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The number of infections has been increasing in France and Spain for weeks. Although the crown rules are sometimes even stricter there than in Germany, the situation is much more tense. Why is that?
It could have been so nice – after the exit restrictions ended, the travel time began. Departure for Mallorca or the Costa Azul. But then the federal government issued one travel advisory after another for the regions of Spain and France; in Spain it now applies to the whole country. New corona infections skyrocketed in both countries. Also in Germany the number of new cases is increasing, but things seem to be much better than in France and Spain. How can it be?
Small details help determine the course of the pandemic
Christian Drosten takes a close look at developments in other EU countries. In Germany it must be clear that “if we overlap the curves, we will fall a little behind Spain and France and England,” said Drosten, head of virology at Charité, the German press agency in Berlin. He stressed that “we shouldn’t pretend that things are unfolding very differently for us. We also don’t do a lot of things very differently now.”
“There are some details that may be different here than in southern Europe. Our households are often smaller, we have more single-person households,” says Drosten. There are fewer multigenerational families in which the virus is very easily transmitted beyond age limits. “Those are certainly differences. But otherwise, Germany is not very different from these European neighbors. So we have to be very careful and watch what is happening now very closely.”
Party instead of siesta: social customs contribute to the spread
The Spanish have been puzzled and arguing for weeks: Why has the country and especially its capital Madrid once again become epicenters of the pandemic in Europe after the successful fight against Corona? Including subsequently reported cases, there have been 10,000 or more new infections each day across the country for weeks.
Precautions are applied that are more drastic than anywhere else in Europe. For example, the strict requirement of a mask also outdoors, which is observed by practically everyone. You hardly ever see “rejections.” Then why? The authorities have some answers that explain part of the malaise. Much more is being tested, so there are more positive results, they say. In addition, there is greater mobility than at the end of the exit restrictions.
More tests, more freedom, but that also applies to other countries. But it is different: the party. Sociable and partying Spaniards have become “more careless”, especially in private meetings and when they visit bars, restaurants and nightclubs, many experts unanimously affirmed and also the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez. “Our customs and social habits play a decisive role in the spread of the virus,” wrote the newspaper “La Vanguardia”.
Barcelona: Strict rules also apply in the Spanish coastal metropolis. But Spanish sociables are getting more careless when it comes to private gatherings. (Source: ZUMA Wire / imago images)
Too much partying, too little nap, says respected Spanish genetic researcher Salvador Macip of the University of Leicester in England. Especially in summer, Spaniards are more programmed than other people to get together and “socialize a lot”. But the Spanish authorities also made mistakes. The infection chain tracking system has long been understaffed. New restrictions on freedom of movement were often decided too late at critical points.
The situation in France is dire: intensive care beds are scarce in the south
In France, one looks a bit confused in Germany, where things seem to be going much better again. In the neighboring country to the west, the number of new daily corona infections has already passed the 10,000 mark, as in Spain. For comparison: in Germany, the number reached its highest level since April to mid-September, but at 2,000 it was still well below the values of other EU countries.
In cities like Marseille, Bordeaux or Paris the situation is especially serious. However, France is also testing significantly more than in the spring. The number of deaths from corona is not increasing massively, hospital occupancy is viewed with concern, but in general, at least throughout the country, it is still at a very low level. In the south, however, intensive care beds are increasingly scarce.
Marseille: France is now testing significantly more than in the spring. New daily infections exceed 10,000. (Source: ZUMA Wire / imago images)
The doctor and former health director William Dab criticized in the “Journal de Dimanche” that Prime Minister Jean Castex had not recently announced really strong measures, but only adjustments. Castex wants to reconcile life with the virus and business and school life. France’s strategy is not yet clearly defined: if the centralized state was still clearly focused in the spring and the same strict exit restrictions were imposed on everyone, the government is now holding the regions accountable.
The authorities in Bordeaux, Marseille and Nice recently announced stricter measures at the request of the government, specifically, for example, restrictions on the consumption of alcohol in public places. Nice and Lyon are next. In general, the rules in France are sometimes stricter than in Germany; In many cities, such as Spain, an outdoor mask is required. Also, the mask is mandatory at work. But things are also much more relaxed.
The Crown of France app is “a ridiculous failure”
France tests returnees less extensively than Germany; a quarantine and testing obligation only applies to a few select countries. There is also a lack of follow-through. The corona tracking app “StopCovid” is, it must be stated clearly, a failure. It has been downloaded over two million times and viewed less than 200 times, which is even officially described as “ridiculous.” In restaurants and bars there are no forms to identify contact cases.
As in Spain, young people in particular are infected with the virus. Here too there is supposed to be too much party. The French media also point out that the minimum distance in France is one meter, not 1.50 meters as in Germany. And the greeting actually includes the bise, that is, kisses. Even if the French try hard: it is difficult to ignore the famous kiss.
