely on, gives context to the numbers and where they’re headed.

Formal conversation is meant for the record. It’s the informal “off the record” remarks that make the numbers reveal the real story… and not the one who told it.

 

Tony Samson is Chairman and CEO, TOUCH xda.

ar.samson@yahoo.com

Silver touts safety of Disney campus for games to resume

NEW YORK — With no entirely risk-free path to play, National Basketball Association Commissioner Adam Silver said he hopes the league can be a model for other industries to safely reopen when it resumes its season.

Players from 22 teams will live, train and play in a so-called bubble at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, with tipoff for the fan-free games set for July 30, months after the league abruptly suspended its season in March due to COVID-19.

Teams are expected to begin traveling to Orlando on July 7. Walt Disney Co. also owns sports network ESPN and US broadcast television network ABC which carry many NBA games.

“There’s no way of knowing where this pandemic is going and what we’ve concluded is we simply can’t run from it,” Silver said in a Time 100 Talks video.

“Like so many other industries, we’re looking to find the right balance between health and safety on one hand and economic necessity on the other.”

Players will be tested daily at the Disney campus, said Silver, who does not plan to be on site for the entire duration of play.

“I’m absolutely convinced that it will be safer on this campus than off this campus,” said Silver.

The NBA is among numerous leagues and sports governing bodies in North America to see positive COVID-19 tests among its ranks in recent days, with the Denver Nuggets reportedly closing the team training facility after two members of the organization tested positive.

Florida is also among the many US states to see a resurgence of new COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, a trend that Silver said the league was watching closely. “Our model was designed to protect us and our players from cases in the outside community,” he said. “Maybe at the time we designed it we didn’t think it would be as necessary as it is now but at least we’re preparing for it.”

SPREAD TO HALT SEASON
Meanwhile, spread of the coronavirus would prompt the NBA to stop the 2019—20 season, said Silver.

The NBA commissioner said the league is “reasonably confident” about its plan to restart the season but if the virus spreads among players and personnel in Florida, they have no choice but to pull the plug.

“Never full steam ahead no matter what,” Silver said.

He said they are working closely with medical experts and plan to modify guidance and recommendations based on all available information. — Reuters

Jimmy Alapag: From point guard to coach

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior Reporter

ONE of the best point guards to parade his wares in the local basketball scene, Jimmy Alapag is now making a name for himself in coaching, a transition he said was somehow “natural” after all those years he spent as a floor general.

Recently graced Tiebreaker Vods’ Coaches Unfiltered podcast, Mr. Alapag, 42, currently the head coach of San Miguel Alab Pilipinas in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL), said his years manning the point guard position in the Philippine Basketball Association and the national team set the path for the direction he is now taking.

“I think for point guards, it might be a little more natural just because when you’re playing the position as a player, you’re really an extension of the coach,” said Mr. Alapag, who played 13 years in the PBA for the Talk ‘N Text and Meralco franchises.

“It is still much different when you’re coaching [though] because now, not only you’re concerned about your team but you’re also worried about your opponent and what they’re playing, their tendencies, I think that’s the biggest challenge now as a coach,” he added.

“Mighty Mouse” went on to say that he feels fortunate that he was given the opportunity to establish a footing in coaching immediately after his playing career was over.

Following a one-year stint with Meralco before retiring for good, he was asked to come onboard the Bolts as an assistant coach to help players’ development, particularly then-young players Baser Amer and Chris Newsome.

Mr. Alapag said that assistant coaching post did a lot in further forming in him the desire to coach as a way of “paying it forward.”

After Meralco, he became the coach of Alab Pilipinas and then concurrently became an assistant coach with the San Miguel Beermen in the PBA.

The former PBA most valuable player (2011) has also shared his services for the Philippine national men’s basketball team as an assistant, the most recent in the 30th Southeast Asian Games last year.

Mr. Alapag admitted early on many doubted his move to be a coach which somehow rocked him. But his determination to work and do well in coaching, along with the help of the people surrounding him, kept him going.

“With Alab, we had not just great players but great people and I think that’s very important in having success with the team… It was really a collective effort but at the start, man it was pretty tough,” he said.

Also keeping him going, he said, is the many lessons he got from the coaches he played for throughout the years.

“As a coach, you’re always trying to grow and you’re always trying to improve. You’re always trying to learn and for me, I always go back to when I was playing and the coaches I played for, guys like Coach Norman (Black), Coach Chot (Reyes), Coach Jamike (Jarin) who’s someone who is very helpful to me during my career. Taking bits of pieces of what I learned from them and through my experiences of them, trying to cultivate my own style as well,” he said.

Right now because of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, play in the ABL is suspended with its future still uncertain. It is something Mr. Alapag said is very unfortunate and tough.

“It’s tough right now. Obviously everyone has been affected by the pandemic. With the ABL, we’re in a very, very tough situation, honestly, I think even tougher than the PBA just because in the PBA, you’re still here Metro Manila, and obviously there’s still a ton of challenges for the league and variables to cover to keep everyone safety as the top priority,” he said.

“With the ABL, it’s a much different dynamic because of the heavy travel that we have around the region to all the other neighboring Southeast Asian countries. Last that I heard, the league is still on indefinite suspension. Us having been five months into the season and then just like instantly, the season was cut off. It was tough but it’s something that we’ve all been affected by,” he added.

Steadily carving his name in coaching, Mr. Alapag said he cannot wait to resume his journey, armed with added determination to succeed and better appreciation for the game that has given him a lot.

Reigning ONE lightweight champ Lee sees Folayang a great challenge

HOLDER of the lightweight title in ONE Championship for over a year now, Singapore’s Christian “The Warrior” Lee said a lot is still in store for him as champion and that he is ready to take on all-comers, including former champ Eduard “Landslide” Folayang.

Ascended to the lightweight throne in May last year after beating erstwhile champion and Japanese legend Shinya Aoki, Mr. Lee, 22, last saw action in October where he ably stepped in as replacement in the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix Championship and defeated Russian Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev, but he is raring to it get going anew and prove his mettle as the best in his class.

“I will defend my belt against anyone, anytime. The lightweight division is the most stacked division in ONE Championship,” said Lee (13-3), about his plans to defend his title.

A solid list of contenders is out to get the lightweight belt from him, including mixed martial arts veteran Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez, and undefeated and current number one contender Moldovan Iuri Lapicus.

Also in the running is Mr. Arslanaliev.

While said fighters would be solid opponents to him, an opportunity to share the ONE Circle with Filipino veteran Folayang is a challenge Mr. Lee would not mind taking on.

“I would love to share the ONE Circle with Eduard Folayang. I have a lot of respect for all that he’s accomplished in his career, and I think that we could put on a great show for the fans,” said Mr. Lee, younger brother of ONE women’s atomweight champion Angela.

“Eduard is a very good striker, and is now rounding out his wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu. However, I feel that his main strengths are his heart and his killer instinct. He’s the two-time former ONE Lightweight World Champion, so he doesn’t have many weaknesses. I think he’s a great fighter,” he added of Folayang (22-9), who is out to get back on the winning track after bowing to replacement opponent Pieter Buist of the Netherlands by split decision in January.

Apart from defending his title, Mr. Lee is also gunning to become a two-division champion, angling to snatch the featherweight world title from Australia’s Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen.

Because of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, ONE Championship has seen itself have a limited run so far this year but is poised to make a return later this month with a live event in Bangkok, Thailand. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

Barca title bid on rocks; Atletico upstages Messi’s 700th goal

BARCELONA — Barcelona gave up more ground to Real Madrid in LaLiga’s title race on Tuesday after being held to a 2-2 draw at home to third-placed Atletico Madrid as a late penalty from Saul Niguez cancelled out Lionel Messi’s 700th career goal.

The draw meant the Catalans stayed second in the standings on 70 points and leader Real Madrid, who has 71, will go four points clear at the top with five games left if they beat Getafe at home on Thursday.

Barca went ahead at an empty Camp Nou in the 11th minute when Atletico striker Diego Costa knocked Messi’s delivery from a corner into his own net.

Saul levelled soon after from the spot after the referee ordered a retake when Costa’s initial penalty was saved by Marc-Andre ter Stegen who had strayed from his line.

Barcelona then earned a penalty soon after the interval which Argentine Messi coolly converted for a remarkable 700th strike for club and country, only for Saul to strike again from the spot in the 62nd to earn a share of the points.

“It’s a real shame and the league title is looking much harder for us with each game,” said Barca coach Quique Setien, whose side has drawn three of their six games since the campaign resumed after the coronavirus stoppage.

“Dropping these points in reality pushes us further away from the title but we have to keep on working hard.”

The Catalans desperately needed to win after twice throwing away the lead to draw 2-2 with Celta Vigo on Saturday but history repeated itself as Quique Setien’s side failed to sparkle against a determined Atletico which is unbeaten since the season resumed.

“It’s very hard to try and fight for the title when you drop points two matches in a row but we’ll keep going until the end,” said Barca midfielder Sergio Busquets.

As well as defending with its usual steel, Diego Simeone’s side caused Barca plenty of problems down the wings due to the pace of Yannick Carrasco and its man-of-the-moment Marcos Llorente, who is enjoying a new lease on life as a forward.

Belgian winger Carrasco won both penalties for Atletico, outfoxing Arturo Vidal in the first half and then proving too quick for Nelson Semedo.

Saul had sent Ter Stegen the wrong way to score his first equalizer but the German guessed the right way in their second duel from the spot. The ball, however, squirmed through his hands and crept in off post.

Barca coach Setien left former Atletico forward Antoine Griezmann out of his starting team for the second game in a row and turned to the 120-million-euro man in stoppage time, but the Frenchman had barely any time to provide the desired reaction. — Reuters

Team Liyab signs strength and conditioning coach

WHILE there is no denying that having a sound mind to craft strategies goes a long way in succeeding in esports, still complementing it with proper physical fitness adds further dimension to one’s drive to excel in the sport.

And with that in mind, esports squad Team Liyab, co-owned by Globe and Mineski, saw it necessary to tap a strength and conditioning coach to help its athletes stay on top of their game both in mind and body.

Martin Alido, a noted health and wellness expert, recently came on board Liyab to oversee the physical wellbeing of team members, especially now that they spent much of their time at home with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic still a going concern in the country.

Under the partnership with Liyab, Mr. Alido developed a customized program centered on exercise, nutrition, and recovery after long hours of play.

With his expertise and experience, his programs are geared at addressing the pain points of an esports athlete and get the team physically and mentally fit, which is especially important in a time of a global health crisis like the one at hand.

“Unlike traditional sports, esports is largely sedentary. Long hours of sitting may increase the risk of high blood pressure, osteoporosis, depression, and anxiety. Encouraging athletes to be mindful of their health and wellness can help push the team to the top of their esports game,” said Mr. Alido, who is also the strength and conditioning coach of Batang Gilas, the men’s national under-17 basketball team.

In crafting the programs for the athletes, Mr. Alido turned to the knowledge he has acquired throughout the years, including the training and certifications for strength and conditioning he got in Australia.

“Our vision for Team Liyab and the esports industry in general is to be perceived as a truly legitimate sport that requires talent, skills, and passion; as well as physical and mental wellness,” said Jil Bausa-Go, Vice-President of Content Business Group at Globe, of having Mr. Alido be part of the team.

“Having Coach Alido onboard is a milestone for us in fulfilling this vision, and making sure that our athletes are safe, healthy and secure amid the ongoing pandemic,” she added.

Liyab Esports is composed of three game titles — League of Legends, Arena of Valor, and Starcraft II.

Its line up includes Southeast Asian Games 2019 gold medalist, Caviar “Enderr” Acampado for Starcraft II, Edrian “DoeDoii” Brancia, Ren “Kanji” Motomitsu, Kim “Rex” Taeyeon, Kyle “Dawn” Somera, Kim “Mocha” Taegyeom for League of Legends.

The team is managed by a renowned coaching staff led by Gerald “Tgee” Gelacio, Akarawat “Cabbage” Wangsawat, and SEA Games 2019 national athletes for Arena of Valor Lawrence “Rubixx” Gatmaitan, Kevin “Gambit” Dizon, and Miguel “Miggie” Banaag, along with new members Allen Dean “Don” Viola and Edriane “Zeus” Balbalosa.

Liyab Esports recently rallied behind medical frontliners in the fight against COVID-19 by way of Starforge, an online charity streaming event which raised P523,000 for the Philippine Heart Center. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

US virus cases up by 47,000, biggest 1-day spike

WASHINGTON — New US COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) cases rose by more than 47,000 on Tuesday according to a Reuters tally, the biggest one-day spike since the start of the pandemic, as the government’s top infectious disease expert warned that number could soon double.

California, Texas and Arizona have emerged as new US epicenters of the pandemic, reporting record increases in COVID-19 cases.

“Clearly we are not in total control right now,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told a US Senate committee. “I am very concerned because it could get very bad.”

Dr. Fauci said the daily increase in new cases could reach 100,000 unless a nationwide push was made to tamp down the resurgent virus.

“We can’t just focus on those areas that are having the surge. It puts the entire country at risk,” he said.

Dr. Fauci said there was no guarantee of a vaccine, although early data had been promising: “Hopefully there will be doses available by the beginning of next year,” he said.

COVID-19 cases more than doubled in June in at least 10 states, including Texas and Florida, a Reuters tally showed. In parts of Texas and Arizona, hospital intensive care beds for COVID-19 patients are in short supply.

More than 126,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and millions have lost their jobs as states and major cities ordered residents to stay home and businesses closed. The economy contracted sharply in the first quarter and is expected to crater in the second.

The European Union has excluded Americans from its “safe list” of countries from which the bloc will allow non-essential travel beginning on Wednesday.

The fresh rise in cases and hospitalizations has dimmed hopes that the worst of the human and economic pain had passed, prompting renewed criticism of US President Donald Trump as he seeks re-election on Nov. 3.

His rival, Democrat Joe Biden, on Tuesday said that Mr. Trump’s “historic mismanagement” of the pandemic cost lives and inflicted more damage than necessary to the US economy.

“It didn’t have to be this way. Donald Trump failed us,” the 77-year-old former vice-president said in a speech in Delaware, where he unveiled an updated plan to tackle the pandemic calling for more testing and the hiring of 100,000 contract tracers.

In the past week California, Texas and Florida have moved to close recently reopened bars, which public health officials believe are likely one of the larger contributors to the recent spikes.

On Tuesday, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut added travelers from California and seven other states to those who must self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. Texas and Florida were named last week.

South Carolina also has also emerged as a hotspot, reporting a record single-day increase of 1,755 cases on Tuesday.

In Texas, where the number of new cases jumped to a one-day record of 6,975 on Tuesday, Houston hospitals said beds were quickly filling up with COVID-19 patients.

Dr. Marc Boom, chief executive of Houston Methodist Hospital, told CNN on Tuesday that his hospital beds have seen a “very significant” increase in COVID-19 patients, although the death rate has lowered.

Dr. Boom said he was worried about Independence Day celebrations this weekend, when Americans traditionally flock to beaches and campgrounds to watch fireworks displays.

“Frankly it scares me,” he said. — Reuters

Japan could reimpose state of emergency in worst-case scenario

TOKYO — Japan is not in a situation now where it needs to declare another state of emergency over the coronavirus but could do so in a worst-case scenario, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Wednesday.

The capital Tokyo has sought to keep new cases below 20 a day since Japan lifted a state of emergency on May 25, but has had five straight days of more than 50 new cases as of Tuesday, when 54 infections were reported.

Still, Tokyo along with the rest of Japan has had a lower rate of infection than many countries. Japan has had nearly 19,000 diagnosed with 974 deaths.

By contrast, the United States saw new infections rise by more than 47,000 on Tuesday alone, the biggest one-day spike since the start of the pandemic. — Reuters

Hong Kong wakes up to new national security law on handover anniversary

HONG KONG — Security was tight near the heart of Hong Kong’s government district on Wednesday only hours after new security laws came into force and as the city marked the 23rd anniversary of the former British colony’s handover to China.

The contentious law will punish crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison, heralding a more authoritarian era for the Asian financial hub.

Among the details certain to unnerve democracy and rights activists in the city is a ban on violators of the law standing for election and greater oversight of non-governmental organizations and newsgroups.

Speaking at a flag-raising ceremony to mark the anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover in 1997, the city’s embattled leader Carrie Lam said the law was the most important development since the city’s return to Beijing.

“It is a historical step to perfect Hong Kong safeguarding national security, territorial integrity and a secure system,” Ms. Lam said at the same harbor-front venue where 23 years ago the last colonial governor, Chris Patten, a staunch critic of the security law, tearfully handed back Hong Kong to Chinese rule.

“It is also an inevitable and prompt decision to restore stability in the society.”

Authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong have repeatedly said the legislation is aimed at a few “troublemakers” and will not affect rights and freedoms, nor investor interests.

Critics fear the legislation will crush wide-ranging freedoms in Hong Kong denied to people in mainland China that are seen as key to its success as a global financial center.

“With the release of the full detail of the law, it should be clear to those in any doubt that this is not the Hong Kong they grew up in,” said Hasnain Malik, head of equity research, Tellimer in Dubai.

“But this tighter security environment has been on the way for many years now. The difference is that US and China relations are far worse and this could be used as a pretext to impede the role of Hong Kong as a finance hub.”

HONG KONG’S ‘SECOND RETURN’
Some pro-Beijing officials and political commentators say the law is aimed at sealing Hong Kong’s “second return” to the motherland after the first failed to bring residents of the restive city to heel.

Luo Huining, the head of Beijing’s top representative office in Hong Kong, said at the flag-raising ceremony the law was a “common aspiration” of Hong Kong citizens.

Critics of the legislation blasted the lack of transparency surrounding its details up until it was unveiled, with even Beijing-backed Ms. Lam saying she was not privy to the draft despite her insisting most people had no reason to worry.

The complex legislation came into force at 11 p.m. (1500 GMT) on June 30, giving Hong Kong’s 7.5 million people no time to digest it. Some pro-democracy activists quit their posts only hours before the law came into force, calling on the campaign for democracy to continue offshore.

Neighboring Taiwan, which Beijing regards as part of China and has said it would use force to reclaim it, said it had opened an office on Wednesday to help people fleeing Hong Kong.

About a dozen demonstrators rallied to protest against the new law, which critics fear will crush wide-ranging freedoms promised to Hong Kong for 50 years when it returned to Beijing under a “one country, two systems” style of governance.

Authorities barred an annual handover anniversary march due to be held on Wednesday, citing a ban on gatherings of more than 50 people in a bid to curb coronavirus, but many activists pledged to defy the order and march later in the afternoon.

The annual rally is traditionally held to air grievances over everything from sky-high home prices to what many see as Beijing’s increasing encroachment on the city’s freedoms.

“We march every year, every July 1, every October 1 and we will keep on marching,” said pro-democracy activist Leung Kwok-hung.

Local media has reported up to 4,000 police officers would be deployed to stamp out any protests on Wednesday.

On July 1 last year, hundreds of protesters stormed the city’s legislature to protest against a now-scrapped bill that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, trashing the building in a direct challenge to authorities in Beijing.

Those protests evolved into calls for greater democracy, paralyzing parts of the city and paving the way for Beijing to directly impose national security law on Hong Kong, a move that has drawn condemnation from some Western governments. — Reuters

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