Europe is facing a marked deterioration in the epidemic situation, particularly in Germany, central Europe and the eastern part of the continent. Faced with this upsurge in the Covid-19 epidemic, some countries are starting to take new restrictions.
“If we stay on this trajectory, we could see another half a million deaths from Covid-19” in Europe, “by February,” warned the director of WHO Europe last Thursday. This Friday, it is the European Center for Disease Control (ECDC) which sounds the alarm, indicating that the situation is “very worrying” in ten countries of the continent: Belgium, Poland, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary and Slovenia.
For several weeks, Europe has been facing a marked deterioration in the epidemic situation, particularly in Germany, central Europe and the eastern part of the continent. Faced with this upsurge in Covid-19 contamination, several countries are reinstating restrictive measures, in an attempt to halt the spread of the virus.
• Austria
Among our Austrian neighbors, the government announced on Friday that it was waiting for the green light from Parliament on Sunday to establish containment of people unvaccinated, or unhealed from Covid-19, at national level.
“The objective is clear: we want to give the green light to national containment for unvaccinated people on Sunday,” Chancellor Alexander Schallenberglors said, without specifying the date of entry into force of the measure.
The regional state of Upper Austria and the city-state of Salzburg, which have seen some of the highest contamination rates, have already introduced this containment from Monday. The Minister of Health, Wolfgang Mueckstein, has also announced that he will order compulsory vaccination of health workers.
• Netherlands
In the Netherlands, where the health situation is worrying, with records for the number of daily contaminations, the executive announced on Friday a new turn of the screw, with partial confinement for 3 weeks.
As of Saturday, bars, restaurants and essential stores such as supermarkets will have to close at 8 p.m. and non-essential stores at 6 p.m.
Dutch citizens are called upon not to accommodate more than four people in their homes and to telework, “unless this is really not possible”, Prime Minister Mark Rutte told a press conference.
Public protests are cut and football matches will be played behind closed doors, including the World Cup qualifier between the Netherlands and Norway next week. However, schools remain open and outings outside the home authorized.
• Germany
The epidemic situation continues to worsen in Germany, where the bar of 50,000 new daily infections was exceeded this week, a record since the start of the pandemic.
Faced with this outbreak, the country has started to transfer patients from the most affected regions, especially in the east of the country, which is more resistant to vaccination.
Several German states have decided to reintroduce certain restrictive measures, particularly targeting the unvaccinated. As of Monday, Berlin will prohibit them from entering, in particular, restaurants without a terrace, bars, sports halls and hairdressing salons.
The Scandinavian government announced on Friday the reintroduction of anti-Covid restrictions at the national level, in particular by authorizing municipalities to use the health pass. Norway, which had lifted all its restrictions at the end of September, will also offer a third dose of vaccine for all over 18 years, however excluding confinements and drastic measures.
“The government wants to introduce new national measures to contain contagions (…) However, we are not talking about confinements or measures as strict as before during the pandemic”, underlined Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre during a speech. press conference.
Unvaccinated contact cases over 18 years of age are ordered to be tested from November 16. Unvaccinated health workers will have to be tested twice a week and wear a mask, and the recommendation to stay at home in case of symptoms has been reinstated.
After almost two unrestricted months, the Denmark will reintroduce the health pass due to the sharp rise in the number of Covid-19 cases, the Prime Minister announced on Monday.
“The Commission on Epidemics has recommended that the government classify the coronavirus as a ‘disease threatening society’ and re-impose the coronapass. The government will follow this recommendation,” Mette Frederiksen told a press conference.
The health pass must be reintroduced in particular in bars and restaurants and nightclubs, and be compulsory from the age of 15. Pioneer of the health pass that was introduced there in the spring, Denmark abolished it on September 10, at a time when the number of new cases was four times lower than today’s figures. A bill will be presented to Parliament on Tuesday.
Less than a week after reintroducing measures against Covid-19, Iceland will strengthen its system, from midnight this Friday, in the face of the infection records of the last few days.
In detail, the limit for public gatherings is lowered from 500 to 50, the gauge in swimming pools and sports halls is now set at 75% of maximum capacity and the opening hours of bars, restaurants and nightclubs have been shortened. an additional hour, closing at 10 p.m.
In effect for at least three weeks, these measures are the most restrictive since May.
In early November, the Greek National Public Health Organization (Eody) announced new measures to contain the pandemic. Until then, the health pass was only compulsory in confined spaces. Now it is used to access restaurants and outdoor cafes.
• Hungary
At the end of October, the Hungarian government – where the situation had continued to deteriorate, like the rest of Eastern Euorpe – had paved the way for compulsory vaccination of employees and workers. officials, while the number of Covid-19 contaminations reached levels not seen since the spring.
“Companies can now require staff vaccination”, announced at a press conference Gergely Gulyas, chief of staff to sovereignist Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
The refractory “will have to be placed on unpaid leave and may be dismissed after a year” and “the government, as an employer”, will itself set an example, he said, inviting local authorities to do the same. Wearing a mask has also become mandatory in public transport since November 1.
• Czech Republic
In the Czech Republic, a tightening of sanitary controls and restrictions was decided at the end of October.
Thus, since October 25, wearing a mask indoors is mandatory, including in workplaces and since November 1, restaurants, clubs and discos will have to check vaccination certificates, tests or evidence of recovery from their clients.
Since the same date, the validity of the tests has been reduced and they have become chargeable, to encourage the population to be vaccinated.
• Russia
It is the country of Eastern Europe where the situation is surely the most alarming. Russia resumed normal life on Monday after a national non-working week decreed by the authorities to stop the spread of the coronavirus, while the country continues to record tens of thousands of new contagions and more than a thousand deaths every day.
President Vladimir Putin had decreed a nonworking period from October 30 to November 7 to break the chains of contamination in the country, the most bereaved in Europe.
The majority of Russian regions have decided not to extend these measures and only a few, including that of Novgorod (North-West) or Tomsk (Siberia), have opted for an extension of around a week.
• Latvia
Overwhelmed by Covid-19 cases, Latvia declared a three-month state of health emergency on November 1.
According to the new restrictive measures, the mask becomes mandatory in all buildings open to the public, and any employee of the public domain must be vaccinated by November 15.
Unvaccinated people will only be allowed to purchase their food and other essentials from designated stores and only stores deemed essential will be allowed to open on weekends. All Latvians are encouraged to practice telework when possible.
“I ask you not to gather, do not visit and reduce your contacts,” Prime Minister Krisjans Karins wrote on Twitter.