Not everyone in Europe is happy about the new restrictions. As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the number of people infected worldwide has exceeded 46 million, with more than one million deaths. Residents of Europe and other regions are becoming less willing to accept the prospect of new quarantines and the economic hardships that would accompany them. In many countries, especially in Europe, dissatisfaction turns into violent protests. In Spain, Italy, the Czech Republic and Germany, there have been violent clashes with the police.
Nevertheless, Germany remains at the forefront of tightening quarantine measures. Angela Merkel has called on the population to respect the new lockdown, which will last until the end of the month. She stated that the population will have to refrain from large-scale New Year’s celebrations, but expressed the hope that Germans will be able to celebrate Christmas with their families. Bars, cafes and restaurants, as well as theaters and cinemas, will be closed, but at least Germans will not be banned from going outside.
Giuseppe Conte, the prime minister of Italy, the first European country to declare a total lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic, is now resisting calls to lock down the entire population again, instead proposing targeted lockdowns in the most affected regions.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has decided to impose a second national lockdown, is now being forced to defend himself against critics who claim he will ultimately destroy the British economy. Supporters of the quarantine measures, including doctors and health experts, argue that without new restrictions, the number of British deaths from Covid-19 will significantly exceed the figures from earlier this year. Starting Wednesday, most of Portugal will also be on lockdown.
Hospitals in Geneva are concerned about having to make difficult choices between patients. Hospitals in Geneva are warning of an approaching critical situation in which they may have to choose between Covid-19 patients and prioritize those with a better chance of survival.
The Greek city of Thessaloniki is on lockdown for two weeks. Greek authorities have announced a two-week lockdown in Thessaloniki, the country’s second largest city. All flights to the city have been completely suspended. Slovakia, which has taken on the difficult task of testing its entire population for coronavirus, said that by the weekend two-thirds of its residents had been tested, with about 1% of the tests yielding positive results. France is considering imposing a nighttime curfew in Paris and its suburbs due to widespread violations of the lockdown.
“The French do not want to be imprisoned again. We explain quickly, simply, and clearly what happened, why it matters, and what will happen next. Episodes The end of the story: Advertising on Podcasts In the spring, France was able to stop the spread of the infection thanks to one of the strictest lockdowns in Europe, but this ordeal has been difficult for the French, and they are not ready for new victims. “For those who strictly follow the instructions of the authorities, it is unbearable to see other French people violating these rules,” admitted a government official. “The police have already uncovered secret parties, private dinners and meetings on numerous occasions.” According to Health Minister Olivier Véran, one person in Paris is infected every 30 seconds and a new coronavirus patient is admitted to hospital every 15 minutes. The final decision on the new closure will be made at the meeting of President Macron with the members of the Cabinet of Ministers. On Tuesday, the number of French people who died from coronavirus within 24 hours rose by 854, marking the sharpest increase in mortality in the country since April 15. Meanwhile, the number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals has risen by another thousand, marking the fifth such increase in the past nine days. In Sweden, which has refused to impose lockdowns since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, 10,177 new cases of coronavirus infection were registered on Tuesday, with 31 deaths, bringing the total number of COVID-19 deaths to 5,969.
According to the Prime Minister of Sweden, a serious situation has developed in the country. “We are facing a very serious situation,” said Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven at a press conference. “An increasing number of beds in intensive care units are being allocated to patients with coronavirus, so the break we had during the summer is over.” Leven also announced the introduction of stricter rules for three new regions of the country and ordered restaurants to seat no more than 8 people at their tables. In recent weeks, infection rates in Sweden have exceeded the spring peak. The per capita mortality rate from coronavirus in Sweden is several times higher than in other Scandinavian countries, but significantly lower than in large European countries such as Spain or the United Kingdom.
According to South Korean intelligence, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, who claims no one in his country has been infected with the coronavirus, is taking emergency measures to protect himself from the virus. To prevent the possible entry of infected persons from China, landmines were placed at the border, which has never been particularly guarded.
As for those infected with the coronavirus in North Korea, according to representatives of Christian charities working in South Korea, they are sent to secret quarantine camps built along the border with China. According to these organizations, not only are they not receiving proper medical care, but people are literally dying of starvation. In other cases, people with coronavirus symptoms are simply confined to their own homes, and if they have no friends or relatives willing to deliver food, they too are condemned to starvation. Meanwhile, 75 new cases of Covid-19 infection have been identified in South Korea in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of patients to 6807.
South Korea is managing the pandemic quite well. At the same time, the number of deaths in the country is relatively low (472), and the mortality rate from coronavirus is 1.76%.