Lockdown dissent in Europe grows despite resurgence in case numbers
Virus rates on the continent now worse than the US and South America
CORONAVIRUS cases are surging in Europe amid rising opposition to lockdown rules in a number of countries.
Europe is now reporting more coronavirus cases weekly than the US or South America, and experts have warned that without action a return to the peak of the pandemic could be on the way.
Europe recorded 460,000 new cases last week, while North and South America announced 380,000 each.
There was also a rise in cases among vulnerable groups, including over-65s, as the pandemic’s second wave swept the continent.
Cases among those aged 65 and over have been creeping up in Europe since September, analysis by The Daily Telegraph of t he European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control’s figures showed. New weekly cases in that group doubled in the last month compared with July.
Martin Mckee, professor of European public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: “We are heading back to March again if we are not careful – that’s the real worry.”
There were some positives: testing improved dramatically in Europe, meaning far more cases were being found now than in March and April.
Hospital admissions were also lower than in the spring, with 20,000 Europeans in hospital with Covid-19. At April’s peak there were more than 90,000. However, the rise in older groups could push the numbers in hospital back up, experts warned.
Fernando Simón, a Covid adviser for the Spanish health ministry, said this week: “The rise among the elderly obviously means more hospitalisations and a greater risk of saturating the system.”
The share of elderly testing positive was still below April, however, when around 31 per cent of those with positive results were over 65, compared with 10 per cent now, although this may have been caused by extra testing.
Despite the rise, opposition to the various lockdown regulations remained strong.
Yesterday, Spain declared a state of emergency in Madrid to enforce a partial lockdown, including a ban on nonessential travel and large gatherings, and a 50 per cent capacity rule on public indoor spaces, overriding regional authorities and a court ruling outlawing the restrictions.
According to Johns Hopkins University’s coronavirus counter, Spain had 12,423 new cases in the 24 hours up to yesterday, and 126 deaths, with Madrid the major driver. In total, 32,688 people have died with Covid-19 in Spain, out of 848,324 cases.
In Israel, public anger continued to grow over the reimposition of strict measures to tackle the surge, with people compelled to remain within a kilometre of their homes.
The outcry deepened when it emerged that Sara Netanyahu, wife of the prime minister, had summoned a hairdresser to their official residence while all other hairdressers were forced to close their shops. Israel reported 3,855 new infections in the past day, and 40 deaths.
In France, Europe’s worsthit country on a weekly basis with 79,000 infections reported in the last seven days, restaurateurs in Marseille took to the streets and local leaders launched a legal action to prevent closures.
Countries that coped well with the first wave also appeared to be struggling. Yesterday, Angela Merkel warned that new restrictions could be on the cards for 11 cities in Germany after registering 4,000 new infections on Thursday and yesterday.
The Netherlands suffered a leap in new cases, with 5,000 recorded on Thursday and an infection rate of 243 per million inhabitants, higher than Spain or Great Britain.
The Czech Republic declared a state of emergency after cases soared 20-fold.
Iceland, a former prime example of Covid management, closed hospitality venues after a surge in infections.
The World Health Organisation said that while it was “sad” to see cases spiking again in Europe, governments should avoid a return to “punishing” lockdowns.