Several European countries began to take urgent new measures to combat a second wave of coronavirus infections.
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Ireland and Wales became the first countries on the continent to re-quarantine. Belgium, where hospitalizations increased 100% in the last week alone, closed bars and restaurants on Monday for a month and tightened the curfew overnight.
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Italy, the initial epicenter of the Europe outbreak, also announced new restrictions, including early closings of bars and restaurants.
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In Poland, where about half the country is now designated as a coronavirus “red zone”, the government said the national stadium would also function as a field hospital. to help relieve stress in overwhelmed healthcare facilities.
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In the meantime, Switzerland made the use of masks mandatory in closed public spaces and public gatherings limited after infections doubled in the last week. “The second wave is here, earlier and stronger than we expected, but we are ready,” said Swiss Health Minister Alain Berset.
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France imposed its own overnight curfew from the weekend in nine cities, including Paris, which affected 20 million people, with a record 32,400 new infections reported on Saturday.
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WHO emergency director Michael Ryan on Monday blamed the increase in transmission rates in the northern hemisphere on a lack of rigorous enforcement of quarantines.
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