Europe locks itself in the house again for fear of the third wave

The new year has entered with new and stricter measures for most of the countries of the planet The second – and deadliest – wave of the coronavirus pandemic is evolving according to the most dire forecasts.

New cases are declining slightly and deaths are increasing in many cases at a dramatic rate.

The partial relaxation of European countries to the holidays appears to have caused a major setback with experts once again sounding the alarm.

Christmas and New Years may not have been celebrated as usual but the “magic of the holidays” has affected to a greater or lesser extent citizens who are already very tired of the restrictions.

Unfortunately, in the first announcements of the governments there is a stricter blockade with a traffic ban mainly in the afternoon hours.

Only the schools are those that seem to be open in the next period, without being sure that the cases that we will see in the next few days will allow them to open.

France: strict traffic restrictions

France today registered 12,489 new cases of coronavirus, during the last 24 hours, a figure higher than the 3,466 diagnosed a day earlier, known to the country’s Ministry of Health.

This increase is above the government’s target of 5,000 cases or less per day, while with this number the total number of infections now stands at 2,665,728, according to data from the French Ministry of Health.

The death toll from Covid-19 has risen by 116 to 65,037, following an increase of 157 deaths yesterday.

Fighting one of the highest infection rates in Western Europe, France has tightened restrictions on the new coronavirus, previously banning traffic at 15 apartments in the Northeast and Southeast as of today, and the measure went into effect on June 6. the afternoon instead of 8 at night.

Italy: extension of the “red zone” on weekends

According to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Giuseppe Conte’s government intends to extend the power of the “red zone” throughout the country, on weekends, until February.

This means, adds the newspaper, that from Friday night to Monday morning, for at least another four weeks, almost all stores (except food, hairdressers, toys and pharmacies) will be closed and that cafes – Bars and restaurants can only operate with takeout and home delivery.

The entire plan, according to the press, is due to the increase in the percentage of positive diagnostic tests, which yesterday reached 17.6%, and to the prediction of scientists that it is very likely that infections will continue to increase for another ten days .

Regarding the restrictions that were applied during the holidays, it is expected to determine if they will help reduce the incidence. Much will depend on family gatherings and whether safety measures were observed at various lunches and dinners.

It is very likely, at the same time, in six regions of the country, in a total of twenty (Calabria, Veneto, and in the broader areas of Bologna, Ancona, Genoa and Trieste), to maintain, as of next Thursday, restrictions during of the week. It is a prohibition to leave the municipality of permanent residence and the operation of cafes and restaurants only with take away food, due to the worrying epidemiological data.

Germany: hospital charge leads to new lockdown

Germany is likely to extend the national lockdown beyond January 10 to reduce infection rates that remain high and burden hospitals and hospital staff, politicians said over the weekend.

Chancellor Angela Merkel and local political leaders are expected to agree to the extension of the restrictive measures at a meeting on Tuesday.

It is not yet known how long the extension will last.

“The numbers are still very high, so we need to extend the restrictions,” Health Minister Jens Spann said last night in an interview with RTL.

According to him, infection rates should be significantly reduced. “This is better than relaxing very early and then maybe in a few weeks we will face new and difficult questions,” he explained.

Germany imposed stricter social restrictions before Christmas, including closing restaurants and most stores. However, coronavirus cases continued to rise and the death toll from covid-19 surpassed 1,000 in a few days.

Seven-day infection rates now stand at 140 per 100,000 people, well above the target of 50, which politicians have agreed is safe enough to loosen measures.

With this new, more contagious mutation of the virus, some politicians and health officials are calling for restrictions to be lifted only when the seven-day rate falls below 25.

“We will see next week in hospitals to what extent Christmas has contributed to the spread of COVID-19; the effects of the New Year will be seen later,” said Uwe Jansens, head of a team representing the doctors of the UCI in the Rheinische Post. .

Officials from all 16 German states agreed in a conference call yesterday to extend the restrictions, according to a report by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.

But there was disagreement about the length of the extension. Some of the worst-hit states have called for a three-week extension and schools closed, while others have proposed a two-week extension.

The Robert Koch Institute, which coordinates the management of the pandemic, reported 10,315 new confirmed cases and 312 deaths today, bringing the total number of deaths to 34,272.

Britain: the new mutation is terrifying

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said today that stricter restrictions could be imposed on the country due to the coronavirus pandemic as cases continue to rise, but added that schools are safe and students must continue to attend.

Cases in Britain are at record levels and continuing to rise due to the emergence of a new, more contagious mutation in the virus.

This has already forced the government to cancel the planned resumption of school classes in and around London, and teachers’ unions are calling for the measure to be expanded.

Most of England is already at the strictest level of lockdown, at 4, with the aim of stopping the spread of the virus and protecting the national health system.

But Johnson, when asked in an interview with the BBC about concerns that the system might not be sufficient to control the virus, said the restrictions “sadly, will probably be tightened.”

“Obviously, there is a stricter set of measures that we need to consider; now I will not guess what they may be.”

The British prime minister said that schools are safe and recommended that parents send their children to areas where there are no restrictions.

“I have no doubt that schools are safe and that education is a priority,” he said.

Britain will have 530,000 doses of the AstraZeneca and Oxford University COVID-19 vaccine ready tomorrow and expects to have “tens of millions” vaccinated in the next quarter.

When asked if he intends to remain prime minister after Brexit, Johnson said yes.

Furthermore, when asked about the possibility of a new referendum on Scottish independence, Johnson replied that referendums should be held one per generation.

“All I have to point out is that referenda, from my immediate experience in this country, are not very pleasant events. “They do not have a strong unifying force in the national climate, they should be carried out only once in each generation,” said the British prime minister.

Norway: ban on the sale of alcohol in restaurants and bars

Norway will impose new restrictions to prevent a resurgence of new coronavirus cases, Prime Minister Erna Solberg said today, announcing measures such as a national ban on the sale of alcohol in restaurants and bars.

The country has seen an increase in cases in the past month and it is now estimated that an infected person infects an average 1.3 people, according to authorities.

“We are seeing more signs of a new wave of infections,” Solberg told a news conference, citing reasons such as the celebration of Christmas and New Years and the emergence of a more contagious mutation of the virus, first recorded in Britain.

Therefore, in order not to have an epidemic that is “uncontrollable”, Norwegians must suspend their social life for the next two weeks, Solberg said.

Already yesterday, the government announced that university classes would be suspended until January 18, urging students to stay home and not return to campus during this time.

And on Thursday, Oslo imposed Covid-19 tests on all passengers arriving in Norway upon arrival or within 24 hours to stop the spread of the British mutation.