A curfew in Italy and a record daily toll from the virus in the United States

Milan: On Friday, large areas in Italy re-impose lockdown and curfew measures to limit the spread of the new Corona virus, at a time when the World Health Organization expressed concern about the “surge” of Covid-19 infections in Europe, while the United States recorded a record daily toll of new cases.

The United States remains the country worst affected by the epidemic, with 234,876 deaths. On Thursday, more than 120,000 new HIV infections were recorded within 24 hours, in a new record daily toll, according to data published by Johns Hopkins University.

Italy: Night curfew

In Italy, a curfew begins on Friday from 22:00 until 05:00 and continues until the third of December. And imposed on schools, distance education, while museums and shopping centers closed their doors during the weekend.

The twenty Italian regions will be divided into green, orange and red areas according to the severity of the epidemiological situation in them, and different restrictions will be imposed in each region.

Lombardy, Piedmont, Valle d’Aosta and Calabria are classified as “red zones”, meaning they are “high risk”, and measures affecting 16 million Italians have been reimposed, albeit less stringent than last spring.

In Milan, the capital of the Lombardy region, hairdresser Francesco Bochu told AFP, “My clients were very scared,” adding, “Last week I only received two clients and sometimes one, so it is useless for me to keep the salon open, there is no longer anyone outside, the offices are closed.” .

Fearing that the injuries would exceed the capacity of hospitals to absorb, Greece announced the re-imposition of a stone, which will start on Saturday and last for three weeks.

Under the measures, Greeks will not be able to leave their homes until after obtaining a permit via text messages via mobile phone.

The virus has killed 673 people in Greece, out of nearly 47,000 infections. However, the number of injured people who were transferred to hospitals and in intensive care units is what worries the Greek authorities.

In recent weeks, Europe has become the epicenter of the epidemic and is witnessing its fastest spread in the world, with the largest number of infections recorded, according to an AFP census. It counted more than 11.6 million injuries, half of them in Russia, France, Spain and Britain, and nearly 294,000 deaths.

The Regional Director for Europe of the World Health Organization, Hans Kluge, confirmed that Europe is currently witnessing a “surge” in the number of injuries, with “one million additional injuries recorded in just a few days” and “we are also witnessing a gradual increase in deaths.”

He added, “With the generalization of the muzzle and strict control of gatherings, we can save the lives of more than 261 thousand people by February in Europe.”

In France, which has re-imposed isolation measures since October 30, Director-General of Health Jerome Salomonfen said that the second wave is “severe and spreading rapidly”, with 58,000 new infections recorded in the past 24 hours.

And the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, who considered the situation “extremely worrying”, announced Thursday the closure of some shops selling drinks, grocery stores and ready-to-eat restaurants, as of 22:00 (21:00 GMT), in the city and its suburbs.

As for China, it decided to prevent entry to foreign travelers from France and about ten other countries, from the most affected by the epidemic. The giant Asian country seeks to avoid the return of the epidemic to its lands.

England: Working from home

After Ireland and France, England has reintroduced the most affected country in Europe, imposing a stone on Thursday to contain the virus that has killed nearly 48,000 people.

In England, non-essential stores must close, while restaurants, bars and cafes will only be allowed to offer delivery or delivery services for customers to take with them without being able to sit down. In return, schools will remain open.

Residents are required to work from home and can leave their homes only for specific reasons, such as playing sports, going to the doctor or shopping for food.

Polls indicate that citizens generally support these measures. But concerns are growing about its impact on the economy and mental health, and on Thursday evening, protesters gathered in central London to protest the re-lockdown.

In Slovenia, a demonstration in which hundreds of people participated in Ljubljana protesting the quarantine measures Thursday evening witnessed violent confrontations after the police intervened to disperse the crowd with tear gas and water cannons.

The new Corona virus has caused the death of at least 1,226,154 people in the world, since the World Health Organization announced the emergence of the epidemic in China in late December, according to a census conducted by Agence France-Presse Thursday at 11:00 GMT.

In Ecuador, measures to contain the virus have been reimposed due to a growing lack of adherence to measures. The authorities of Guayaquil (South-West) banned the sale of alcohol between Thursday and Sunday, and the holding of parties and events.

Cynthia Vitri, the mayor of Guayauel, expressed her regret at the “indolence of the people” of her coastal town, as “an average of six people died a day during the past 28 days.”

In Colombia, which had imposed five months of isolation that lasted until the end of August, the authorities canceled the requirement for travelers to present a negative Covid-19 test, which prompted several criticism on Thursday.

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