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European governments are expanding lockdowns and other measures to contain the rise in Covid-19 infections, with the UK accounting for a large and growing proportion of new cases, even as it rolls out the new vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca PLC.
The UK recorded nearly 55,000 new cases on Sunday, despite lower testing levels immediately after the New Year’s holidays. Fears are growing that infections will rise further in the coming days as authorities warn that Stricter lockdowns may be needed to slow the spread of the virus, which was in part due to a new, more easily transmitted variant first identified in south-east England.
Scottish leader Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Monday announced a new, stricter lockdown that will take effect from midnight, backed by a legal obligation for people to stay at home except for essential reasons. Schools will remain closed for the majority of students until February. The Scottish government had previously indicated that many pupils would not return to school until at least January 18.
In England, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said more measures may be needed to slow the spread of the virus in that country, but said on Monday he aimed to keep primary schools open for as long as possible.
More than 75,000 people have died from Covid-19 today across the UK, alarming governments across Europe, where many countries have blocked travel from the UK in recent days.
German Health Minister Jens Spahn said on German television over the weekend that authorities would likely agree to extend restrictions to slow infections when regional leaders are due to meet on Tuesday. Norway introduced new measures on Sunday, including a ban on the serving of alcohol in restaurants and bars and restrictions on household mixing.
France reported more than 12,000 new infections on Sunday, well above the government’s target of keeping the number of new cases below 5,000. Greece has tightened restrictions, shutting down barber shops and other businesses for a week, from Sunday.
With the rise in infections, the UK and other countries are now trying to speed up the rollout of their immunization programs. Britain started vaccinating people on Monday with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, seen by some scientists as a more practical alternative to the Pfizer vaccine which began to be distributed last month because it does not need to be stored or transported in extremely cold temperatures.
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