More and more European countries, fearing the spread of a new strain of coronavirus and the arrival of the third wave of the epidemic, are introducing increasingly stringent measures, curfew and lockdown. Among them are France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal ...
A curfew in France
The curfew in France came into force yesterday at 6pm, with the aim of curbing the spread of the coronavirus. All stores must close their doors by then, and fines and imprisonment are possible for non-compliance with the movement ban, the interior ministry said.
The curfew is in effect until 6 p.m. People are allowed to leave home only to go to work and for urgent family reasons. The measure will remain in force for at least 15 days. Some regions in the country have already introduced the measure.
France has so far reported nearly 70,000 deaths from covid-19 with nearly three million infected.
Austria extended the lockdown
The Austrian government made a decision late last night to extend the lockdown until February 7 as part of measures against the spread of coronavirus.
The closure, which was supposed to last until January 24, will be extended until February 7, which, as reported by the APA agency, is the result of talks between the government in Vienna and the provinces.
A gradual opening will follow from February 8, while caterers, hotels and organizers of various events will have to wait until the end of February for such measures.
From February 8, if the epidemiological situation allows, all shops, services and museums will reopen, but under stricter conditions, such as the obligation to wear FFP2 protection level masks and keep the distance from a meter to two. meter. And classes in schools will begin on Feb. 8, and students will remain in distance learning until then.
London has extended the state of emergency due to a new strain
London last week declared a major disaster due to the risk of city hospitals from overcrowding, which, according to city authorities, is the result of a highly transmissible strain of coronavirus that has spiraled out of control across the UK.
Britain officially has the fifth highest mortality rate from covid-19 in the world, with more than 78,000 deaths, while Prime Minister Boris Johnson has halted the economy and boosted more rapid vaccine production from neighboring countries to prevent a pandemic from spreading.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan, of the opposition Labor Party, said hospital beds in the capital would disappear within the next few weeks as the virus spread "out of control".
"We declare a major disaster because the threat this virus poses to our city has reached a critical point."
The term "major disaster" is usually reserved for attacks or serious accidents, especially those that cause "serious damage, disruption or risk to human life and well-being, key services, the environment or national security".
A new strain confirmed in Hungary, measures extended
Hungary has announced that it has detected a new, more contagious variant of the coronavirus.
The Hungarian government last week extended a partial closure, introduced in early November, until early next month to curb the spread of the coronavirus, and has begun vaccinating the population, but it is progressing slowly.
All high schools have been closed since November 11 as well as hotels and restaurants, except for delivery, curfew has been introduced which takes effect at 8pm and all gatherings are banned.
“My colleagues have identified a British variant of the virus that has already been found in neighboring countries, in samples from three patients,” said Hungary’s chief health official Cecilia Muller. "It was clear that Hungary would not be able to avoid that strain either."
Despite the drop in the number of infected and hospitalized recently, Muller said she could not recommend easing the restrictions.
Merkel wants a tighter lockdown due to a mutated strain of the corona
A record number of coronavirus deaths were recorded in Germany on a daily basis yesterday, despite harsh measures aimed at curbing the pandemic and reducing pressure on the hospital system.
Germany has been in a kind of lockdown since November that was originally supposed to last only four weeks and definitely end before the Christmas holidays. In the meantime, schools, shops that do not sell basic groceries, bars, restaurants and entertainment and cultural facilities have been closed in the country, with measures that have been gradually intensified since their introduction in early November.
Measures that also stipulate that one household can be visited by only one person outside that circle should remain in force at least until the end of January.
But this partial lockdown did not meet the expectations of the politicians who introduced it, namely Chancellor Angela Merkel and the provincial prime ministers, and began to reduce the number of infected to some extent, but not enough to consider it a success. Merkel even mentioned, as the Bild daily reported, that the lockdown should remain in force until April.
The federal and provincial governments will again discuss measures to combat the corona pandemic next Tuesday.
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