France will enforce a month-long night-time curfew in Paris and eight other major cities and towns aimed at fighting the Coronavirus ‘second wave’, it was announced tonight.
The capital will now shut down for nine hours from 9pm until 6am, in a bid to stop the disease circulating, said President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday.
This strict State of Emergency measure was also applied to Lille, Rouen, Saint-Etienne, Toulouse, Lyon, Grenoble, Aix-en-Provence and Montpellier.
All bars, restaurants, theatres and similar businesses will have to shut at 9pm sharp from Saturday, said Mr Macron.
Meanwhile, Italy saw its highest ever daily spike with 7,332 new cases today, while Belgium has warned that intensive care units will hit capacity by mid-November.
In Spain’s Catalonia bars and restaurants were shut down today today while schools are closing again around Europe amid tougher restrictions across the continent as leaders face their nightmare scenario of a Covid-19 resurgence on the eve of winter.
The Spanish region centred on Barcelona has closed bars and restaurants for 15 days in a ‘painful but necessary’ measure after adding nearly 11,000 cases in the space of a week.
French President Emmanuel Macron addresses the nation during a televised interview from the Elysee Palace, announcing Paris and eight other major cities will ow shut down for nine hours from 9pm until 6am, in a bid to slow the spread of Covid-19
FRANCE: Has placed the cities of Toulouse and Montpellier under Covid measures while announcing curfews for Paris, Lille, Rouen, Saint-Etienne, Toulouse, Lyon, Grenoble, Aix-en-Provence and Montpellier
In a live TV interview on Wednesday evening, France’s Macron confirmed that France was now ‘being hit by the second wave.’
‘This virus that we have known from the beginning and which has struck us for eight months, is coming back,’ he said.
‘We have not lost control. We are in a situation which is worrying and which justifies that we are neither inactive nor in panic.
‘It is equally worrying in other European countries, such as Germany which is also taking restrictive measures.
‘Spain and the Netherlands are also in a very worrying situation, and have taken very restrictive measures in recent days’.
A state of health emergency in France was previously declared in March in response to spiralling infections as the first Covid-19 wave hit.
Mr Macron said this State of Emergency was now set to be re-introduced, along with the other tougher measures, from Saturday.
It followed the number of Covid-19 infections rising by 26,896 in 24 hours on Saturday – a record since widespread testing began.
Mr Macron’s last major TV address was on Bastille Day, July 14, and since then the wearing of face masks has been made compulsory.
France first went into strict lockdown in March, when all bars and restaurants were closed, and people need passes to go out for an hour.
But an expert panel set up to evaluate France’s response to the pandemic reported on Tuesday that there were ‘clear failures of anticipation, preparation and management’.
There were particular problems with a shortage of face masks early on, and the authorities were slow introduce testing.
Martin Hirsch, the head of the 39 hospitals in greater Paris, warned: ‘By around October 24, there will be a minimum of 800 to 1,000 Covid patients in intensive care, representing 70 to 90 percent of our current capacity.’
FRANCE: Cyclists ride past the Au Chat Noir bar in Paris which has been closed as part of stricter restrictions due to the coronavirus in Paris
Madrid offered hope that Spain could turn the corner after clocking 5,134 cases at the weekend – its lowest figure since August – with the central region reporting an incidence rate of 501 cases per 100,000, a figure that was lower still on Wednesday at 463 per 100,000.
This rate almost takes it below the threshold for lockdown-style measures announced by the government, and suggests the number of new infections had been levelling off prior to the introduction of new measures that came into force in the capital on Friday.
Other Spanish regions experiencing a spike in cases will be hopeful that they too will see cases level off without having to implement stricter lockdown measures.
With social life shutting down again across Europe, some governments have been forced to go further than Spain, with Czech schools resuming distance learning and hospitals cancelling surgeries while Moscow has also sent pupils home.
Scientists warn that the spread of winter flu and the largely indoor life of the European winter could make the virus even more dangerous in the coming months because hospitals will be more stretched and the disease can spread more easily.
SPAIN: The empty terrace of a restaurant in Barcelona today as Catalonia shut down bars and restaurants for 15 days to slow rising infections
CZECH REPUBLIC: An empty classroom in Prague where the government has sent children back to distance learning to stem Europe’s worst infection rate
The infection rate per million people among a selection of European nations, with the Netherlands and Czech Republic now among the hardest-hit on the continent
A graph showing the death rate per million people among the same group of nations reveals that fatalities are well below their first-wave peak, but are starting to increase, meaning the virus is circulating more widely than it did during the summer
Most European nations eased lockdowns over the summer to start reviving economies heading for unprecedented downturns from the pandemic’s first wave.
But the return of normal activity – from packed restaurants to new university terms – has fuelled a sharply-rising spike in cases all over the continent.
Bars and pubs were among the first to shut or face earlier closing in the new lockdowns, but surging infection rates are also testing governments’ resolve to keep schools open and non-Covid medical care going.
The Czech Republic, which has Europe’s worst rate per capita, has shifted schools to distance learning and hospitals started cutting non-urgent medical procedures to free up beds. Bars, restaurants and clubs have shut.
‘Sometimes we are at the edge of crying, that happens quite often now,’ said Lenka Krejcova, a head nurse at Slany hospital northwest of Prague.
In an echo of the first wave, builders have been rushing through the hospital’s corridors to turn a general ward into a Covid-19 department.
Neighbouring Poland reported a record 6,526 new coronavirus infections and 116 deaths on Wednesday as doctors warned the healthcare system was becoming overloaded.
Poland’s ruling nationalists have prided themselves on acting swiftly and containing the pandemic in the spring, but the opposition and doctors have accused the cabinet of not preparing the health system for a second wave.
‘I don’t have any good information. We are on the brink of disaster,’ Polish immunologist Pawel Grzesiowski told private radio RMF.
He said Poland should be doing more testing, closing schools and supporting doctors in their fight against the pandemic.
Moscow authorities said on Wednesday they would introduce online learning for many students starting on Monday, while Northern Ireland announced a two-week schools closure.
Russia, where cases had been gradually coming down for months, has seen cases lurch upwards again in recent weeks and today piled up more than 14,000 in 24 hours for the first time.
Unlike in Western Europe, Russia’s daily death figures are higher than in the first wave, with average fatalities approaching 200 per day.
VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis, on the far right of the image, greeted pilgrims in the Vatican today. He did not wear a mask but walked directly to the stage through a back door rather than wading into the crowd
ITALY: The Mediterranean country has seen a sharp rise in coronavirus infections in recent days, reaching a new all-time record of 7,332 new infections today as well as 43 deaths, the most since June
RUSSIA: Medical workers wearing full protective suits attend to a Covid patient at a clinical research centre in Moscow, where cases have been rising sharply again
RUSSIA: Cases (left) rose to an all-time high of 14,231 today while deaths (right) have also risen above their spring and summer peak, in contrast to most of Western Europe
GERMANY: Empty tables outside a restaurant in Berlin, one of the cities which last week agreed new restrictions with Angela Merkel
GERMANY: Cases have risen sharply while deaths spiked today in a country which has so far managed to keep its death rate relatively low
Berlin gives the middle finger to rule-breakers
Berlin has taken a novel approach in its quest to encourage mask-wearing with a poster showing an elderly woman giving rule-breakers the middle finger.
The advert, entitled ‘We Stick to the Corona Rules’, was launched on Tuesday with an image of the woman swearing while wearing a floral-patterned face covering.
In case the message was not clear enough, it came with a caption promising ‘the raised finger for everyone without a mask’.
However, the campaign was scrapped today after critics said it was divisive and unfair to people who have valid reasons not to wear masks.
Berlin makes its point to rule-breakers
Christian Taenzler, a spokesman for the Visit Berlin board which created the campaign, said it was a ‘provocative’ image and had received some positive feedback.
He said that while the middle-finger image would be dropped, a campaign based on the city’s famously dry humour would continue.
Marcel Luthe, a member of the Berlin state assembly, said he had made a formal complaint to the police about the advert.
Luthe argued that the advert incited hatred against all those who cannot wear a mask, such as young children and those with hearing or other health issues.
Berlin is one of the 11 cities which agreed new restrictions with Angela Merkel last week, which kick in when a city reaches 50 cases per 100,000 people in a week.
These include a late-night curfew on bars and restaurants after city mayor Michael Mueller said large groups of people were contributing to a spike in infections.
The larger economies of Germany, Britain and France have so far resisted pressure to close schools, a move that caused hardship during the spring lockdowns.
European daily infections have been running at an average of almost 100,000 a day, forcing governments to introduce a range of tightening restrictions.
‘It’s a mess, it’s a mess, my son, what can I tell you? We really don’t know how we are going to end up,’ said an Italian pensioner in Rome.
Italy, which suffered Europe’s first major outbreak in February and March, has seen average daily cases soar to more than 5,000, with deaths also on the increase.
Today’s 7,332 new cases brought the total to more than 372,000, while another 43 deaths, the highest total since June, took the tally to 36,289.
Pope Francis, 83, appeared without a face mask once again today as he spoke to well-wishers in the Vatican, although he walked directly to the stage through a back door rather than wading into the crowd to kiss babies and embrace the sick.
Francis apologised to the faithful for being unable to greet them and shake hands, after the Vatican tightened its rules in line with the rest of Italy.
This week, four of the Pope’s Swiss Guards tested positive for the coronavirus and were in isolation.
There have been 19 total cases in the Vatican. The Vatican amended its mask mandates to conform with all of Italy, requiring them indoors and out.
The Netherlands returned to ‘partial lockdown’ on Wednesday, closing bars and restaurants, but kept schools open.
In Germany, politicians are debating whether to extend the Christmas-New Year break to stop contagion among children spreading to the wider community.
However, critics say there is no evidence that schools have been infection hot spots.
According to a draft policy paper, chancellor Angela Merkel wants measures toughened up including requiring masks in more places.
Proposals to be discussed with regional premiers would see restrictions kick in once an area records 35 infections per 100,000 people in a week, instead of 50.
Merkel has in recent days repeatedly voiced alarm about the contagion, urging the country not to squander its early success in keeping numbers manageable.
She has said that keeping schools and the economy open is her priority, but infections continued their rise today with more than 5,000 cases in 24 hours.
The draft document asks citizens to ‘critically weigh up in each case, whether, how and in what extent private parties are necessary and justifiable’.
It also warned that yet further restrictions could be imposed if the upwards trajectory of new infections is maintained.
Lothar Wieler, the head of Germany’s disease control agency RKI, meanwhile urged vulnerable groups to get their seasonal flu shots this year to avoid overwhelming the health system with both flu and Covid-19 illnesses.
‘We’re in a situation where I think we can still flatten the exponential growth but for that we all need to make an effort,’ he said.
NETHERLANDS: Men in a in a bar listen prime minister Mark Rutte announce a month-long national shutdown starting on Wednesday that will see all bars and restaurants closed
HOLLAND: A huge spike in Dutch virus cases has catapulted the Netherlands into the world’s top 10 countries by infection rate, with ministers struggling to get a grip on the outbreak
France’s five largest cities – Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse and Lille – were already on maximum alert before Macron’s Wednesday announcement, with bars and gyms closed and restaurants under strict controls.
Nearly 9,000 people are now in French hospitals with Covid-19, the highest level since late June, with more than 1,000 taken to hospital on Tuesday alone.
While France has ramped up intensive care capacity since the first wave, the number of people needing it has also risen steadily to its highest level since May.
British PM Boris Johnson is facing opposition calls to impose another national lockdown in England, but has so far resisted.
Hospital admissions, however, are climbing and field hospitals which were first set up in the spring are once more being readied.
In Spain, the Catalonia bar and restaurant closure will come into force on Thursday night and remain in place for an initial 15 days.
The country has become the first European Union nation to reach 900,000 infections after adding more than 11,000 confirmed cases on Wednesday..
Spain’s health ministry say it has confirmed 908,056 infections since the beginning of the pandemic, which is seventh in the world.
Spain appeared to have turned a corner last week as the average number of daily cases dropped, but the past week has seen them climb again. However, cases in Madrid – now in lockdown imposed by the central government – has seen cases level off, suggesting spikes in other parts of the country are causing the average cases to rise again. Meanwhile, the number of daily deaths has remained relatively consistent over the past month, with the pressure on the healthcare system remaining stable
France is next in the EU with more than 750,000 cases, although the exact number of cases in each country depends on the amount of testing.
More than 5,000 new cases were diagnosed in Spain between Tuesday and Wednesday, the ministry says, with Madrid making up around 2,200 of those cases.
Spanish authorities have confirmed 33,413 deaths from COVID-19, ranking eighth in the world. Health experts believe the actual number is much higher because of a lack of testing.
In Belgium, with Europe’s second worst infection rate per capita, hospitals now have to reserve a quarter of their beds for Covid-19 patients.
‘We can’t see the end of the tunnel today,’ Renaud Mazy, the managing director of the University Clinics of Saint-Luc in Brussels, told Belgian radio La Premiere.
Belgium’s intensive care units will hit capacity by mid-November if cases continue to soar at the same pace, the country’s health authorities warned Wednesday.
All virus indicators have deteriorated in recent weeks as the new surge in infections is also being reflected in rising hospital admissions and deaths.
There were 1,621 Covid-19 patients hospitalized in Belgian hospitals as of Wednesday, 281 of them in intensive care, while 33 deaths were recorded,
‘We will reach our maximum capacity of 2,000 beds by mid-November in ICUs if this kind of increase continues,’ said crisis center spokesman Yves Van Laethem said. ‘We absolutely need to avoid this scenario.’
Van Laethem said 152 new patients were admitted every day in Belgian hospitals over the past week, up 80 per cent.
Belgium last week introduced a series of measures that include local curfews, closing bars in Brussels for at least a month and limiting indoor sports activities.
Van Laethem said the country is currently the second-worst in Europe in terms of new coronavirus infections, behind the Czech Republic.