New wave of COVID-19 forces a dozen countries in Europe to reimpose restrictions

Night curfews, closing of bars and restaurants and even confinements are the measures most used again by the countries of the Old Continent that are facing up to their sixth wave of coronavirus infections, which this time affects more those who have resisted immunization .

Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Slovakia, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania and Russia They are among the European nations that are currently seeking to halt the advance of COVID-19 in their territories, where, despite the fact that vaccination has advanced and there are a large number of immunized, cases continue to be registered among the unvaccinated.

Just last week almost 2 million cases of the virus were reported in Europe, “the most in a single week since the pandemic began”, according to the director general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Tedros said that the virus “is increasing in countries with the lowest vaccination rates in Eastern Europe, but also in countries with some of the highest vaccination rates in the world in Western Europe,” while calling for “continuing to take precautions ”.

On Germany the new wave has been called the pandemic of “of the unvaccinated”. Near to 69% of the adult population She is vaccinated, but the figure is still far from what is necessary to achieve herd immunity. The country is analyzing imposing compulsory vaccination for workers in some sectors, including the health sector, and there is skepticism about the ability to control another measure that it plans to apply in the use of public transport, restricting it to vaccinated people who have already had the disease. or have a recent negative test.

Austria it has resorted to more radical measures. From this Monday it governs a state of national confinement for the unvaccinated population, about 35% of its inhabitants. The country registers, on average, some 10,000 new infections every day, and daily deaths have also risen again, reaching approximately twenty per day, a figure that had not been presented since May.

Another complex situation is that of Bulgaria. This country, unlike the others, is just facing its sixth wave. About 200 deaths a day is the average among its almost seven million inhabitants. Experts believe that the political crisis that the country is going through, without a government for months, has had an impact on the management to face the pandemic, since it has the worst vaccination rate in the entire EU: only 23% of the population is fully vaccinated, record The country.

Like Bulgaria, Hungary is in the fight to improve its percentage of vaccinated. It has given the green light so that employers can demand immunization for their workers and that, if they refuse, they can be terminated and without pay. Since November 1, wearing a mask is also in force on public transport and visits to hospitals are prohibited.

Vaccination figures are also low in Slovakia, Therefore, given the increase in cases, the Government has closed again hotels, bars, restaurants, gyms, saunas and spas. The mask became mandatory indoors and outdoors again. There are calls to limit mobility to the unvaccinated.

While, Italy, where the vaccination is high, the obligation to show the health certificate in the means of transport, including taxis, and the possibility of stopping the trains if traveling people with symptoms of the disease came into effect from this Tuesday. For a month the same measure became mandatory to work, both in the public and private sectors. The green passport is also required to enter establishments such as shops or restaurants.

On France, the Government is on alert because there has been a strong rebound in infections in recent weeks. The country will open in December the vaccination of the third dose for those over 50 years of age; It already keeps it active for those over 65. In the country it is required to present a QR code of the vaccination to enter public places. A spokesman for the Executive has ruled out the possibility of resorting to confinement.

In the case of Greece, unvaccinated people have to present a negative test of the virus to enter the terraces of bars and restaurants; the interior spaces are reserved exclusively for the vaccinated. In the rest of the shops, banks and public buildings, they must also require their clients the vaccination certificate or a recent negative test. Since September, the country has made the vaccine mandatory for all health and geriatric workers.

Netherlands The debate began this Tuesday about the possible introduction of the so-called “2G policy” in the covid pass, which would mean the total exclusion of unvaccinated people from the restoration and events, even if they test negative for coronavirus, a controversial step for whom political support is not guaranteed, refers EFE.

In the country, according to the latest measures, sporting events will have to be held without the public, stores that are not considered essential must close at six in the afternoon and meetings in homes will have to be of a maximum of four people.

On Romania is the worst situation in the entire European Union: In recent weeks, its per capita death rate from the virus is the highest in the world. Added to this is its very low vaccination rate, which reaches only 45% of adults. “Curfews” apply to those not vaccinated at night and a vaccination certificate is required.

Although the situation is not so delicate, the Danish government reinstated the virus passage just two months after suppressing it. The country reports about 2,000 infections every day and it is feared that, due to cases of flu and other diseases, the health system will be saturated, the Spanish newspaper reports 20 minutes.

Outside the European Community, Russia is another country that, given the alarming increase in cases – attributed to the aggressiveness of the delta variant, the lack of strict compliance with sanitary rules and, above all, the low vaccination rate – has sent to Parliament a bill to introduce the mandatory use of a health pass in public places and in transport, which, if approved by parliamentarians, will enter on February 1, 2022.

In the midst of this panorama, Spain still seems to be the exception, while in the United Kingdom and Portugal they do not rule out taking measures similar to those of the rest of the countries if cases continue to increase. There is concern among experts that COVID-19 may be associated with other winter illnesses, so the flu vaccination campaign and booster doses of the virus are already underway. (I)