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Germany extended its lockdown for three weeks on Wednesday evening, while France and Italy are considering tighter restrictions on Covid-19 in the face of new variants.
The German government also presented a five-step plan to gradually lift restrictions despite rising infections and a slow vaccination campaign.
“There are many examples in Europe of a dramatic third wave and this danger, let’s face it, is also a danger for us,” Chancellor Angela Merkel said.
Under the plan, most lockdowns will remain in place at least until the end of the month, but some non-essential stores will be allowed to open from next week.
Further relaxations, including reopening shops, museums and open-air restaurants, will only be possible in areas where infections are relatively low. The plan also calls for an increase in rapid tests, which will be mandatory to enter certain places such as outdoor restaurants or movie theaters, depending on local infection rates.
Ms Merkel’s government and state governors have come under increasing pressure to lift restrictions, but health officials continue to warn of an impending increase in infections. Most shops have been closed since December, restaurants and bars since November, and hotels can only accommodate business travelers.
The plan includes an “emergency brake” mechanism to revert to current lockdown rules if infection rates rise again.
Germany’s public health agency reported nearly 12,000 new cases on Thursday, similar to a week ago. The seven-day average of cases has stood at just over 60 per 100,000 people recently, up from a high of around 200 just before Christmas.
New daily infections in Italy rose to 20,884 on Wednesday, the highest number in the past two months, according to the country’s Civil Protection Agency. Doctors attribute the increase in new cases to the circulation of more virulent virulent strains. Hospitalizations of patients with Covid-19, including in intensive care units, are also on the rise.
The deteriorating outlook will likely prompt the Italian government to impose more restrictions on some areas, such as driving bans in towns and completely closing bars and restaurants, which are now only open part of the day. .
In France, Prime Minister Jean Castex is due to hold a press conference later Thursday on whether the government will apply further restrictions.
With vaccine roll-out progressing slowly, AstraZeneca’s top executive in France, Olivier Nataf, said the number of AstraZeneca doses being administered in the country has been increasing rapidly since primary care doctors were allowed to administer the vaccine.
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