France has set a 9 pm curfew for many of its biggest cities as governments across the continent take increasingly tough action
Record daily infection figures in Germany, the Czech Republic and Italy added to fears on Thursday that Europe is running out of chances to control its latest coronavirus outbreak.
France has set a 9 pm curfew for many of its biggest cities as governments across the continent take increasingly tough action.
New infections have surged across Europe over recent weeks as the fall kicks in, prompting authorities in many places to start reimposing restrictions that were relaxed over the summer.
The Czech Republic, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, France and Britain are among the countries causing particular concern.
While Germany, the European Union’s most populous nation, is still in comparatively good shape, alarm bells have started ringing there too. On Thursday, the country’s national disease control centre reported 6,638 cases over 24 hours – exceeding the previous record of nearly 6,300 set in late March, although testing in the country of 83 million has expanded greatly since then.
Chancellor Angela Merkel and Germany’s 16 state governors agreed Wednesday night to tighten mask-wearing rules, make bars close early and limit the number of people who can gather in areas where coronavirus infection rates are high.
Merkel, who stressed the importance of keeping contact-tracing efforts on track, said “we must stop this exponential rise, the quicker the better.” Lothar Wieler, the head of the Robert Koch Institute, Germany’s national disease control centre, said “we can still repress the spread, the exponential growth” of the virus. But officials made clear that more efforts may be necessary.
Merkel noted that neighbouring countries are having to take “very drastic measures.” This week has seen the Netherlands close bars and restaurants and the Czech Republic and Northern Ireland close down schools.
The Czech Health Ministry said the country, with a population of over 10 million, confirmed 9,544 new cases on Wednesday – over 900 more than the previous record, set less than a week ago. The government says hospitals could reach full capacity by the end of October.
On Wednesday night, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that 18 million residents in nine regions, including Paris, will have a 9 pm curfew starting Saturday until December 1.
“We won’t go to restaurants after 9 p.m. We won’t see friends. We won’t party, because that’s how to pass on the virus,” Macron said.
Paris restaurant, cinema and theater owners are fuming at the new curfew rules, which effectively shut down evening activities. Tighter local restrictions in northern England and Northern Ireland have prompted the same emotions from business owners there. But health authorities across Europe are urging people to obey the new restrictions.
One of Belgium’s main universities said it is moving to online education whenever possible. Ghent University said the measure will begin Oct. 26 and the Dutch-speaking Free University of Brussels said it already prepared its staff and facilities to do likewise if necessary.
Italy, which so far has been spared the worst of the second wave, on Wednesday also recorded its biggest single-day jump in infections since the start of the pandemic. It added another 7,332 cases amid a resurgence.
UN: Pandemic restrictions are absolutely necessary
The head of the World Health Organization’s Europe office said the exponential surge of coronavirus cases across the continent has warranted the restrictive measures being taken across the continent, calling them “absolutely necessary” to stop the pandemic.
In a press briefing on Thursday, Dr. Hans Kluge warned that even more drastic steps might be needed in such “unprecedented times.” He called for countries and their citizens to be “uncompromising” in their attempts to control the virus and said most of the COVID-19 spread is happening in homes, indoor spaces and in communities not complying with protection measures.
“These measures are meant to keep us all ahead of the curve and to flatten its course,” Kluge said, while wearing a dark-green mask.
