Corona Explosion throughout Europe

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The number of infections is skyrocketing throughout Europe. More and more countries are going back into the partial lockdown.

The coronavirus is currently spreading rapidly in Austria: With 3,614 new SARS-CoV-2 infections within 24 hours in Austria, the number of active cases in Austria rose to over 20,000 for the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic. On Sunday, another 2,782 infections were added, a record for a Sunday. This means that there are already 21,974 actively infected persons. The number of hospitalized patients is also rising sharply. Nevertheless, nobody sees the need for a lockdown.

However, there were warnings on Sunday: “The situation is extremely serious, the situation is coming to a head,” warns Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP), among others. In other countries there are already lockdowns with closed schools, stores, restaurants and curfews. This is also imminent in Austria, if the growth of infections is not slowed down. And it does not look like this slowdown is going to happen at the moment, the Chancellor said.

But how close is Austria really to a lockdown? Another total shutdown is currently still the absolute emergency solution. Health Minister Rudi Anschober (Greens) also emphasizes time and again that a new lockdown must be prevented. Up to now, attempts have been made to fight the exploding new infections by further tightening the regulations. But despite the rapidly increasing numbers in Austria and Europe, experts believe that the real peak of this second wave will not be reached until December or even January. And until then a lockdown is not even legally possible. According to the new Corona law, no preventive exit restrictions may be issued. Only in the event of a collapse of the health care system, i.e. when the capacity of the hospitals has been reached, can the government issue a new lockdown. In Austria, with one of the highest proportions of intensive care beds in Europe, we are still far from this state of affairs, even though Governor Wilfried Haslauer (ÖVP) has already warned of an emergency in Salzburg.

Other countries in Europe, on the other hand, are right in the middle of it and are now resorting to increasingly drastic measures, which could see us flourish in Austria in the future. In the Netherlands every second intensive bed is already occupied by a corona patient. In the meantime, some patients are already being transferred to German hospitals. In terms of population, the small EU countries Czech Republic (10.7 million inhabitants) and Belgium (11.5 million inhabitants) are the hardest hit. In the Czech Republic ten out of 100,000 citizens died within 14 days, in Belgium five. Both countries reported record values of more than 15,000 infections on a single day at the weekend.

France (67 million inhabitants) also exceeded the previous record with 45,000 new infections per day at the weekend. Since Saturday, a night-time curfew has been in force there for around two thirds of the country’s population, i.e. around 46 million people.

In Belgium, the government had also imposed a night curfew, as well as the closure of bars and restaurants and strict restrictions on contact. The regional government for the capital Brussels tightened this even more over the weekend. From Monday onwards there will be stricter masks, all theaters, cinemas, museums, sports facilities and swimming pools will be closed. Homeworking is compulsory, as far as this is possible. And: Children are not allowed to go door to door on Halloween.

All over Europe, governments are once again putting the brakes on – even in their desperate efforts to avoid a complete lockdown. The declaration of a state of emergency, the third highest emergency level in the country, was agreed on Sunday at an extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers in Madrid, as Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced. The state of emergency, which came into effect on Sunday, will initially last for two weeks. According to the constitution, an extension would have to be approved by the national parliament. He hopes to be able to extend the state of emergency until May 9 with the support of the parliament, said the head of the left-wing minority government.

In Italy, cinemas, theaters, fitness studios, swimming pools, ski resorts and concert halls are not to open from Monday to November 24, the German Press Agency learned. Restaurants and bars must close at 6 pm. In addition, lessons must be held online for at least 75 percent of high school students. In Rome, protests against curfews during the night to Sunday led to riots, as reported by the news agency Adnkronos and other media. According to the report, two police officers were injured and at least ten demonstrators were arrested. The night before there had already been protests in Naples.

In Slovakia, from Saturday to November 1, people are allowed to leave their homes only for the journey to work and for urgent errands. Rapid antigen testing for the entire population began on Friday and is expected to be completed within three weeks. Prime Minister Igor Matovic reported 3,024 new infections within 24 hours on Sunday – another record.

In Slovenia, most stores, hotels, kindergartens, dormitories, hairdressers and beauty salons are closing. In Latvia, events in rooms are now limited to a maximum of ten people. In Poland restaurants remain closed, meetings with more than five people are forbidden.

The government in Wales was severely criticized for banning the sale of many goods in supermarkets. These are now only allowed to sell “essential goods” – appliances such as kettles, textiles, but also postcards or crockery are blocked off in stores with plastic sheeting or other barriers. In London, thousands of people demonstrated against the Corona measures of the British government and spoke of tyranny or surveillance.

Despite all precautions, the virus continues to make its way into the highest political circles. In Poland, President Andrzej Duda tested positive for the corona virus. In Washington it hit the Chief of Staff of US Vice President Mike Pence – but Pence himself tested negative, according to a spokesman. President Trump had survived a Covid disease in early October. The Belgian foreign minister Sophie Wilmes is even under intensive medical treatment because of a Covid-19 illness, as was confirmed on Thursday. On Sunday afternoon it became known that Bulgaria’s head of government Boiko Borissow tested positive.

In the Turkish metropolis Istanbul, Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu caught the disease, and in the Ukrainian capital Kiev, Mayor Vitali Klitschko – and this shortly before the former boxing world champion ran for a second term in office on Sunday. Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune went into quarantine as a precautionary measure, as several advisors suspected corona infections.