EU nations act to contain spike in cases
THE HAGUE — Nations across Europe took new measures Friday in an attempt to keep a COVID-19 spike from spiraling out of control, hoping that action now will safeguard the joys of Christmas next month.
A spike in cases fueled by the contagious delta variant forced governments to act to rein in infections even in countries not seeing surges and where vaccination rates are high.
Meanwhile, the world on Friday was confronted with yet another challenge in its long pandemic ordeal: the discovery of a new, potentially more transmissible COVID-19 variant found in southern Africa — which the World Health Organization on Friday named “Omicron” under its Greek letter system.
In Belgium, where a spike in cases and hospital admissions exceeded even the worst medical predictions, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo reinforced measures for the second time in little more than a week and closed night clubs, while bars and restaurants have to shut at 11 p.m. for the next three weeks.
“We have been hoodwinked by the delta vari- ant,” he said.
Referring to the more than 25,000 cases a day now in the country of 11 million, he said: “This is unprecedented in our country.”
Neighboring Netherlands has been struggling with the virus just as much.
Health Minister Hugo De Jonge said hospitals across the Netherlands have been told to wind back planned surgeries and scale up acute care and intensive care beds to 1,350 nationwide to cope with the rising number of COVID patients.
The Dutch government tightened its lockdown Friday night amid swiftly rising infections and ICU admissions, although it kept open schools and universities — where most students will have to wear masks in corridors between lessons.
Caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that for three weeks starting Sunday all venues such as bars, restaurants, theaters and shops selling non-essential items will close from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. Under the current lockdown they have to close at 8 p.m.
“The numbers are high, higher, highest,” Rutte said of the soaring infections.
He said a panel of experts had advised the government to take action to reduce the number of contacts between people by at least 20%.
“That means we won’t get there with a few small tweaks. And that’s why we’re here today, a week earlier than hoped, with another message that is going to demand a lot from all of us,” Rutte said.
He urged people to stay in and work from home as much as possible and extended the use of face masks and social distancing to cover locations where the country’s COVID pass is