The second corona wave is sweeping Europe

Due to the rapid increase in the number of infections, many governments in Europe are taking strict measures. In France, a large number of unreported cases is assumed. Spain fears for Christmas.

In the fight against the second corona wave, new requirements came into effect on Monday in many places in Europe, for example in Italy, Denmark, Slovakia and the Belgian capital Brussels. Many governments rely on night curfews and other contact restrictions to avoid a total blockade of countries.

France: Second wave “stronger than the first”

According to the scientific council of the French government, the current corona wave will be “stronger than the first”. He was surprised by the “brutality” of the increase in new infections in the last 15 days, Jean-François Delfraissy, head of the advisory body, told RTL radio station on Monday.

Delfraissy spoke of a critical situation and a high number of unreported cases of new infections: “There are probably more than 50,000 cases per day. The scientific council estimates that we have around 100,000 cases per day.” This is what the City Council is assuming in the face of new infections reported, but also of undiagnosed and asymptomatic cases. Delfraissy did not rule out an extension of the existing curfews.

The crown’s situation has been drastically deteriorating in the country of 67 million people for weeks. On Sunday night, for the first time since extensive testing began, more than 52,000 infections were recorded in 24 hours.

There is a curfew in Spain

At another hotspot in Corona, Spain, a nightly ban went into effect Monday night. According to the media, there were no protests or significant incidents. To impose these and other measures, the left-wing government had previously declared a state of emergency on Sunday. This is initially valid for two weeks, but the government is aiming for a six-month extension until May 9.

The extension must be approved by the Parliament of Madrid. The head of the minority government, Pedro Sánchez, asked the opposition for the necessary support. The situation is “extreme”, he warned. On Monday, however, the heads of the conservative parties strongly rejected this plan. Opposition leader Pablo Casado spoke out in favor of an emergency of no more than eight weeks until mid-December. At least “Christmas could be saved,” said the head of the Popular Party (PP).

Spain is one of the countries most affected by the pandemic in Western Europe. So far, more than a million people have been infected and nearly 35,000 people have died from Covid-19. The number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants in seven days is 191.11 with an upward trend. For comparison: in Germany, according to the Robert Koch Institute, this value is 68.4.

Record values ​​also in Denmark, Czech Republic and Belgium

Over the weekend, several EU countries reported record values ​​for the number of new corona virus infections, in addition to France, Denmark, Belgium and the Czech Republic. The European epidemic authority ECDC had recorded a total of around 5.9 million infections and a good number of 208,600 deaths related to the corona virus since the outbreak of the pandemic.

All restaurants and bars in Italy have had to close at 6pm for guests since Monday. The opening of cinemas, theaters, gyms, swimming pools, ski resorts and concert halls is also not allowed. The majority of Italian high school students are initially taught online. Also in Slovakia, students are required to switch to online lessons from fifth grade on.

In Denmark, no more than ten people are allowed to gather in one place as of Monday. Kiosks and supermarkets can no longer sell alcohol after 10 pm In and around the Belgian capital Brussels, it is again mandatory to wear a mask, the night curfew starts there at 10 pm instead of midnight. Swimming pools, sports clubs and fitness studios will have to close, as will theaters, cinemas and museums.