Day: November 3, 2020

Austria imposed a second lockdown after the coronavirus pandemic got out of control in the past two weeks, with the government surrendering as its plan to make do with lighter, targeted measures failed to stem the surge. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced the new restrictions on Saturday, roughly following Germany’s example with a partial lockdown. Schools, hairdressers and non-essential shops will stay open this time, and restrictions on leaving the home apply only at night. Restaurants, cafes and hotels will close except for takeaway food and for business travellers. Gyms, cinemas…

Portugal’s government on Saturday announced new lockdown restrictions from November 4 for most of the country, telling people to stay at home except for outings for work, school or shopping, and ordering companies to switch to remote working. A day after daily coronavirus infections hit a record high, Prime Minister Antonio Costa said the measures would cover 121 municipalities, including the key regions of Lisbon and Porto. The affected areas are home to about 70 per cent of Portugal’s population of roughly 10 million. Checkpoints have been set up across…

Slovakia has begun an ambitious project to test everyone over the age of 10 for Covid-19, but the president has said she thinks the idea is “unfeasible”. The operation to test four million people is to last over two weekends. Infections have soared in Slovakia and officials argue the only alternative would be a total lockdown. President Zuzana Caputova called for a rethink of the plan after armed forces chiefs said there were not enough trained health workers to carry it out. So far only 70% of the 20,000 staff…

LJUBLJANA, — The government of Slovenia on Friday extended key restrictive measures designed to curb the spread of covid-19. Store closures and the six-person ceiling for gatherings have been extended by a week. The mandatory use of face masks in indoor and outdoor public spaces and obligation to use hand sanitizers have been extended by two weeks. The autumn holidays have also been extended for a week for primary school pupils. Remote schooling will resume in secondary schools, and kindergartens will provide urgent day care only. The extensions aim to…

Over the last four days, thousands of women have stormed the streets of Poland, protesting a recent court ruling that drastically restricts their right to access safe and legal abortions. Carrying banners and placards — many bearing a red lightning bolt, a symbol of the pro-choice protests in the country — the demonstrators demand the reversal of the ruling by Poland’s highest court. On Friday, riot police violently cracked down on protestors after they gathered near the home of the ruling Law and Justice Party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who is…

London: Boris Johnson faces being forced into imposing a national lockdown against his will as internal government projections put the U.K. on course for a prolonged winter peak in the pandemic — with a higher death toll than last spring.Johnson is struggling to balance demands of scientists and opposition politicians for tougher measures against calls to prioritize easing of rules to help the economy. The British prime minister has resisted a second country-wide lockdown, despite calls from the opposition Labour Party — and his own scientific advisers last month —…