Europe,Russia battle a new wave of COVID,Dutch imposes lockdown

Much of Europe is facing a surge in cases,setting new records in some countries. Records for daily infections have been shattered in recent days in Germany, the Netherlands and Austria. While deaths from COVID-19 are way down from last year in many European countries, Russia has seen a steady two-month surge and now leads the world in total Covid deaths for the first time since the start of the pandemic. According to WHO report, Europe, including Russia, was the only region with a rise in deaths from the virus, up 10%. Overall, new coronavirus cases were on the decline in most of the world, but were up 7% in Europe and 3% in Africa.

The Netherlands return to a three week partial lockdown starting Saturday in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus cases. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has announced Western Europe's first partial Covid lockdown of the winter, with three weeks of restrictions for shops, sport and catering. He said that the annoying, drastic move was in response to record infections and rising intensive care cases. Meanwhile, Police have fired water cannon against hundreds of protesters in The Hague. Last weekend too, thousands of protesters marched through The Hague in anger at existing Covid restrictions. Latest daily figures on Friday showed 16,287 new Covid cases, just short of Thursday's record but up a third on the previous week. Dutch vaccination rates are relatively high, with 82.4% of over-12s having two doses, that's 73% of the total population.

Austria is also expected to back a lockdown for unvaccinated people this weekend. In Austria, vaccination coverage is at 65% and the country is expected to go for a national lockdown for the unvaccinated. Denmark, which had downgraded coronavirus as no longer a socially critical disease, has re-instated a Covid pass that was phased out in September. Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg has called a national lockdown for the unvaccinated "probably inevitable," adding that two-thirds of the population should not have to suffer because the other third refused to be vaccinated.

Denmark, which has also seen a recent upswing in cases, this week ordered its people to present a pass in the form of a smartphone app when they enter bars, restaurants and other public places. It is also considering fast-track legislation to require a digital "corona pass" for employers, according to Reuters. Portugal and Spain — where new cases have been minimal — top the European vaccination statistics, with rates in excess of 80%. Infections are also low in France, which has kept restrictions in place since summer, including a requirement to show a vaccine passport to do nearly everything.