Specter of restrictions rises in Europe with COVID-19 cases spiking

Nearly two years into the coronavirus era, much of Europe is once again facing a surge in cases and, in some countries, a return to lockdowns and other restrictions that had begun to feel like a distant part of the pandemic.

This time around, the unvaccinated are frequently the target of new measures. Overall, 76% of adults in the European Union and 65% of the total population have been fully vaccinated, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

In Austria, as of midnight Monday, about 2 million unvaccinated people were subject to a lockdown lasting 10 days as coronavirus cases rise.

In Germany, rattled by record-breaking levels of confirmed infections, the government has shied away from population-wide vaccine mandates, but officials have introduced mounting restrictions on those who haven’t had a jab. As of Monday in Berlin, only the vaccinated or recovered can eat out in restaurants or visit bars.

In the Netherlands, a three-week partial lockdown is underway, with restaurants and shops ordered to close early in an effort to get ahead of a spike in cases that could put pressure on hospitals.

In Italy, a relatively early adopter of vaccine mandates, infection rates are among Europe’s lowest.

But in Britain, which has continued to resist reimposing restrictions despite high case counts, Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned Monday that “storm clouds” were gathering over parts of the continent.

“We don’t yet know the extent to which this new wave will wash up on our shores, but history shows we cannot afford to be complacent,” Johnson said. He urged those eligible in the United Kingdom to get booster shots and for those still waiting for first or second jabs to come forward as soon as possible.

Last week, Europe reported close to 2 million COVID-19 cases, the “most in a single week in that region since the pandemic started,” World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a news conference Friday.

“Some European countries are now reintroducing restrictions to curb transmission and take the pressure off their health systems,” Tedros said. “No country should be in this position, almost two years into the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Fueled by vaccine hesitancy, slowing vaccination rates and the rollback of infection-control measures such as mask mandates and travel bans, Europe is in many ways a test case for what life with both the virus and vaccines could come to look like.

Though vaccines against the coronavirus still remain limited for much of the world’s population, Europe was among the earliest to roll out immunization programs.

In the year since, more contagious variants have fueled new outbreaks as the virus has continued to spread among the unvaccinated and in breakthrough infections of the vaccinated.

Vaccines significantly lessen the risk of catching the virus or of developing a severe case.