Waiting for spring? Europe extends and tightens lockdown
Governments across Europe announced tighter and longer coronavirus lockdowns on Wednesday over fears about a fast-spreading variant first detected in Britain, with vaccinations not expected to help much for another two to three months.
Italy will extend its COVID-19 state of emergency to the end of April, Health Minister Roberto Speranza said as infections currently show no sign of abating.
Germany is likely to have to extend COVID-19 curbs into February, Health Minister Jens Spahn said, stressing the need to further reduce contacts to fend off the more infectious variant first identified in Britain.
The German cabinet approved stricter entry controls to require people arriving from countries with high caseloads or where the more virulent variant is circulating to take a coronavirus test.
Chancellor Angela Merkel told a meeting of lawmakers on Tuesday that the coming eight to 10 weeks would be very hard if the more infectious variant spread to Germany, according to a participant at the meeting.
Spahn told Deutschlandfunk radio it would take another two or three months before the vaccination campaign really started to help.
The Dutch government said late on Tuesday it would extend lockdown measures, including the closure of schools and shops, by at least three weeks until February 9.
“This decision does not come as a surprise, but it is an incredible disappointment,” Prime Minister Mark Rutte told a news conference, adding that the threat posed by the new variant was “very, very worrying”.
He said the government was considering imposing a curfew, but was reluctant and had sought outside advice before deciding on such severe restrictions.
In France, President Emmanuel Macron met with senior ministers to discuss possible new measures. A nationwide curfew could be brought forward to 6 pm from 8 pm, as has already happened in some parts of the country, French media reported.
There is no need to close schools but new restrictions are needed in light of the variant first detected in Britain, the government’s top scientific adviser said, adding that if vaccines were more widely accepted, the crisis could be over by September.
In Switzerland, officials in Bern cancelled the Lauberhorn World Cup downhill race, out of fear that the new variant — brought in by what health authorities said was a single British tourist — was spreading now spreading rapidly among locals.
At least 60 people have tested positive in the Alpine resort of Wengen in the last four weeks.
ITALY WILL EXTEND ITS COVID-19 STATE OF EMERGENCY TO THE END OF APRIL