Belgium, Czech to ease measures, Berlin to extend restrictions

Authorities in Belgium and the Czech Republic, two of the European Union’s worst affected countries by the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, are preparing to ease some of their restrictions after infection rates over recent weeks have started to fall, reported EFE.

In Germany, however, officials are planning to toughen measures as the partial lockdown in force since November 2 has not been as effective as originally hoped in reducing daily contagion rates.

British prime minister Boris Johnson, meanwhile, said he was self-isolating after having been in direct contact with a confirmed positive case.

BELGIUM

The rates of Covid-19 infections and hospitalizations in Belgium continued falling on Monday, as Belgian primary and secondary school students returned to class after the traditional week-long half term school holidays were extended by a week to help contain the second wave of coronavirus in the country.

With a cumulative incidence of 892 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days, primary school pupils will continue to attend classes five days a week, while secondary school pupils, from the age of 14, will have alternating attendance and online remote learning systems at least until 18 December, when the Christmas holidays begin.

Belgium is currently showing an average weekly decline in infections of 47 percent and hospitalizations are also down - by 22 percent - although intensive care admissions (1 percent increase) and coronavirus deaths (up by 7 percent) are both still increasing, albeit at a much slower rate than a month ago, when Belgium was the worst affected country in the EU.

The number of ICU patients in Belgium is 1,439, well below the threshold of 2,000 admissions considered to be a breaking point for the health system.

“The progress is overall favorable,” the French-speaking spokesman for the coronavirus task force, Yves van Laethem, said at a press conference.

“We have reached a plateau in some ways because we have been between 1,400 and 1,600 patients for a few days”.

Last Friday, Prime Minister Alexander de Croo confirmed that Belgium would keep its existing restrictions such as night curfews, the obligation to work from home wherever possible, compulsory wearing of a mask in public, limiting social gatherings and the closure of hotels, leisure and the hospitality and cultural sectors for at least two more weeks.

CZECH REPUBLIC

The Czech Republic, one of the European Union (EU) countries most affected by the second wave of the Covid pandemic, is beginning to ease restrictions partially opening primary schools, while neighboring Slovakia will reopen leisure centers, amid improving infection and hospitalization rates in both countries.

From Wednesday in the Czech Republic, where 1,887 new infections have been reported in the last 24 hours - the lowest number since 5 October - schoolchildren in grades 1 and 2 will return to class, which have been closed since 14 October, the school teachers' union said.

Despite the improving epidemiological situation, the Czechs have the second highest cumulative infection rate in Europe, with an incidence of 1,156 positive cases per 100,000 inhabitants, second behind Luxembourg.

In Slovakia, theatres, cinemas and churches are being reopened, albeit with limits of a maximum of 50 percent capacity, while gyms can only hold a maximum of 6 people.

These easing measures contrast with new border controls, with new arrivals into the country are required to present a negative PCR test, or undergo a quarantine.

Slovakia undertook two rounds of nationwide mass testing drives earlier this month, which led to about 50,000 people being isolated.

The campaign has led to a significant drop in the number of infections.

The chancellor of Austria, Sebastian Kurz, met on Monday with Slovak Prime Minister Igor Matovic to learn about the neighbouring country's experiment with mass testing - the first in the world - after calling it "successful" on Sunday, when he said he was planning similar initiatives in the Alpine republic.

"Slovakia has already conducted such a project in several waves, also with the support of the Austrian Armed Forces, and was thus a pioneer in Europe. Thanks to the experience gained in Slovakia, we will be able to carry out the planned mass tests even better," said Kurz.

GERMANY

The German government plans to tighten measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic, given that the partial lockdown, which has been in force since 2 November, has not contributed as much as officials had hoped in reducing daily infection rates.

Chancellor Angela Merkel plans to present a proposal to the heads of government of Germany’s federal states on Monday afternoon, which will include a further reduction of the number of permitted social contacts, bans on private parties until at least Christmas and new rules applying to school activities.

The federal government will propose limiting meetings in public spaces "to members of a household and a maximum of two people from another household". Fines will be imposed for failure to comply with the measure.

Children and young people will also be required to minimize their contacts and reduce their meetings in their free time to a single fixed friend.

Visits to elderly or vulnerable people should be avoided, as well as any crowded public spaces.

The government's proposal calls for mandatory masks for all students over the age of 12 and for teachers, while classes will be split into smaller groups.

"Developments over the past few days give reason to hope that the high exponential rate of contagion has been halted, but no decrease in new contagion is to be expected," the document says, according to German media.

The situation remains serious and the government has four "hard winter months" before the seasonal effects and the start of vaccination will "hopefully" lead to a gradual victory over the pandemic, the document says.

UNITED KINGDOM

Boris Johnson said Monday morning that he was self-isolating after having been in contact with a confirmed positive Covid-19 case.

The prime minister, who in April was treated in an intensive care unit after becoming infected with coronavirus, posted a video message on his Twitter account in which he said that he had been contacted by the National Health Service’s test and trace system.

“The good news is that the NHS’ test and trace is working ever more efficiently,” Johnson said. “The bad news is, they’ve pinged me, and I’ve got to self isolate.”

According to the British media, Johnson spent around 35 minutes with Conservative MP Lee Anderson, who has since tested positive for Covid.

Johnson, who was lively and boisterous in the video recorded from Downing Street, said: “It doesn’t matter that we were all doing social distancing, it doesn’t matter that I’m fit as a butcher’s dog, I feel great, it doesn’t matter that I’m bursting with antibodies - we’ve got to interrupt the spread of the disease, and one of the ways we can do that now is self isolating for 14 days when you get contacted by test and trace.”