Netherlands imposes partial lockdown as EU cases rise

European governments looked at the unpopular Covid curbs on Friday, with the Netherlands opting for the first partial winter lockdown in Western Europe as EU experts said 10 countries in the bloc were causing “great concern.”

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced at least three weeks of lockdown measures targeting restaurants, shops and sporting events to curb a record rise in coronavirus infections.

The “annoying and far-reaching” measures came as the EU disease agency said 10 countries from the 27-member bloc were facing a Covid situation of “very high concern”, warning that the pandemic was worsening across the continent. .

In its weekly risk assessment, the European Center for Disease Control included Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland and Slovenia in its category of greatest concern.

Since it emerged in China in December 2019, the coronavirus has killed more than five million people and caused economic devastation around the world.

Europe is facing a sharp deterioration in the epidemic situation, especially in Germany and Central and Eastern Europe. Unvaccinated people are the most affected.

In announcing the partial closure of his country, Rutte told the nation that the crisis required a “hard blow of a few weeks because the virus is everywhere, throughout the country, in all sectors and all ages.”

Cases have skyrocketed since the Dutch government lifted most of the Covid measures less than two months ago on September 25, reaching a record high of more than 16,000 on Thursday and Friday.

“Fortunately, the vast majority have been vaccinated, otherwise the misery in hospitals would be incalculable at this time,” Rutte said.

Dismissed public events

Bars, restaurants, cafes and supermarkets will have to close at 8:00 pm for the next three weeks starting Saturday, while non-essential stores will have to close at 6:00 pm, the Dutch government said.

Individuals will be limited to having four visitors at home and have been encouraged to work at home unless absolutely necessary.

Public events will also be ruled out, while soccer matches, including the Netherlands’ home World Cup qualifying game with Norway next week, must be played behind closed doors. However, the schools will remain open.

Several hundred protesters angered by the announcement subsequently gathered in The Hague, and the police fired at them with water cannons.

Other European nations did not take such drastic action, but Norway said it would reintroduce measures at the national level to halt the rise in coronavirus cases, including authorizing cities to use health passes.

The Nordic country, which had lifted all Covid-19 restrictions at the end of September, will also propose a third dose of vaccine for people over 18, but will not impose a new lockdown, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said in a Press conference.

“The government wants to introduce new national measures to contain the contagions,” he said.

“However, we are not talking about confinements or measures as strict as we saw previously in the pandemic.”

Block for unvaccinated

In Austria, the government said it wanted a lockdown for those who did not get vaccinated against the coronavirus or recovered from it, while Vienna city authorities said they would start vaccinating children from the age of five, a first for the EU.

The states of Salzburg and Upper Austria, which have experienced some of the worst case rates, are already introducing a lockdown for the unvaccinated starting Monday.

This means that they will not be able to leave home except for reasons such as buying essential supplies, exercising, or seeking medical attention.

“The goal is clear: we want Sunday to give the green light to a national blockade for the unvaccinated,” Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg told a news conference, condemning the country’s vaccination rate of 65 percent as “embarrassingly low.” .

The nationwide closures would be enforced by “random” spot checks.

Neighboring Germany also braced on Friday for new restrictions to contain a fourth wave of fierce Covid.

Health Minister Jens Spahn described the Covid-19 situation as “dire,” while the head of the country’s health agency urged Germans to avoid large gatherings.

Amid a record spike in infections, Lothar Wieler, director of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), added that he himself would be skipping the New Year holidays next month.

Wieler said large meetings “must be viewed very critically” and in some situations “clearly must be canceled.”

The federal government and the leaders of Germany’s 16 regional states will meet next Thursday to discuss joint measures to combat the resurgence.

(AFP)