Europe has tightened its Covid lockdowns, even though mass protests and rioting occurred last weekend. The winter wave in Europe continued with Germany having to transport patients to hospitals in Germany after the wards overflowed.
Alexander De Croo was the Prime Minister of Belgium and warned about infections.
“We were manipulated by the Delta variant,” Mr De Croo stated. He spoke hours after a Botswana-related case – which is believed to have even more serious consequences than Delta– had been confirmed in his country. This makes it one of the most recent cases in Europe.
It was recommended by the EU Commission that all travel between Europe, Africa and countries in southern Africa where this variant has been found be stopped.
The Netherlands will extend its night curfew, which has been in effect since November 12th. This means that restaurants and other shops must close at 5pm every day, despite the riots.
Germany’s recent tightening of vaccination restrictions has seen Germany summon the Luftwaffe, to help patients get out.
Covid patient being airlifted to Bavaria, Germany’s hardest-hit south region. This is after the hospital was overcrowded with high numbers of cases.
Jens Spahn, the health minister, urged people to reduce their social contact or risk being locked down for Christmas as patients were loaded onto planes.
As leaders push to tighten restrictions and punish the most unvaccinated, covid cases in Europe are at an all-time high.
Bavaria’s Health Minister Jens Spahn requested a’massive restriction on contacts’. This was a hint that an emergency lockdown might be needed if the cases do not fall quickly.
At 7 pm local time, Hugo de Jonge and Mark Rutte will give a news conference to announce the proposed new measures.
De Jonge, shortly following a ministerial meeting to address the crisis on Thursday said that “that we need steps – hard measures – is beyond question.”
De Jonge stated that a group of experts who advise the government about coronavirus policies recommended that measures be taken to reverse the rise in infections. De Jonge explained that “that turnaround will not occur on its own.”
Europe’s epidemic of Covid is causing death and infected to rise. This winter has brought back lockdowns that were once considered obsolete after this summer’s vaccine drive.
Leaders warn that too few people have taken the jabs to avoid community transmission. To increase vaccination numbers, they are targeting unvaccinated.
Austria is the most extreme. It initially kept the unjabbed in their own homes, before making vaccinations compulsory for all who are eligible.
France, Germany and Italy have all expanded the access to their health pass system to include the non-vaccinated. This requires people to get vaccinated in order to use a variety of public places and businesses.
French Health Minister Olivier Veran was the latest to announce measures on Thursday night, saying it would make COVID-19 booster shots available to all adults, toughen rules on wearing face masks and ramp up health pass checks.
France’s infection rate is increasing at a rapid pace, with the government stating that it was not necessary to impose a lockdown like in Austria.
Olivier Veran, Health Minister, stated that anyone over 18 would be eligible to receive booster shots. He also said that the time between booster jabs and full vaccination would be reduced from six months to just five.
Brussels considers harsher travel regulations as the continent is suffering from an epidemic of Covid, which has led to increased virus death rates.
Positive news: After both countries placed restrictions, the cases seem to have settled in Austria and The Netherlands.
France will demand that anyone over 12 years old has a passport with a current vaccine in order to gain access to the ski slopes starting December 4,
Veran stated that ‘we still have our destiny in our hands’ at a press conference and urged people to follow social distancing rules.
At the moment, Booster shots can only be purchased for those over 65 and people with serious health problems.
Veran indicated that France holds approximately 25 millions doses of the drug, which is sufficient to launch the booster campaign. The campaign was supported by France’s HAS, the country’s regulator of health.
France recorded over 30.000 new infections on Wednesday for the second straight day, an unprecedented number since April.
The daily moving average for new cases per day, calculated by adjusting for any reporting irregularities, stands at 21761 for a high three-month period and almost quadrupled within a month.
Veran indicated that he would contact the HAS as well as medical ethics to determine if children aged between five and eleven should be immunized. The 2022 deadline is the last date for such a program.
The EU’s drug regulator had approved earlier the use of Pfizer BioNTech’s COVID vaccination for children aged 5-11 years old to combat an increase in infection rates.
Veran explained that booster shots will be required for French citizens to obtain a valid health card. This is necessary in France for entry into cafes, museums and restaurants as well as other venues. A valid health pass will show proof of full vaccinations or negative COVID tests.
Veran announced that vaccination bookings rose after the announcement. Doctolib was forced to suspend its medical appointment app. The app allowed for a wait time of over 30 minutes when booking a vaccine at 1615 GMT.
After the extension of health passes to the slopes, these new rules could cause havoc for skiers planning to go to France.
Everybody over 12 years of age will need to prove they have been double-vaccinated before being allowed to use the ski slopes. This is according to plans made Thursday by Olivier Veran (health minister).
British travelers face many problems because children between the ages of 12 and 16 are not eligible to receive a vaccination passport. Those aged 12-15 can only get one jab.
Also, only Britons above 40 years old can get boosters. People in their late 30s or early 40s who have had their first dose in June may be missing out because their passports will expire in January.
European leaders are turning to vaccinations for the fight against the Covid Wave. This will reduce the amount of time it takes to receive booster jabs, and limit the activity of those who have not been vaccinated.
On Thursday, 1.5million Europeans died from covidence. This comes amid WHO warnings about 700,000. More deaths could occur before winter ends.