France and Germany Announce New Lockdowns Due to Covid-19
COVID-19 cases have been on the rise in the United States in recent weeks. But a similar scenario is playing out in Europe as well. Several countries have entered another lockdown phase. Both Germany and France have announced new restrictions on Wednesday, to prevent the spread of the virus, NY Times reports. These follow new measures already introduced in other European countries, such as Belgium, Italy, Czech Republic, UK, Ireland and more.
France
In France, President Emmanuel Macron has ordered people to stay in their homes except for essential activities like buying food or getting medical care. Nightly curfews have also been introduced in several metropolitan areas, including Paris. Earlier this month bars were ordered to close and restaurants were told to implement strict protocols in the capital. The new order goes a step further. Basically in France, just schools and essential businesses are staying open until Dec. 1.
“I know the weariness and this feeling of a day with no end that is overcoming all of us,” France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, said Wednesday in a national address. “We must stick together and remain united, and not give in to the poison of division. This period is hard precisely because it is testing our resilience and our unity.’’
France has a total of 1.28 million cases with 47,637 in the last day. So far, the virus has claimed a total of 36,020 lives. 235 of those deaths were reported on Wednesday.
Germany
In Germany, the new measures are lighter that the previous lockdown. Chancellor Angela Merkel ordered bars, restaurants, and theaters to shut down from Nov. 2 until at least Nov. 30 as the country tries to contain rising case numbers. Shops will be allowed to stay open with restrictions in place and schools will remain open as well.
Merkel said, “We must act, and now, to avoid an acute national health emergency.”
Germany’s disease control agency said a record 14,964 new confirmed cases were recorded across the country in the past day. The national total virus cases are now at 449,275. The country also recorded 27 more virus-related deaths, raising its overall death toll to 10,098.
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