Deputy head of Energia Rocket Space Corporation Evgeniy Mikrin tests positive
Mikrin, 64, also chief designer, shared a three-hour flight beforehand with the head of Russia's State Corporation for Space Activities (Roscosmos), who later broke social distancing by standing too close to the astronauts.
The crew aboard the Soyuz MS-16 include two Russian cosmonauts and one American astronaut.
Vietnam
The Good: Vietnam’s early and quick response – including travel restrictions in late January and a quarantine in mid-February – allowed it to contain the virus initially despite its high vulnerability as a country that borders China. Vietnam has also been providing assistance to lesser developed mainland Southeast Asian states and pushing for more of a regional response as this year’s holder of the annually rotating ASEAN chairmanship.
The Bad: Despite recent measures announced, Vietnam, which has been one of Asia’s fastest growing economies in recent years, has found it difficult to manage the economic fallout of the virus with just months before a planned Party Congress in early 2021. There are also fears that China may capitalize on COVID-19 and a distracted world to further advance its continued assertiveness in the South China Sea to Hanoi’s detriment.
The Ugly: The government’s COVID-19 response has intensified existing fears about the implications for democracy and human rights, with reported arrests being made in the name of fake news and increased monitoring on activists.