Not so Merry Christmas looms for coronavirus-hit Europe

ITALY: New curbs expected as Christmas crowds raise alarm

Italy is considering more stringent nationwide coronavirus restrictions during the Christmas holidays, the health minister said on Monday, after scenes of big gatherings in many cities over the weekend raised worries of a new spike in infections.

Italy, the first Western country hit by the pandemic, on Saturday passed Britain as the European nation with the worst official death toll, with more than 65,000 dying since the start of the outbreak in February.

With pressure on hospitals easing and daily cases falling, the government relaxed some restrictions put in place last month. But scenes of crowded shopping districts in cities such as Milan and Rome have caused concern. Police were forced to close off popular sites such as Rome’s Trevi fountain due to large crowds.

“We hope very soon to take new measures to prevent a third wave,” Health Minister Roberto Speranza told state TV broadcaster RAI, adding a meeting between the government’s experts was ongoing.

THE NETHERLANDS: Netherlands to go into tough, 5-week lockdown

The Netherlands will go into a tough second lockdown, with the closure of all schools and shops for at least five weeks, in a government-led push to fight the coronavirus, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Monday.

The measures, detailed in a rare live television address, include limiting gatherings to no more than two people, also at home. An exception will be made for three days around Christmas, when three adult visitors will be permitted, he said.

People were further advised to stay at home, not to travel to work and to avoid contact with other people as much as possible.

Rutte appealed to people to postpone non-essential international travel until March 15, two months later than a previous recommendation.

From Tuesday, all public places – including daycare centres, gyms, museums, zoos, cinemas, hairdressers and beauty salons – will close until Jan. 19. Schools will close until Jan. 18.

Supermarkets, banks and pharmacies will be allowed to stay open.

Despite restrictions, shopping districts across the Netherlands have been crowded for weeks, with a spike in infections after the Dec. 5 gift-giving celebrations marking the birthday of Saint Nicholas.

CZECH REPUBLIC: Czech hotels and restaurants to shut again after just two weeks

Czech restaurants, hotels and indoor sports venues, which reopened from a coronavirus lockdown only two weeks ago, must shut again from Friday in response to a new rise in infections, Prime Minister Andrej Babis said on Monday.

The Czech Republic has suffered a surge in cases since September; a peak of over 15,000 cases a day in November forced hospitals to drop all non-urgent care.

The wave had ebbed, but the past two weeks have brought another increase, to around 6,000 cases per weekday.

The shift to risk level 4 out of 5 will mean not only widespread closures but also a curfew from 11 p.m. until 5 a.m. and an early start to Christmas school holidays.

Public gatherings will be limited to six people both indoors and out, instead of the current 10 and 50, respectively.

All citizens are to be offered rapid antigen tests for free from Dec. 16 to help curtail the number of undetected infections.

The government said it would expand compensation schemes for affected businesses amid growing protests from the hospitality sector.

Shops will remain open, however.

TURKEY: To impose 5-day lockdown

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday Turkey will impose a five-day full lockdown beginning on December 31 to maintain gains against the pandemic, as official data showed new daily coronavirus deaths hit a record 229.

Erdogan, speaking after a cabinet meeting, said the stay-home order would begin at 9 p.m. on New Year’s Eve and run through January 4. Separately government data showed new daily COVID-19 cases stood at 29,617 in the last 24 hours.

FRANCE: New cases slow down but hospitalisations up again

French health authorities on Monday reported 3,063 new COVID-19 infections over the past 24 hours, sharply down from Sunday’s 11,533, but the number of people hospitalised for the disease went up for the third day running.

Case numbers have tended to dip on Mondays as there are fewer tests conducted on Sundays. The seven-day moving average of new infections averaging out weekly data reporting irregularities stood at 12,001, declining for the first time in 10 days.

The number of people in France who have died from COVID-19 infections rose by 371 to 58,282, up from 150 on Sunday. The cumulative number of cases in France now totals 2,379,915, the fifth-highest in the world.

GREECE: Churches to open for Christmas and Epiphany masses

Hair salons and bookstores will reopen during Christmas, other restrictions continuing until Jan. 7, with a curfew in place from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. and restrictions on movement between regions until next month, the government said on Dec. 7.

It added that churches would open for the Christmas and Epiphany masses on Dec. 25 and Jan. 6, with a limited number of worshippers.

SWEDEN: Nears all time high of cases in hospital

Sweden, known for its soft-touch response to the coronavirus pandemic, was close to an all-time high on Monday for the number of COVID-19 patients being treated in hospital, according to official figures.

Unlike most European countries, Sweden has shunned masks and official lockdowns, instead focusing on voluntary measures including social distancing and good hygiene.

It has registered more than 7,500 deaths, a much higher per capita rate than its Nordic neighbours but lower than in Britain, Italy, Spain or France, which have all opted for lockdowns.

The National Board of Health and Welfare said 2,406 patients were receiving hospital care for COVID-19, slightly below the peak of 2,412 recorded on April 20.

SVT public television said its own calculations showed that that peak had already been exceeded.

GERMANY: Germany to impose stricter lockdown to battle virus

Germany will close most stores from Wednesday until at least Jan. 10, cutting short the busy Christmas shopping season, as it tightens coronavirus restrictions and tries to rein in the spread of the disease, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Sunday.

“I would have wished for lighter measures. But due to Christmas shopping the number of social contacts has risen considerably,” Merkel told journalists following a meeting with leaders of the country’s 16 federal states.

“There is an urgent need to take action,” she said.

Only essential shops such as supermarkets and pharmacies, as well as banks, are to remain open from Dec. 16. Hair salons, beauty salons and tattoo parlours will also have to shut.

The government will support affected companies with a total of around 11 billion euros ($13.3 billion) a month. Businesses that are forced to close may receive up to 90% of fixed costs, or up 500,000 euros a month, Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said.

Schools will be closed in principle, and employers are asked to close operations or have employees work from home. The sale of fireworks will be banned ahead of New Year’s Eve.

REUTERS