Covid, record of cases: closes half of Europe

Published on: 10/14/2020 6:37 PM

The Netherlands and Catalonia have closed bars and restaurants for a minimum of two weeks, the Czech Republic and Northern Ireland also have schools, the UK has introduced its three-tier restrictive plan, and France could impose a curfew. “700,000 new cases in Europe this week, 34% more than the previous one,” the World Health Organization said yesterday, and governments are mobilizing to keep a second wave of Covid-19 infections under control.

Below are the measurements in the main EU countries.

FRANCE – The French government has restored the state of health emergency throughout the territory as of October 17. This is what we read in a report from the council of ministers. The previous state of emergency for the coronavirus ended on July 10. A 4-week curfew, starting at midnight between Saturday and Sunday, from 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. in the region and in cities where “the virus circulates rapidly,” was later announced by the president. French Emmanuel Macron in a television speech. “The decision we have taken will apply to the Ile de France region (Paris, ed) and to eight metropolises: Grenoble, Lille, Lyon, Aix-Marseille, Rouen, Toulouse, Montpellier, Saint Etienne. It will be from 21 to 6 and it will last four weeks. We will go to Parliament to extend it until December 1. Six weeks is a time that seems useful to us “.

NETHERLANDS – Today enters a partial confinement with the closure of bars and restaurants for a month, and the obligation to wear the mask in closed public places is approaching. Ernst Kuipers, chief of emergency medicine, spoke of “a darker situation” than the first wave, noting that hospitals have already had to postpone hundreds of operations and cancel medical treatments.

SPAIN – Catalonia has announced the closure of bars and restaurants since Friday for at least 15 days in an attempt to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The announcement came from the vice president of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès. He added that next Tuesday an initial fund of 240 million euros will be approved to accompany the sector “in this collective effort.” Madrid, the most affected city in the country, is partially blocked. The restrictive measures include the prohibition of travel that is not essential, except for work, school or health reasons.

GERMANY – For the first time since April, more than 5,000 new infections have been registered in the last 24 hours, and there are 47 areas where an average of 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants has been exceeded. In Berlin and Frankfurt, bars and restaurants have been closing for a few days at 11. In consideration of the growing number of infections in the country, German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a meeting with Land Presidents discussed a tightening of the rules. At the end of the meeting, Merkel announced that she had agreed to “major restrictions” on person-to-person contacts, to prevent the uncontrolled spread of the virus. In particular, there are “contact restrictions in areas where new infections exceed 50 new infections per 1000 inhabitants, both in public and private.” Germany, he explained, is already “in an exponential phase” and the country is facing “a crucial transition.” Merkel appealed to the public, in this “decisive and critical phase”, to all adhere and follow the rules. “We can fight this virus,” said the Chancellor, highlighting the importance of following the rules and “reducing contact between people.”

PORTUGAL – The country has decreed a “state of calamity”, which will come into effect from midnight. Among the measures, maximum 50 participants in baptisms and weddings and gatherings limited to five people.

NORTH IRELAND – Schools closed for two weeks starting Monday, pubs and restaurants for four. As of Friday, restrictions also for funerals and weddings, with a maximum of 25 participants allowed. The sale of alcohol in supermarkets will also be prohibited after 8 pm, and hospitality services will be limited to home delivery and take-out. The rules will initially be in effect for four weeks, before being revised. Prime Minister Arlene Foster said she was determined to make it a “limited time speech.”

CZECH REPUBLIC – A partial three-week closure began yesterday, after the declaration of the state of emergency, with the closure of schools, university accommodation, bars and discos. The consumption of alcohol in public places is also prohibited. Indoor meetings limited to 10 people, 20 outdoors.

ENGLAND – Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a new three-tier restriction system. The first includes restrictions at the national level, including closing pubs and restaurants before 10 pm and banning gatherings of more than six people. The second level mainly involves the North of England and adds the limit of two families in contact. The third level affects the most affected areas, such as the city of Liverpool, by requiring the closure of pubs, restaurants, gyms and casinos for at least four weeks. It also prohibits contacts with other families.

BELGIUM – Maximum alert in the capital, Brussels, where bars and restaurants will be closed for another 3 weeks.

DENMARK – current restrictions in the capital, Copenhagen, have been extended throughout the country. Closing of bars and restaurants at 10 pm and mandatory mask also for seats.