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Countries like France and Italy are cautiously loosening corona measures, neither of them wanting to risk a relapse to an extreme number of infections. A neighboring country criticizes the course of the Germans.
After nearly a month of strict curfews, France has relaxed its crown rules a bit. In the first phase of the gradual lifting of the closure, non-essential stores can now reopen their doors. However, strict conditions apply to this. Each client must have about eight square meters of sales area. Hairdressers can now also receive clients again.
According to health authorities, France has already survived the spike in new infections in the second corona wave. On Friday, about 12,450 new infections were reported in 24 hours. At the beginning of November, there were sometimes more than 60,000 cases. In the country of 67 million people, more than 51,900 people have died since the outbreak of the pandemic.
“Support nearby stores”
For weeks, the economy had called for the reopening of all stores. Prime Minister Jean Castex wrote on Twitter: “Let’s support our local businesses!”
The French can now play sports and go for walks in the open air. Instead of the previous one hour per day, now three are allowed and the radius increases from one to 20 kilometers around the place of residence. Extracurricular activities can also take place outdoors again.
Eiffel Tower almost deserted in Paris: France is cautiously relaxing crown restrictions. (Source: Myriam Tirler)
The easing of the rules follows about a month of strict restrictions, many of which remain in effect. In France, you will only be allowed to leave home in the future for a valid reason, for example to go to work or go shopping. You must carry a certificate with you. As President Emmanuel Macron said in his television speech on Tuesday, one should refrain from meeting friends and family and all unnecessary outings. Castex also cautioned that it was too early to talk about an end to the shutdown.
Italy and Ireland: both countries are hopeful
The situation has also eased somewhat in Italy. The country reported 28,352 new corona infections yesterday, about 700 fewer than the previous day. The number of confirmed infections in total amounted to 1,538 million, as announced by the Ministry of Health. However, in recent days the increase in hospital admissions and the occupation of intensive care units has slowed. For this reason, Italy eases regulations in five regions starting Sunday, including Lombardy.
Ireland, which was one of the first European countries to impose a blockade in the second corona wave, is also reporting good news. After a six-week blockade, the country is relaxing its protection measures. Starting next week, all stores, restaurants and gyms will be able to reopen, as Prime Minister Michael Martin announced. Beginning December 18, inter-county travel must be re-permitted to allow for a “different but special” Christmas.
Spain: dispute over the festival of love
In Spain, on the other hand, the debate over the wreath rules for Christmas, New Year’s Eve and the all-important Epiphany on January 6 is reaching a critical point. After some of the 17 regions demanded uniform regulations for the entire country, the left-wing central government promised an early solution. “There will not be 17 different Christmases,” Health Minister Salvador Illa promised Thursday in the Madrid parliament. An agreement will be reached at a meeting with regional governments next week, Illa said.
In the framework of the emergency of the crown, which is in force from the end of October and until May – unlike spring – each of the so-called autonomous communities must decide the measures to take to contain the pandemic. However, before the holidays, some regions, including Andalusia and Castilla-La Mancha, are demanding that the mistakes that were made in the summer not be made again when the economy was given preference over the fight against the virus and measurements were relaxed too quickly. .
The Andalusian regional president, Juanma Moreno, warned of a “huge risk of contagion at Christmas.” “There was too much party in the summer and that cost us dearly,” several regional politicians complained in unison. It does not do much good for the general situation in Spain to be very strict in some regions, while others want to relax the rules.
Belgium: criticism of Germany
Belgium is seeing a decline in crown numbers, but the country is only slightly lowering its requirements for the pandemic. Starting December 1, all stores will be able to reopen under strict hygiene requirements, rather than just grocery stores and stores with absolutely essential products, as was the case previously. Prime Minister Alexander De Croo announced this on Friday night. Most conditions will continue, probably initially until mid-January. Strict contact restrictions also apply during Christmas.
Italy: Like here in Rome, people across Europe are waiting for the Crown crisis to end. (Source: Cecilia Fabiano / LaPresse / AP / dpa)
Belgium, with its 11.5 million inhabitants, had the highest number of corona cases per capita in Europe at times and thus imposed stringent requirements in early November. The numbers of infections, hospitals and deaths are now decreasing. However, the situation remains tense, De Croo said. It is important to keep pressing the numbers. Successes must not be jeopardized. “We would not survive a third wave,” said the prime minister.
Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke, who has criticized the planned relaxation of Crown rules during Christmas in Germany, is also concerned about this. “If there is something that the virus likes, it is fixed, especially with the change of participants, we have to avoid it,” Vandenbroucke said Friday night after a report from the Belgian agency. “So I think our neighboring countries are not doing what is appropriate.”
Prime Minister Alexander De Croo had advised against traveling to red zones abroad and announced checks at the Belgian borders to see if travelers had completed the required form. Then, random checks should be carried out to determine if the required quarantine time is being met. “We can see that the numbers in our country are developing well,” De Croo said. “The last thing we want is to bring the virus back to Belgium.”
