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A British government scientific adviser warned on Saturday that the pandemic is “running rampant” in the UK, demonstrations against the new Covid-19 measures have turned violent in Spain and Italy, while Germany has reported a record number of cases for the fourth day in a row.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson could announce a new lockdown on England at a press conference on Monday, according to high-level sources cited by British newspaper The Times. A UK government adviser, who asked not to be named, told CNN the reports were true.
The measures, which include closing everything except essential stores and schools, would go into effect Wednesday, The Times reported.
CNN contacted the Downing Street press office, which confirmed Monday’s press conference, but said national reports on the shutdown were speculation.
Johnson has previously said he wants to “avoid the misery of another lockdown,” but hasn’t ruled it out.
Calum Semple, a member of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) and consultant pediatrician on respiratory issues, said stricter restrictions were needed to slow the spread of the virus.
“It’s slightly slower growth than it was in the spring, but as a super tanker, it’s really moving now,” he told BBC Radio 4 on Saturday.
Semple said there were many more cases, particularly in younger women between the ages of 20 and 40, “because they are exposed in retail, hospitality and some educational settings.”
“Unlike the first wave in which we had a national blockade that protected large sectors of society, this outbreak is now unleashing in all age groups.”
Leading scientists have been warning for weeks that another lockdown would be needed in England in place of the current localized “tiered” system.
“We have tried the gentler approaches and they are not working as fast as we would like,” University of Leicester virologist Julian Tang told CNN. “And now the virus has spread and seeded much more than expected, even in the worst scenarios.”
He said it is “not surprising” after the growth in the number of cases seen following the relaxation of restrictions in Europe in late summer.
Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, said on Twitter that the UK had “overcome the ‘reasonable worst case scenario'”, described by government scientists in September, with the country’s reproduction rate (R number). well above 1, indicating that the virus is spreading. “The best time to act was a month ago, but they are very difficult decisions that we would all like to avoid. The second best time is now,” he wrote.
The UK recorded 274 deaths on Friday and 24,405 cases, bringing its total to 46,229 and 989,745 respectively.
Violence in the protests against the blockade
Protests against the new Covid-19 measures turned violent in Spain on Friday night when hundreds of protesters took to the streets, according to several Spanish media outlets.
At least 12 people, including two minors, were detained after “serious disturbances” broke out in the northeast region of Catalonia in Spain, according to the Catalan Ministry of the Interior.
“The serious riots tonight ended with 12 arrested [including two minors], 20 officers injured, at least two establishments looted … and several police vehicles damaged, “said the Catalan police via Twitter early Saturday morning.
On Friday, the Catalonia region became one of at least 10 regions to close its borders to help combat the second Spanish wave of Covid-19. The existing closure of bars and restaurants in Catalonia has been extended for another 15 days, with the order to also close shopping centers, cinemas, theaters and gyms.
There were riots in several other cities on Friday night, including Burgos and Santander.
Spanish health authorities reported a record 25,595 new cases of Covid-19 on Friday, bringing the total number to 1,185,678. The death toll reached 35,878 with 239 new deaths, according to official data.
Hundreds of protesters gathered in Florence’s historic center and clashed with police on Friday night, the Florence police press office told CNN on Saturday.
Italian health official Gianni Rezza said “there was no good news” as the number of cases had reached 31,084, bringing the total to 647,674. The number of deaths increased from 199 to 38,321.
Numerous Italian regions face a “critical risk”, according to a joint report by the Italian Ministry of Health and the Italian Health Institute published on Friday.
Lombardy, the most affected during the pandemic, and Campania, the second most affected region, are among the 11 regions classified as “high risk” of transmission of Covid-19.
Hospitals under pressure
Germany reported a record number of coronavirus cases for the fourth day in a row on Saturday with 19,059 new infections in 24 hours, according to the country’s disease control agency, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).
The number of new infections broke Friday’s record of 18,681 cases. Germany’s total case count now stands at 518,753 and the death toll rose by 103 to 10,452, according to RKI.
Germany will impose sweeping lockdown measures starting Monday in a bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus, its government decided Wednesday night. Bars, restaurants and cafes will be closed except for take out. Theaters and concert halls will be closed, as will recreational and amateur sports facilities.
Belgium, which will send patients to Germany for treatment as hospital admissions rise, will impose radical new lockdown measures for six weeks starting Sunday night.
“We are going back to a strict lockdown, which has only one purpose: to ensure that our healthcare system does not collapse,” Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said when announcing the restrictions on Friday.
Measures include closing nonessential stores, barber shops and restaurants; the mandatory use of masks for outdoor gatherings of up to four people and the prohibition of mixing indoors, except with a “cuddle contact” or a person in a support bubble. The rules are in effect until December 13. Schools will be on vacation until November 15.
“We have to limit our physical contacts as much as possible,” De Croo said, adding that this was “Belgium’s last chance if we want to reduce this curve.”
France entered a second national lockdown on Friday that will last for an initial four weeks, until “at least” Dec. 1. The rules will be more relaxed than during the spring closure, with school and workplaces open.
However, people will only be allowed to go out “to work, go to a medical appointment, take care of a relative, buy essential items and get some air,” French President Emmanuel Macron said.
“The virus is circulating at a speed that even the most pessimistic had predicted,” Macron added.
A curfew that had been imposed in Paris and other cities had no impact on the spread of the virus, according to Macron.
Parks, gardens, and open-air markets will remain open, but movement between regions will be prohibited.
Macron acknowledged the “enormous effort” required by companies forced to close and said that “within 15 days we will reassess the situation” and “we will reopen some if the situation allows.”
Greece has also extended its containment measures from high-risk areas to the entire country. In a televised speech on Saturday, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis outlined a series of measures for the entire country that will take effect on Tuesday, November 3 and will last for one month.
There will be a nightly curfew from midnight to 5 a.m., wearing masks will be mandatory everywhere, and more people will be encouraged to work from home.
The number of coronavirus cases in Europe since the start of the pandemic has surpassed the 10 million mark, with more than 1.5 million cases confirmed last week, the director for Europe of the World Organization of the Cheers, Hans Kluge.
During a meeting with European health ministers, Kluge said that hospitalizations had risen to “levels not seen since the spring”, and that deaths rose 32% across the region last week.
“Europe is again at the epicenter of this pandemic,” Kluge said.
“At the risk of sounding alarmist, I must express our real concern and convey our firm commitment to stand by him and support him as best we can.”
Kluge said the lockdowns “don’t have to mean what they did in March or April” and that indirect economic impacts should be considered.
But for much of Europe, this new phase of lockdown appears to be even more difficult than it came before.
CNN’s Chris Liakos, Simon Cullen, Hande Atay Alam, Fred Pleitgen and Tatiana Arias, Amy Cassidy, Gaelle Fournier, Tim Lister, Tatiana Arias, Valentina Di Donato and Zahid Mahmood contributed reporting.
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