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LONDON: A wave of COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions has sparked resistance across Europe, and the right-wing British politician who helped force an EU referendum capitalized on popular anger over a new lockdown by reformulating his Brexit Party under a new flag.
Britain, which has the highest official death toll in Europe from COVID-19, is dealing with more than 20,000 new coronavirus cases a day and scientists have warned that the “worst case” of 80,000 deaths could be exceeded.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson defended a second blockade in England from critics who said it was unnecessary or too late, arguing that now was the time to prevent a “medical and moral disaster”.
“We are fighting a disease … When the data changes, of course, we must also change course,” he told parliament.
Chosen by his supporters as the godfather of the movement to leave the European Union, Brexit Party founder Nigel Farage said Johnson had terrorized the British into submission with a second lockdown.
“The most pressing issue is the government’s unfortunate response to the coronavirus,” Brexit and Farage Party Chairman Richard Tice said in a joint article in the Daily Telegraph, announcing his Reform UK party.
Instead of a lockdown, Farage proposed targeting those most at risk, saying that people should not be criminalized for trying to lead normal lives, such as reuniting with family at Christmas.
READ: UK’s Farage tries to harness anger from COVID-19 lockdown to confront Prime Minister Johnson
France, Germany, Italy, Britain, the Netherlands and other countries have announced second closures or new strict restrictions as infections rise.
The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said now is the time for world leaders to act.
“This is another critical time for action,” Tedros said. “Another critical time for leaders to step up. And another critical time for people to come together for a common purpose. Seize the opportunity, it’s not too late.”
Tedros was addressing a WHO press conference in Geneva from self-isolation at home after announcing on Twitter that he had been in contact with a person infected with COVID-19.
Small merchants in France, which reported a daily record of 52,518 new COVID-19 infections on Monday, have complained of being forced to close while supermarkets may sell “non-essential products” such as shoes, clothing, beauty products and flowers because we also sell food.
MERRY CHRISTMAS? HAPPY NEW YEAR?
Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Monday that French supermarkets would face the same limits on the sale of non-essential products, but that store owners could not challenge the closure, effective until at least December 1.
“I am not optimistic that in just four weeks we will bring the number of new cases down to the level announced by the president (5,000 new cases per day),” said epidemiologist Dominique Castigliola, director of research at the National Institute of Health and Medicine. Investigation.
“We will need more time. I don’t think we can have big family meals at Christmas. That seems highly unlikely to me.”
Chancellor Angela Merkel said there would be no big New Years parties in Germany, but that families should be able to get together at Christmas.
“During the winter months, we will have to limit private contacts,” he told a news conference. “The light at the end of the tunnel is still quite far away.”
Police in the Spanish capital, Madrid, on Sunday raided 81 illegal parties, 18 drinking sessions known in Spain as “Botellones” and 10 bars that broke the curbs of COVID-19.
Protests broke out against the new restrictions in Italy last week, and violence was reported in Milan and Turin. Italy will tighten restrictions but is refraining from a lockdown, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Monday.
The daily count of infections in Italy has increased tenfold in the last month.
More than 46.37 million people have been infected worldwide and more than 1.2 million have died from the respiratory disease, according to a Reuters tally. The United States, which holds presidential elections on Tuesday, leads the world with more than 9 million cases and 230,700 deaths.
WHO’s technical director for COVID-19, Maria Van Kerkhove, said the latest spike in infections was stretching health services.
“One of the challenges that we are seeing in North America, in Europe, is that the increases in cases, increases in hospitalizations, increases in ICU admissions are happening at the same time,” he said at the conference of Geneva.
“In the spring there was something amazing. But it is happening in many countries at the same time, where many systems are being overwhelmed at the same time.”
Global stocks rebounded from month-long lows, as strengthening data from factories in China and Europe offset the news of the closings, as investors braced for further volatility stemming from the US elections.
US President Donald Trump has continually downplayed the virus, mocking Democratic challenger Joe Biden for wearing a mask and social distancing at campaign rallies, a tactic that encourages his grassroots supporters but infuriates his opponents.
Trump has also ridiculed his top adviser to the coronavirus task force, Anthony Fauci, who has contradicted Trump’s claims that America’s fight against the virus is “turning around.”
The United States reported 67,862 new cases on Sunday, the highest number it has reported on the last day of any week.
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