An amateur ice hockey game in Florida might have fueled a small Covid-19 outbreak in June, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6941a4.htm?s_cid=mm6941a4_w" target="_blank">study released Thursday</a> that represents one of the first formally documented cases of the coronavirus spreading through sports, raising new questions as U.S. sports leagues press forward with their seasons.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h4>



A Tampa man reported coronavirus symptoms the day after he participated in the hockey game, meaning he likely caught the virus before the game, the CDC study found.



Five days later, at least 14 other people at the indoor rink had either tested positive for the virus or showed symptoms: eight of the man’s 11 teammates, five people on the opposing team, and one rink staff member — all 15 people later recovered from the virus.



The 22 players did not wear face masks while on the ice or in locker rooms.



The study is one of the first to research Covid-19 at sporting events, though&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aspenprojectplay.org/parent-mailbag/posts/2020/7/21/is-there-evidence-of-covid-19-outbreaks-due-to-youth-sports" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">scattered reports</a>&nbsp;have emerged nationwide: dozens of people tested positive after a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kentucky.com/news/coronavirus/article244347427.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">July football game</a>&nbsp;in Kentucky, and 52 cases were reported after an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.startribune.com/covid-19-risk-lurks-as-mshsl-considers-restart-of-prep-football-volleyball/572465751/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Iowa baseball tournament</a>.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h4>



After states loosened their social distancing rules over the summer, many&nbsp;<a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/30108928/nfl-chief-medical-officer-dr-allen-sills-shifting-bubble-environment" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">professional</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/26/us/college-football-conferences-covid-19-schedule-spt-trnd/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">amateur</a>&nbsp;sports leagues eagerly resumed play. Despite the extra precautions most leagues have added,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-sports-restart-has-a-plan-for-everythingexcept-a-coronavirus-outbreak-11593604800" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">experts</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/playing-sports.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CDC officials</a>&nbsp;warned that athletes can still transmit the virus, especially in sports like football and hockey where close contact with teammates and competitors is almost impossible to avoid. But Thursday’s CDC study is&nbsp;<a href="https://news.yahoo.com/how-a-florida-hockey-game-became-a-covid-19-superspreader-event-170046699.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">among the only</a>&nbsp;formal looks into whether sports games can become superspreader events.&nbsp;



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



Several NFL teams have reported coronavirus cases in recent weeks, forcing the league to postpone some games. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tennessean.com/in-depth/sports/nfl/titans/2020/10/12/titans-covid-19-timeline-first-positive-test-second-postponement/5924320002/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tennessee Titans</a>&nbsp;are the hardest-hit team, with around two dozen infected players and staff. There is little evidence of any players catching the virus from an opposing team, but&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/nfl-s-covid-outbreak-postpones-patriots-chiefs-it-could-be-ncna1242149" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">some observers worry</a>&nbsp;that wider outbreaks within individual teams will become hard to avoid as players and coaches continue to traverse the country.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">SECTION TITLE</h4>



<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-sports-restart-has-a-plan-for-everythingexcept-a-coronavirus-outbreak-11593604800" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Sports Restart Has a Plan for Everything—Except a Coronavirus Outbreak (Wall Street Journal)</a>



<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.startribune.com/covid-19-risk-lurks-as-mshsl-considers-restart-of-prep-football-volleyball/572465751/" target="_blank">Sports cause outbreaks. Restart sports anyway? (Minneapolis Star Tribune)</a>



-By Joe Walsh, Forbes Staff

Lausanne HC v HC Davos – Ice Hockey National League

Sporting Events Can Spark Covid Outbreaks, CDC Finds

American credit rating agency, Fitch, announced on September 24 that it has downgraded Zambia’s Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) from &#8216;CC&#8217; to ‘C’. The country’s senior unsecured foreign currency bonds were also downgraded this week.



This follows the Zambian government issuing a &#8220;consent solicitation&#8221; to holders of three global bonds (Eurobonds) on September 22, requesting a suspension of debt service payments for six months. This would effectively be covering the upcoming three coupon payments due on October 14, and January and March 2021.



Zambia’s Ministry of Finance stated that the country has been confronted with challenging macroeconomic and fiscal situations aggravated by the Covid-19 crisis. This has severely impacted the country’s public finances.



“A combination of declining revenues and increased unbudgeted costs caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a material impact on the Government’s available resources to make timely payments on its indebtedness leading to increasing debt-servicing difficulties,” Fredson Yamba, Secretary to Treasury, said in a statement on Tuesday.



In its report, Fitch stated that should bondholders agree to the suspension in payment, this would constitute a distressed debt exchange (DDE).



“The authorities have indicated that they will continue to make debt service payments on outstanding Eurobonds if an agreement is not reached. However, Fitch judges that there is a high risk of a missed debt payment over the forecast horizon,” Fitch said in its press release.



The Zambian government further said in a statement that they are still engaging with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to secure financial assistance. The government hopes to create a program of reforms that would help in stabilizing the macroeconomic outlook of the country and restore its fiscal balance.



“In this context, the government is committed to finding a consensual and collaborative resolution to the debt sustainability issues it is currently facing,” Yamba said.



The ‘CC’ rating, which occurred on April 16, due to the sovereign’s constrained external liquidity exacerbated by the pandemic, meant that the country was left in a highly vulnerable position, financially. How will this newly downgraded rating bode for Zambia now?



“The downgrade of Zambia&#8217;s rating reflects Fitch&#8217;s view that a default event is imminent.”

Tag: Report

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

Sporting Events Can Spark Covid Outbreaks, CDC Finds

Zambia’s Credit Rating Downgraded to Near Junk Status