Europe’s Covid surge
Violent protests erupted in cities across Europe this week, in reaction to sweeping new measures to combat a surge in Covid cases. Ireland, Austria, Belgium, Germany and the Czech Republic all brought in restrictions following warnings that there could be 500,000 Covid deaths in Europe this winter. In Vienna, 40,000 people took to the streets, to protest against a national lockdown and plans for mandatory vaccinations. In Rotterdam, police opened fire on people demonstrating against plans for a three-week partial lockdown in the Netherlands. In Brussels, water cannon were deployed after a mass protest turned violent.
In Britain, however, Health Secretary Sajid Javid played down the need to impose “Plan B” measures such as making face coverings mandatory, or reintroducing advice to work from home. Our “hugely successful” booster jab roll-out, he maintained, had set us apart from other countries.
What the editorials said
Residents of European nations are paying a high price for their governments’ poor vaccine coverage, said the FT. In Germany, where cases are at their highest-ever level, Christmas markets are being cancelled and the unvaccinated face limits on their freedoms. Belgians must work from home four days a week. Even in the Netherlands, which boasts a high jab rate, restaurants and bars must close early. But the most “draconian” response has been Austria’s, said The Daily Telegraph. Not content with imposing a full national lockdown for at least ten days, the government there has also announced that vaccination will be compulsory for adults from February (refuseniks will face fines or even jail) – a drastic move, and surely “a step too far”.
Thankfully, there’s at present no need for new curbs here in the UK, said The Sunday Times. True, our case numbers remain stubbornly high; but they aren’t leading to higher hospital admissions and deaths. And that’s down to our booster programme. One in four people over 12 have now had a third jab; up to 400,000 more are administered daily.