A new wave of lockdowns and business closures swept across France, Germany and other places in Europe on Wednesday as the surge in coronavirus infections there and in the US wiped out months progress against the scourge on two continents
The resurgence and resulting crackdown sent Wall Street shuddering The S&P 500 fell 35%, its biggest drop since June, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 943 points, or 34 percent
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French President Emmanuel Macron declared a new national lockdown from Friday, saying the country had been « overwhelmed by a second wave » Many doctors have urged this decision, given that 58% of intensive care units across the country are now occupied by COVID-19 patients
In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel announced the closure of four weeks of bars, restaurants and theaters « We must act, and now, to avoid an acute national health emergency, » she said
Countries like Switzerland, Italy, Bulgaria and Greece have closed or cracked down again nightlife establishments and imposed other restrictions such as curfews and compulsory wearing of masks Madrid and others regions of Spain have banned all trips, except essential ones, within and outside their regions
« We are in the second wave », said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen « I think Christmas this year will be a different Christmas »
In the US, where virtually every state is seeing an increase in cases, the hard-hit Democratic government Tony Evers of Wisconsin has been reduced to begging people to stay home, after an order he returned in the spring was overturned by the courts Illinois governor banned indoor dining and drink in Chicago this week Other states are also considering reimposing restrictions
The virus has killed more than 250,000 people in Europe and more than 227,000 in the US, according to the count kept by Johns Hopkins University
The dreaded skyrocketing is in part attributable to the growing disregard for social distancing and mask-wearing, as well as the onset of cold weather, which forces people to return, where the virus can spread more easily
Dr David Letzer, an infectious disease specialist who is also chair of the Wisconsin Medical Society’s COVID-19 task force, is swamped with patients He said he was furious to see people without masks walking into a restaurant while driving between hospitals
« I just came from a place with fans and people just go to an indoor restaurant, » he said « These are things that are frustrating and take their toll »
In the US, more than 71,000 people a day test positive on average, up from 51,000 two weeks ago Cases are on the rise in all but two states, Hawaii and Delaware, and deaths are on the rise in 39 states, with an average of 805 people dying in the US per day, up from 714 two weeks ago
One of the worst hot spots of all, Wisconsin on Tuesday set records for the number of daily infections at nearly 5,300 and deaths with 64. About 12% of the state’s intensive care beds were available Tuesday, according to the Wisconsin Hospital Association
« It’s absolutely exhausting right now, » said Dr. Jeff Pothof, director of quality at UW Health, the University of Wisconsin-Madison Hospital and Medical Department. Almost a third of his COVID-19 patients are in intensive care, filling all three ICU wings, he said Some require individual care 24 hours a day
The hospital has started training doctors and nurses to fight the virus and is trying to persuade retired doctors to return to work, he said Pothof said he himself worked 12 to 15 hours a day and was constantly on call
In the Northeast, which appeared to have brought the virus under control this summer, Rhode Island Gov Gina Raimondo said the state was seeing a record number of new infections and may need to roll back restrictions on companies that were relaxed months ago
« We are in a bad situation This data is not encouraging This is going in the wrong direction in every metric, » she said
After a terrifyingly deadly spring, Europe appeared to have fought off the virus over the summer Its success was seen as a rebuke to the United States and an example of what the US could accomplish if the Americans stopped just their political infighting and listening to the scientists
But more than 2 million new confirmed cases of the coronavirus have been reported worldwide in the past week, the shortest time on record for such a rise, and 46% of them were in Europe
Italy and Germany set records for new infections on Wednesday, Italy reporting nearly 25,000 in a single day and Germany registering nearly 15,000 France, Belgium, Countries – Lower, most of Spain and the Czech Republic are also experiencing alarming infection rates
Deaths are also on the rise in Europe, peaking at around 35% from the previous week, the World Health Organization said France reported 523 virus-related deaths in 24 hours on Tuesday, the highest daily number since April
« We are dealing with the coronavirus – the virus itself – and also corona fatigue, » she said « In other words, people are getting more and more fed up with preventative measures »
In Italy, where regions of Lombardy and Campania are hardest hit, officials accused right-wing extremists, football hooligans and anarchists of using widespread discontent over new antivirus restrictions on restaurants , gymnasiums, swimming pools and theaters as a pretext to carry out the violence of the « urban guerrilla » during the recent demonstrations
Discussions over new lockdowns also sparked unrest in Germany, where thousands staged a protest at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin to demand more financial support from the government
Even Sweden, which has avoided a national lockdown and has generally imposed much lighter measures than other European countries, is now urging people to avoid shops and public transport
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Lockdown, Coronavirus, France, Emmanuel Macron, Germany
News from the world – GB – France and Germany face new round of coronavirus lockdowns as cases increase
