European countries tighten measures

(Patria) - The total number of coronavirus infections worldwide has exceeded 30 million. Israel is re-imposing quarantine, while France and Great Britain are introducing new restrictive measures.

Britain and France have announced new restrictions as the number of new infections in both countries continues to grow progressively.

In the northeast of England, about two million people will not be allowed to gather or meet outside their homes indefinitely, while bars and restaurants will have reduced working hours. New measures also stipulate that gatherings of no more than six people are allowed.

France is now in a phase where it records more than 10,000 new cases daily, and after the introduction of restrictions this week in Marseille and Bordeaux, Lyon and Nice are preparing for the return of measures.

Hans Kluge, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Europe, stressed that the record jumps in new infections across the continent should serve as a wake-up call, adding that although the drastic increase in new infections is partly a result of more comprehensive testing, it certainly indicates a worrying rate of transmission in Europe.

So far, at least 943,000 people have died from Covid-19 worldwide.

The hardest-hit country in the world remains the United States with at least 6,650,570 infected and at least 197,364 deaths, followed closely by India with more than five million cases and at least 83,000 deaths, and Brazil with about 4.5 million infected and more than 134,106 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

France and Spain are now recording higher daily growth than during the peak of the first wave in the spring.

Italy

As the number of new infections in Italy is rising again, authorities have ordered the closure of all clubs and dance halls, and wearing masks is mandatory in all places from 6 PM to 6 AM.

Children have returned to school after a six-month break, although schools in some areas have warned they are not ready for opening.

Denmark

Denmark was one of the first European countries to open schools in April, but in late August, the number of infections began to rise sharply.

In Copenhagen and surrounding areas where growth is being recorded, bars, restaurants, and nightclubs operate until 10 PM.

Czech Republic

This country registered 3,130 infections in 24 hours on September 17 – as many as it registered for the entire month of March. This was the third daily record, and the Czech Republic thus positioned itself as the second European country in terms of daily growth of infections per 100,000 inhabitants, immediately behind Spain.

Great Britain

The number of hospitalized patients is doubling every eight days in Great Britain, and the spread of the virus continues to accelerate. There is speculation about introducing a state of emergency and a nationwide quarantine, although the British Health Secretary does not want to reveal what measures – if any – will apply in the rest of the country, as they have already been introduced in the northeast.

Spain

Officials in Madrid announced that every fifth hospital bed is occupied by a Covid patient, and city authorities have called on the central government to react quickly and decisively. New measures are expected to be announced soon.

The situation, after a temporary easing, is further complicating in the rest of the world, and the first country to re-impose a nationwide quarantine is Israel.

This country has been recording a progressive increase in infections on a daily basis for months and, as of today, is in its second quarantine since the pandemic began.

Hundreds of Israelis took to the streets before the quarantine came into effect to protest the introduction of new measures, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that there is "no other choice" but to introduce even stricter restrictions.

The current toll in Israel is – more than 172,000 infected and at least 1,163 deaths.

(Nova.rs)