PLANS FOR A SECOND LOCKDOWN IN MANY EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

 Filenews 20 October 2020

Along with the clouds of winter (which has not started well), over the Old Continent still hovers the cloud of the coronavirus, with Europe aware of an increase of Covid-19 cases while still counting its wounds from the first wave.

The continued increase in cases, which has started as early as the end of August, is bringing back restrictive measures in many European countries. With EU leaders determined to avoid a second lockdown at all costs, many states are adopting "Mediterranean" solutions such as a curfew at night (curfew) or local lockdown for a limited time.

For example, France last week imposed a curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. in Paris and its other eight major cities – with many other countries and regions ready to follow suit.

However, with the advent of the first cold, it seems that perhaps eventually a second lockdown will not be prevented. Ireland became the first country in Europe to return to quarantine, while Wales is set to launch a two-week "firewall" on Friday.

Italy: Lombardy prepares to implement night-time curfew

Lombardy, the wealthy region of the Italian north hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, is preparing to impose a night-time curfew the day after Thursday night for the first time since the lockdown ended in early May to curb infections.

The curfew will be valid from 23:00 (local time, 24:00 Cyprus time) until 05:00 (local time, 06:00 Cyprus time).

"I agree with the scenario of the most restrictive measures in Lombardy. I spoke about it with the president (of the atilio region) Fontana and the mayor (of Milan Giuseppe) Sala and we will work together in the next few days in this direction," Health Minister Roberto Speranza said yesterday, Monday night.

Italy has seen a large increase in new cases of Covid-19 since Friday, with more than 10,000 patients a day, and Lombardy is the region most affected, as was the case at the beginning of the pandemic in February and March.

Italy's economic lung, along with Veneto and Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy recorded yesterday, Monday, 1,687 new cases out of 9,338 recorded across Italy. Since the beginning of the pandemic it has recorded 128,456 cases (the whole of Italy has recorded 423,578), of which 17,084 have ended up (across Italy 36,616 deaths have been recorded), according to figures released yesterday, Monday, by the Ministry of Health.

From 12 to 19 October, the number of Covid-19 patients hospitalized in Lombardy increased by 145% and the number of patients hospitalized in intensive care increased by 126%. So the regional authorities called for this curfew as well as the closure at the weekend of shops that do not sell food or essentials.

As of Saturday, Lombardy had imposed stricter measures, including the closure of all bars and restaurants from midnight and the suspension of all amateur sports activities. Since then, the whole of Italy has followed suit.

Spain: Possible curfew in Madrid

Madrid's regional authorities are considering whether to impose a curfew some hours to curb the second wave of the coronae epidemic, in one of the regions of Europe where there is a large rise in cases, the Spanish capital's top health official said today.

"Prohibition of traffic will mean (...) that some hours there will be no traffic at all, as France did, for example," Enrique Rouith Escudero said speaking to Spanish agency Europa Press.

Rouith Escudero pointed out that Madrid's regional authorities do not have jurisdiction to impose a curfew and should therefore ask the government to do so.

Spain's Socialist government declared a state of emergency on 9 October and for two weeks in Madrid, imposing a partial lockdown on the capital, meaning residents can leave their homes but are not allowed to leave the city limits.

That decree is not expected to be extended friday, when it expires, officials said, prompting regional and national authorities to consider their next steps, after weeks of controversy over policies to be adopted to halt covid-19.

Rouith Escudero also added that Madrid's coronaeo sewage would be tested to assess its spread to the inhabitants of the Spanish capital. "It will be like testing thousands of people at once," he commented.

A 'breath' before the lockdown in Belgium

Belgium may have to return to a global lockdown unless the rise of new cases of coronae and hospital admissions is interrupted, a leading Belgian ideologue said today in an interview with a newspaper.

"Then we will need to look at even more restrictive measures, which may look like a lockdown like the one imposed in March and April," Yves Van Letem told La Derniere Heure newspaper.

Van Letem, who participates in national press conferences on the situation with coronaion, said only a vaccine or effective treatment would fight the pandemic.

Health Minister Frank Vandenbrook said Sunday that Belgium's capital, Brussels, and the southern region of Wallonia "tend to develop into a tsunami" with the health situation worse than any other place in Europe.

He said that tsunami means that the authorities have lost control of the situation and that all planned medical operations that do not involve patients with COVID-19 should be aborted.

This country of 11 million inhabitants recorded a daily number of cases of an average of 7,876 for the week to 15 October with 252 hospital admissions, on average, and 30 deaths.

At the peak of the first wave of the pandemic at the end of March more than 600 people were admitted to hospital within a day in Belgium.

Source: news.in.gr