Published 18:24 IST, October 15th 2020
COVID-19 curfews, lockdowns reimposed in European nations amid spike in new cases
With the resurgence of new COVID-19 cases, the European nations have now reimposed curfews and shut down schools in a bid to contain the spread of the virus.
With the resurgence of new coronavirus cases, the European nations have now reimposed curfews and shut down schools in a bid to contain the spread of the deadly virus. Most European governments had eased lockdowns over the summer to revive the hard-hit economies, however, with a spike in cases all over the continent, the countries have agreed on tougher measures. According to reports, Europe has been recording around 100,000 new cases daily and the surging infections rates are now testing governments’ resolve to keep the school and non-COVID medical care going.
European countries reimpose restrictions
As cases in France increased rapidly, President Emmanuel Macron recently announced night curfews for four weeks in Paris and other major cities. In an interview on national television, Macron said that the curfews were to halt temporarily the parties, the moments of conviviality where there are 50 or 60 people, festive evening because, unfortunately, these are vectors for the acceleration of the disease. He added, “We’ll get through if we stick together”.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel also said that she and other German leaders have agreed on tougher measures. While she didn’t give any details on the new restrictions, she, however, said that the country is in a phase of ‘exponential growth’ and the daily numbers show that.
Amid the rising cases, on October 14, Pope Francis also had to maintain safe distance for well-wishers at his weekly audience. In Lisbon, after Portugal Football captain Cristiano Ronaldo tested COVID positive, the government said that the incident simply showed that everyone was at risk of getting infected. The Czech Republic, on the other hand, shifted schools to distance learning and further also plans to call up thousands of medical students. The Czech government also ordered hospitals to cut non-urgent medical procedures to free up beds.
While Poland is ramping up training for nurses and considering military field hospitals, Moscow is moving students to online learning. Northern Ireland has also announced to close schools for two weeks and restaurants for four. Irish PM Michael Martin even described Northern Ireland’s rise in cases as ‘hugely worrying’.
According to the World Health Organisation, the United Kingdom, France, Russia and Spain even accounted for more than half of Europe’s new cases in the week to October 11. Dr Hans Kluge, the WHO’s regional director for Europe, on Thursday, said that the virus was spreading rapidly across the continent, with exponential increases being reported in daily cases and matching percentage rises in daily death rates.
British PM Boris Johnson, who is facing opposition calls for another nationwide lockdown, has taken up a regional approach to curb the spread of the virus. In Belgium, the government has announced that hospitals must now reserve a quarter of their beds for COVID-19 patients.
European Commission signs JPA amid shortage
With a new wave of coronavirus across the continent, the European Commission has signed a joint procurement agreement (JPA) that would allow the bloc to purchase additional 5,00,000 doses of remdesivir antiviral drugs. Remdesivir has been cited as one of the only two drugs approved for use in the treatment of COVID patients.
The JPA has replaced an Emergency Support Instrument (ESI), that enabled the European Commission to procure Gilead's remdesivir drug for the European Union Member States, including the UK. The JPA enables participating countries in the EU and the European Economic Area (EEA) and the UK to purchase the drug for both real-time demand and stockpiling needs, which will be coordinated by the European Commission.
(Image: AP)
Updated 18:23 IST, October 15th 2020