In an answer to soaring coronavirus reported cases, two of Europe's leading economies have already declared lockdown.
For months, through selected constraints taken to avoid the challenging national lockdowns enforced in the spring, European countries have attempted to delay the transmission of the infection. However, the steps have proven to be successful in preventing the rise in cases and hospitalizations, bringing back into play more stringent restrictions on everyday life.
In a last-ditch attempt to prevent hospitals from being overrun with the pandemic patients, France will reimpose a national lockdown. In contrast, Germany will shut restaurants and bars and enforce various measures for a month as Europe combats the second wave of the pandemic.
As winter approaches, the coronavirus pandemic in the European Union has indeed been ratcheting up, with infections plummeting across the continent. In addition to this, despite the increasing infected cases in the United States, Europe is still currently leading in the most infected continent around the globe.
In France
President Emmanuel Macron had declared in a televised speech on Wednesday evening that authorities seemed to have no alternative but to implement another lockdown in the midst of local hospital capacity as well as increasing infections across the world.
Macron stated, "I know the weariness and the feeling of a day no end," yet he encouraged the French to stay "united."
The lockdown would commence on Thursday night and will be in practice for at least Dec. 1, with financial aid to the companies and renters harmed, he said.
On Tuesday, as per Johns Hopkins University (JHU) statistics, France recorded 34,591 additional confirmed cases and 530 casualties, taking its number to 1,279,384 confirmed cases and 35,820 deaths.
In a comment on Wednesday, the French Hospital Federation, which comprises 4,800 healthcare facilities, alerted of capacity issues.
The organization claimed in a comment that the only option was a complete lockdown, which might allow French hospitals to "successfully treat all French people, whether they have Covid, whether they have any other serious illness or are affected by a serious accident."
In Germany
In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel declared on Wednesday that, beginning on Monday, pubs, and restaurants will have to shut their doors to customers. Professional sports games will be played in vacant arenas, thus closing down theaters, gyms, and beauty studios.
The new regulations even restrict the number of people permitted to meet in public; however, there will stay open stores, restaurants, schools as well as daycare centers, Ms. Merkel informed.
"Within weeks, we will reach the limits of our health system," Ms. Merkel stated at a media briefing. "It is completely clear that we must act, and act now, to prevent a national health crisis."
Ms. Merkel admitted that even for a community that has become overtired of the constraints, the prohibitions became "burdensome." However, she emphasized that they were important. Throughout the past ten days, German facilities have already seen the number of patients double.
