European nations move to tighter restrictions

Partial or nationwide curfews, travel bans and other new measures as Italy, Spain, Germany and other countries see second wave.

European leaders are ratcheting up pandemic restrictions as a second wave of COVID-19 cases batters Italy, Spain and other countries.

The U.S. is also in the grip of a massive coronavirus surge, with 44 states reporting rising caseloads in the latest week, according to a USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins University data. But in Europe, leaders are taking a dramatically different approach.

On Sunday, Italy ordered bars and restaurants to close by 6 p.m. and shuttered gyms, movie theaters and pools entirely. Spain’s prime minister also imposed a night-time curfew, and the government said local authorities could ban travel between regions.

In France, President Emmanuel Macron was scheduled to deliver a televised address Wednesday night spelling out new restrictions, just days after the government imposed a curfew covering an estimated 46 million people.

“The coming weeks will be hard and the number of deaths will continue to rise,” Prime Minister Jean Castex told reporters last week. France has seen more than 50,000 new cases a day, according to Reuters.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is pressing her country’s 16 state governors to impose a partial lockdown across the country. Merkel has urged Germans to reduce public gatherings and social interactions – with little success.

Germany’s disease control agency said a record 14,964 new cases were recorded in the past 24 hours, bringing the country’s total infections to 449,275 since the beginning of the outbreak. Germany’s total COVID-19-related deaths stands at about 10,000, the Robert Koch Institute said.

On Tuesday, the World Health Organization said that cases in Europe leaped almost 40% over the previous seven days, to about 1.3 million new cases.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has so far resisted calls from some of his scientific advisers for a full, second national lockdown. Instead, Johnson has implemented a three-tier system of restrictions for cities and regions. Schools have remained open in all areas.

Wales is in the second week of a complete lockdown due to end Nov. 9. Almost all residents have been told to stay at home. Exceptions have been made for medical emergencies and for shopping for groceries and other essential items.