Coronaviruses in Europe: whether or not to return to containment
The second wave of the coronavirus has already led some European countries to return to mobility restrictions and partial closures, recalling the month of March, in an attempt to stop the spiral of the virus.
On Tuesday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that the number of daily deaths due to the virus in Europe had risen by 40% compared with the previous week.
"The concern ... is that intensive care units in hospitals are beginning to fill up with very sick people," warned WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris.
France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Spain and Belgium are among the countries that have announced a new list of measures to reduce the number of infections.
With a total of 5,924 people hospitalised in the country, Belgium exceeded the maximum number of patients admitted by COVID-19 during the pandemic. With an 86% increase in weekly coronavirus admissions, and a cumulative incidence close to 1,500 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, the country is under a night curfew and reception, sports and cultural activities are suspended.
Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke has already warned that there will be at least eight weeks of restrictions to contain the situation.
On Wednesday, President Emmanuel Macron said that "there was no other solution" than to adopt a new isolation, even if it is lighter than that of March. Macron announced that non-essential businesses such as bars, restaurants and sports and entertainment venues would have to close.
The French government has indicated that from the start of the school year next Monday, after the autumn holidays, masks will be compulsory from the age of six, compared to eleven at present.
France has recorded a record number of new infections in the last two weeks, with 36,437 new notifications on Wednesday, for a total of 1.235 million cases. The country now has 35,785 deaths due to the pandemic (244 reported yesterday). Most importantly, 20,184 people have been hospitalized with VIDOC-19, including 2,821 in intensive care units.
In the last 24 hours, Germany has recorded 16,774 new coronavirus infections, a new record after the previous day's record. A total of 481,013 cases of COVID-19 have been detected in the country and 10,272 have died with or because of this virus.
In a government statement at the Bundestang on Thursday, the chancellor said it was essential to avoid border closures, but Merkel and the leaders of Germany's 16 Länder agreed on a new package of restrictions. Bars, restaurants, cinemas and theatres will remain closed throughout November. Schools will remain open.
On 21 October last, the Irish government decided on a new six-week containment period. The latest official figures released on Wednesday indicate that six new deaths were recorded in the previous 24 hours, leaving the number of deaths at 1,896, while 675 new infections were detected, for a total of 59,434.
Italy added 24,991 new cases of the coronavirus on Thursday, bringing the total to 589,766 since February 21, when the national emergency began, when 37,905 people died.
In order to contain the transmission curve and avoid a new national containment that would further penalise the economy, the Italian government is adopting restrictive measures and last Sunday decreed the closure of cinemas, theatres, gymnasiums, swimming pools and concert halls until 24 November.
In areas such as the Apulia region, schools will be closed and classes will be given by telematic means.
On Sunday, the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, declared a state of alert for the whole country. In addition, a night curfew has been imposed and some Autonomous Communities have already implemented additional restrictive measures such as city and perimeter containment and the closure of the hotel industry, as is the case in La Rioja.
The Ministry of Health notified this Wednesday 19,765 new infections, of which 9,303 have been confirmed in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of infections to 1,136,503 and the number of deaths to 35,466, with a further 168 deaths.
The Portuguese government is preparing new restrictions that will be more limited to the territories, depending on the situation of the pandemic in each area, after the country has again recorded a daily record of almost 4,000 new cases. António Costa's executive will meet this Saturday in an extraordinary Council of Ministers meeting to approve new measures, which will be applied at a territorial level.
Portugal is currently applying restrictions throughout the country, which is in a state of disaster, with a ban on meetings of more than five people and a limitation on opening hours.
The British government will try to do everything possible to avoid a "national lockdown" to contain COVID-19, Communities Minister Robert Jenrick said on Thursday.
Areas of England, such as Liverpool and Manchester, are at level 3 restrictions - the highest - which means bars and pubs that do not sell food are closed and meetings of people living in separate houses are banned. In the other British regions, such as Scotland and Northern Ireland, there are also strong restrictions, while Wales is confined until mid-November.