Many of you supporting these lockdowns are complicit in all of this. The destruction of freedom, the obliteration of economical welfare and livelihood. Unfortunately, I no longer believe in a higher power as I once did. But part of me prays there is a God that will judge you accordingly for supporting such a desolation of your fellow man.
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Europe - Lockdowns are Back
- Thread starter gwb-trading
- Start date
Italy will seal off six regions and limit movement within them, its most drastic measures since the spring, in an effort to stop a virus resurgence.
Wednesday, November 4, 2020 4:18 PM EST
The Italian government said it would lock down a significant portion of the country, including the northern regions that are its economic engine, in an effort to stop a resurgent wave of coronavirus infections.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/1...in-many-situations-from-crossing-between-them
The Italian government announced Wednesday night that it will lock down a significant portion of the country, including the northern regions that are its economic engine, in an effort to stop a resurgent wave of coronavirus infections.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced that the measures, the most drastic since the nationwide lockdown in March, will take effect on Friday and will seal off six regions in the country’s deeply infected north and highly vulnerable, and poorer, south.
“The situation is particularly critical,” Mr. Conte said at an evening news conference. He said the virus was moving at a “strong and even violent” pace.
Across Europe, efforts to halt a second wave of coronavirus cases with piecemeal measures are being replaced by far stricter rules — and hurried efforts to bolster health systems that could quickly reach capacity in the coming weeks. Starting Thursday, England will be under a second lockdown, while Italians will face a 10 p.m. curfew. Poland will shut schools and shops this weekend, and Lithuania will enter a full lockdown. Switzerland has called in the army to bolster hospitals. And France’s health minister is pushing to extend a state of emergency until February.
In Italy, the new measures will ban residents of the six regions from crossing borders except for work, health or other “situations of necessity,” Mr. Conte said. Movement within the regions will also be strictly limited. Bars and restaurants would be closed in all of the regions and shops selling nonessential goods would be closed in most of them.
Three of the regions spanned the country’s northwest and included Lombardy, which is the home of Italy’s financial capital Milan, Piedmont and Aosta Valley. The southern regions were Calabria, Puglia and the island of Sicily.
Mr. Conte said the restrictions, which have triggered fierce opposition from business groups, restaurants and many citizens who are exasperated with government limits on their freedom, were put in place because “there is a high probability that some regions will exceed the critical limits in intensive care units” in the upcoming weeks. He added, “We necessarily have to intervene.”
The country will be essentially divided into three levels of infection, dubbed “red, orange and yellow.” Areas that fall into those respective categories will be subjected to automatic restrictions. The government will make those assessments on a weekly basis.
The announcement adds specifics to a new government decree, announced earlier on Wednesday, which imposed a 10 p.m. curfew around the country and closed museums, high schools and, on the weekend, shopping malls. Mr. Conte also “strongly recommended” that Italians stay home during the day, but deferred the decision to establish local lockdowns to the country’s health minister and the regional governors.
Mr. Conte said he chose a more targeted approach rather than a blanket lockdown because nationwide measures may be too soft for the most infected areas or too draconian for places where the virus did not circulate strongly.
In Britain, Mr. Johnson spoke before Parliament on Wednesday, saying that there was no alternative to a monthlong lockdown if a “medical and moral disaster” was to be avoided. But for weeks, Mr. Johnson had resisted such drastic measures, rejecting calls from scientists who advise the government, and from the opposition Labour Party, for an earlier but shorter lockdown.
Britain has been the worst-hit country by the pandemic in Europe, with more than 60,000 deaths.
Lawmakers voted 516-38 to approve the rules on Wednesday, despite a rebellion from within Mr. Johnson’s Conservative Party. A number of Conservative lawmakers voiced strong opposition, including Graham Brady, who chairs a powerful committee.
“We cannot ask people to follow rules that patently make no sense,” he said. Another lawmaker, Charles Walker, said people were being coerced into restrictions that were “unjust” and in some cases “cruel,” adding: “this legislation goes against my every instinct.”
London was bustling with shoppers hours before the new rules took effect. Stores, restaurants, pubs and other nonessential businesses must close for a month; schools will remain open. People will be asked to stay home unless they are needed at work, or out to buy food or exercise.
Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have already instituted similar restrictions, leaving England as an outlier within the United Kingdom.
Germany and France, which tried piecemeal measures, have reimposed nationwide lockdowns.
Discontent has mounted throughout Italy in recent weeks, with restaurant and bar owners taking to the streets to protest early closings recently imposed by the authorities. Yet Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has vowed to carry on with the new restrictive measures.
At the Vatican, Pope Francis on Wednesday returned to his private library for his weekly general audience, as he urged people to follow the recommendations of political and health authorities. The pope stopped public audiences in March, but resumed them at the beginning of September, allowing small groups to participate in a Vatican courtyard or the audience hall.
Switzerland called on the army to support its medical services on Wednesday as the daily number of virus cases hit a new peak. The Swiss cabinet said it agreed to deploy up to 2,500 military personnel to support testing, care and transport services. Switzerland’s home affairs minister, Alain Berset, described the situation as “tense” and urged hospitals and clinics to to halt nonessential surgeries. Switzerland recorded more than 10,000 cases on Wednesday, a single-day record, and 73 deaths.
Lithuania said it would impose a nationwide lockdown as of Friday, after the number of new cases tripled in recent weeks, while the prime minister of Denmark, and most of the government, went into quarantine after the justice minister tested positive for the virus.
Poland stopped short of a national lockdown, but announced new restrictions on Wednesday. Cultural institutions and nonessential shops in commercial centers must close on Saturday, and the number of customers allowed into other shops will be limited. Hotels will only be allowed to accept business travelers, and all schools starting at first grade will switch to online learning.
Poland largely avoided the first wave of the virus, but has been hit by skyrocketing numbers of cases, hospitalizations and deaths since the beginning of October. Doctors and medical experts warn that the chronically underfunded and understaffed health care system is on the brink of a collapse. The country has also faced huge protests in recent days over a court ruling that would impose a near-total ban on abortions. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki appealed to demonstrators to “move their protests online" as he announced the virus measures.
Wednesday, November 4, 2020 4:18 PM EST
The Italian government said it would lock down a significant portion of the country, including the northern regions that are its economic engine, in an effort to stop a resurgent wave of coronavirus infections.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/1...in-many-situations-from-crossing-between-them
The Italian government announced Wednesday night that it will lock down a significant portion of the country, including the northern regions that are its economic engine, in an effort to stop a resurgent wave of coronavirus infections.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced that the measures, the most drastic since the nationwide lockdown in March, will take effect on Friday and will seal off six regions in the country’s deeply infected north and highly vulnerable, and poorer, south.
“The situation is particularly critical,” Mr. Conte said at an evening news conference. He said the virus was moving at a “strong and even violent” pace.
Across Europe, efforts to halt a second wave of coronavirus cases with piecemeal measures are being replaced by far stricter rules — and hurried efforts to bolster health systems that could quickly reach capacity in the coming weeks. Starting Thursday, England will be under a second lockdown, while Italians will face a 10 p.m. curfew. Poland will shut schools and shops this weekend, and Lithuania will enter a full lockdown. Switzerland has called in the army to bolster hospitals. And France’s health minister is pushing to extend a state of emergency until February.
In Italy, the new measures will ban residents of the six regions from crossing borders except for work, health or other “situations of necessity,” Mr. Conte said. Movement within the regions will also be strictly limited. Bars and restaurants would be closed in all of the regions and shops selling nonessential goods would be closed in most of them.
Three of the regions spanned the country’s northwest and included Lombardy, which is the home of Italy’s financial capital Milan, Piedmont and Aosta Valley. The southern regions were Calabria, Puglia and the island of Sicily.
Mr. Conte said the restrictions, which have triggered fierce opposition from business groups, restaurants and many citizens who are exasperated with government limits on their freedom, were put in place because “there is a high probability that some regions will exceed the critical limits in intensive care units” in the upcoming weeks. He added, “We necessarily have to intervene.”
The country will be essentially divided into three levels of infection, dubbed “red, orange and yellow.” Areas that fall into those respective categories will be subjected to automatic restrictions. The government will make those assessments on a weekly basis.
The announcement adds specifics to a new government decree, announced earlier on Wednesday, which imposed a 10 p.m. curfew around the country and closed museums, high schools and, on the weekend, shopping malls. Mr. Conte also “strongly recommended” that Italians stay home during the day, but deferred the decision to establish local lockdowns to the country’s health minister and the regional governors.
Mr. Conte said he chose a more targeted approach rather than a blanket lockdown because nationwide measures may be too soft for the most infected areas or too draconian for places where the virus did not circulate strongly.
In Britain, Mr. Johnson spoke before Parliament on Wednesday, saying that there was no alternative to a monthlong lockdown if a “medical and moral disaster” was to be avoided. But for weeks, Mr. Johnson had resisted such drastic measures, rejecting calls from scientists who advise the government, and from the opposition Labour Party, for an earlier but shorter lockdown.
Britain has been the worst-hit country by the pandemic in Europe, with more than 60,000 deaths.
Lawmakers voted 516-38 to approve the rules on Wednesday, despite a rebellion from within Mr. Johnson’s Conservative Party. A number of Conservative lawmakers voiced strong opposition, including Graham Brady, who chairs a powerful committee.
“We cannot ask people to follow rules that patently make no sense,” he said. Another lawmaker, Charles Walker, said people were being coerced into restrictions that were “unjust” and in some cases “cruel,” adding: “this legislation goes against my every instinct.”
London was bustling with shoppers hours before the new rules took effect. Stores, restaurants, pubs and other nonessential businesses must close for a month; schools will remain open. People will be asked to stay home unless they are needed at work, or out to buy food or exercise.
Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have already instituted similar restrictions, leaving England as an outlier within the United Kingdom.
Germany and France, which tried piecemeal measures, have reimposed nationwide lockdowns.
Discontent has mounted throughout Italy in recent weeks, with restaurant and bar owners taking to the streets to protest early closings recently imposed by the authorities. Yet Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has vowed to carry on with the new restrictive measures.
At the Vatican, Pope Francis on Wednesday returned to his private library for his weekly general audience, as he urged people to follow the recommendations of political and health authorities. The pope stopped public audiences in March, but resumed them at the beginning of September, allowing small groups to participate in a Vatican courtyard or the audience hall.
Switzerland called on the army to support its medical services on Wednesday as the daily number of virus cases hit a new peak. The Swiss cabinet said it agreed to deploy up to 2,500 military personnel to support testing, care and transport services. Switzerland’s home affairs minister, Alain Berset, described the situation as “tense” and urged hospitals and clinics to to halt nonessential surgeries. Switzerland recorded more than 10,000 cases on Wednesday, a single-day record, and 73 deaths.
Lithuania said it would impose a nationwide lockdown as of Friday, after the number of new cases tripled in recent weeks, while the prime minister of Denmark, and most of the government, went into quarantine after the justice minister tested positive for the virus.
Poland stopped short of a national lockdown, but announced new restrictions on Wednesday. Cultural institutions and nonessential shops in commercial centers must close on Saturday, and the number of customers allowed into other shops will be limited. Hotels will only be allowed to accept business travelers, and all schools starting at first grade will switch to online learning.
Poland largely avoided the first wave of the virus, but has been hit by skyrocketing numbers of cases, hospitalizations and deaths since the beginning of October. Doctors and medical experts warn that the chronically underfunded and understaffed health care system is on the brink of a collapse. The country has also faced huge protests in recent days over a court ruling that would impose a near-total ban on abortions. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki appealed to demonstrators to “move their protests online" as he announced the virus measures.
"Well, well, well. Turns out the second lockdown is helping to curb the coronavirus' spread in the UK. It's almost as if someone listened to scientists"
U.K. Covid Infections Are Now Slowing, Government Scientists Say
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...ons-are-now-slowing-government-scientists-say
U.K. Covid Infections Are Now Slowing, Government Scientists Say
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...ons-are-now-slowing-government-scientists-say
"Well, well, well. Turns out the second lockdown is helping to curb the coronavirus' spread in the UK. It's almost as if someone listened to scientists"
U.K. Covid Infections Are Now Slowing, Government Scientists Say
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-11-13/u-k-covid-infectionwant. s-are-now-slowing-government-scientists-say
Of course the spread slows when you hide. Kids learn that the better you hide the less likely you will get tagged. But then the kids go back out and get tagged... so it failed.
Germans should brace for 4-5 months of severe COVID-19 measures, minister says
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-germany-idUSKBN27V080
Germans should brace for another 4-5 months of severe measures to halt the rise in coronavirus infections and should not expect the current rules to be eased quickly, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier told weekly Bild am Sonntag.
“We’re not out of the woods yet”, he said referring to infection numbers. “We cannot afford a yo-yo shutdown with the economy constantly opening and closing.”
Germany has imposed a set of measures dubbed a “lockdown light” to rein in the second wave of the pandemic that the country is seeing in common with much of the rest of Europe. While restaurants are closed, schools and shops so far remain open.
Data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Sunday that the number of confirmed cases in Germany increased by 16,947 to 790,503. Weekend figures tend to be lower as not all data is reported by local authorities.
Altmaier said Germany should be wary of relaxing restrictions too quickly.
“If we don’t want days with 50,000 new infections, as was the case in France a few weeks ago, we must see through this and not constantly speculate about which measures can be relaxed again,” he told Bild am Sonntag.
“All countries that lifted their restrictions too early have so far paid a high price in terms of human lives lost.”
His comments echoed those of other leading German policy makers. Among others, Health Minister Jens Spahn said at an online event of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative party on Saturday that hard weeks, possibly even months, lie ahead.
The German chairman of the World Medical Association, Frank Ulrich Montgomery, warned of a possible shortage of beds and staffing problems in German hospitals.
“My forecast is that we will have to talk about further restrictions rather than any easing”, he told daily Augsburger Allgemeine.
German police fired water cannon during an anti-lockdown rally in Frankfurt on Saturday and eventually broke up the gathering as rules like wearing masks and socially distancing were not observed.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-germany-idUSKBN27V080
Germans should brace for another 4-5 months of severe measures to halt the rise in coronavirus infections and should not expect the current rules to be eased quickly, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier told weekly Bild am Sonntag.
“We’re not out of the woods yet”, he said referring to infection numbers. “We cannot afford a yo-yo shutdown with the economy constantly opening and closing.”
Germany has imposed a set of measures dubbed a “lockdown light” to rein in the second wave of the pandemic that the country is seeing in common with much of the rest of Europe. While restaurants are closed, schools and shops so far remain open.
Data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Sunday that the number of confirmed cases in Germany increased by 16,947 to 790,503. Weekend figures tend to be lower as not all data is reported by local authorities.
Altmaier said Germany should be wary of relaxing restrictions too quickly.
“If we don’t want days with 50,000 new infections, as was the case in France a few weeks ago, we must see through this and not constantly speculate about which measures can be relaxed again,” he told Bild am Sonntag.
“All countries that lifted their restrictions too early have so far paid a high price in terms of human lives lost.”
His comments echoed those of other leading German policy makers. Among others, Health Minister Jens Spahn said at an online event of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative party on Saturday that hard weeks, possibly even months, lie ahead.
The German chairman of the World Medical Association, Frank Ulrich Montgomery, warned of a possible shortage of beds and staffing problems in German hospitals.
“My forecast is that we will have to talk about further restrictions rather than any easing”, he told daily Augsburger Allgemeine.
German police fired water cannon during an anti-lockdown rally in Frankfurt on Saturday and eventually broke up the gathering as rules like wearing masks and socially distancing were not observed.
so clearly filled with fear and propaganda...
“All countries that lifted their restrictions too early have so far paid a high price in terms of human lives lost.”
something else must be going on.
“All countries that lifted their restrictions too early have so far paid a high price in terms of human lives lost.”
something else must be going on.
Germans should brace for 4-5 months of severe COVID-19 measures, minister says
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-germany-idUSKBN27V080
Germans should brace for another 4-5 months of severe measures to halt the rise in coronavirus infections and should not expect the current rules to be eased quickly, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier told weekly Bild am Sonntag.
“We’re not out of the woods yet”, he said referring to infection numbers. “We cannot afford a yo-yo shutdown with the economy constantly opening and closing.”
Germany has imposed a set of measures dubbed a “lockdown light” to rein in the second wave of the pandemic that the country is seeing in common with much of the rest of Europe. While restaurants are closed, schools and shops so far remain open.
Data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Sunday that the number of confirmed cases in Germany increased by 16,947 to 790,503. Weekend figures tend to be lower as not all data is reported by local authorities.
Altmaier said Germany should be wary of relaxing restrictions too quickly.
“If we don’t want days with 50,000 new infections, as was the case in France a few weeks ago, we must see through this and not constantly speculate about which measures can be relaxed again,” he told Bild am Sonntag.
“All countries that lifted their restrictions too early have so far paid a high price in terms of human lives lost.”
His comments echoed those of other leading German policy makers. Among others, Health Minister Jens Spahn said at an online event of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative party on Saturday that hard weeks, possibly even months, lie ahead.
The German chairman of the World Medical Association, Frank Ulrich Montgomery, warned of a possible shortage of beds and staffing problems in German hospitals.
“My forecast is that we will have to talk about further restrictions rather than any easing”, he told daily Augsburger Allgemeine.
German police fired water cannon during an anti-lockdown rally in Frankfurt on Saturday and eventually broke up the gathering as rules like wearing masks and socially distancing were not observed.
Germany is setting up hundreds of COVID vaccination centers across the country in December before a January vaccine start date.. You would think the U.S. under a proper federal administration would wisely do the same thing.
Germany to set up hundreds of vaccination centers from December: report
Hundreds of vaccination centers will be created across Germany to administer the new coronavirus vaccine, according to a media report. The distribution of millions of doses is likely to present a huge challenge.
https://www.dw.com/en/germany-to-se...ation-centers-from-december-report/a-55605652
German states plan to set up hundreds of vaccination centers across the country starting in December, the newspaper Welt am Sonntag reported on Sunday.
It said the health ministers of the 16 federal states have drawn up plans to create one to two centers per administrative district — totaling hundreds of centers — as well as employing mobile vaccination teams.
The capital, Berlin, alone is allegedly planning to set up six such centers, Welt am Sonntag said.
Large exhibition halls, mostly out of use since the beginning of the pandemic, are being discussed as potential spaces to house some centers.
German health authorities are hoping for a quick roll-out of the mass vaccination program following the recent positive results of the BioNTech vaccine trials, which showed 90% efficacy.
Logistics will be critical
The EU has already signed a deal with BioNTech and Pfizer to secure 300 million doses, which German officials plan to start rolling out during the first three months of 2021.
(More at above url)
Germany to set up hundreds of vaccination centers from December: report
Hundreds of vaccination centers will be created across Germany to administer the new coronavirus vaccine, according to a media report. The distribution of millions of doses is likely to present a huge challenge.
https://www.dw.com/en/germany-to-se...ation-centers-from-december-report/a-55605652
German states plan to set up hundreds of vaccination centers across the country starting in December, the newspaper Welt am Sonntag reported on Sunday.
It said the health ministers of the 16 federal states have drawn up plans to create one to two centers per administrative district — totaling hundreds of centers — as well as employing mobile vaccination teams.
The capital, Berlin, alone is allegedly planning to set up six such centers, Welt am Sonntag said.
Large exhibition halls, mostly out of use since the beginning of the pandemic, are being discussed as potential spaces to house some centers.
German health authorities are hoping for a quick roll-out of the mass vaccination program following the recent positive results of the BioNTech vaccine trials, which showed 90% efficacy.
Logistics will be critical
The EU has already signed a deal with BioNTech and Pfizer to secure 300 million doses, which German officials plan to start rolling out during the first three months of 2021.
(More at above url)
Germany is updated their laws so the federal government (not states) can impose steps such as curbs on social contact, rules on mask-wearing, drinking alcohol in public and shutting shops. Some people don't like the changes apparently.
German police clash with protesters angry at Merkel's coronavirus law
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-germany-protests-idUSKBN27Y15V
German police unleashed water cannon and pepper spray in an effort to scatter thousands of protesters angry about a new legal framework for enforcing coronavirus restrictions passed by parliament on Wednesday.
Protesters near Berlin’s landmark Brandenburg Gate threw bottles at police and set off smoke bombs, witnesses reported. Riot police detained some protesters while firing volleys of water and urging crowds by loudspeaker to disperse.
Police detained 190 people and nine officers were injured.
Demonstrators, including some far-right radicals, opposed legislation to enshrine in law powers to impose steps such as curbs on social contact, rules on mask-wearing, drinking alcohol in public and shutting shops.
The aim of the amendment, drawn up by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government, is to prevent legal challenges to the measures that have so far mostly been enforceable at the state or local level.
Although most Germans accept the latest “lockdown light” to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus in a second wave, critics say the amendment endangers citizens’ civil rights.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has compared the amendment with the 1933 Enabling Act that paved the way to Hitler’s Nazi dictatorship.
Protesters, whistling and banging saucepans, were neither keeping the required social distance nor wearing face masks. Some held banners with slogans such as “Stop the corona pandemic lie” and “No to forced vaccinations”.
Health Minister Jens Spahn told parliament no one would be forced to be vaccinated and described the pandemic as a “once in a century phenomenon”.
During mass marches against coronavirus curbs in August, protesters stormed the steps of the Reichstag parliament building. In embarrassing images that went around the world, some protesters waved the far-right Reichsflagge flag.
Europe’s largest economy kept infection and death rates below those of many of its neighbours during the first phase of the crisis, but is now in the throes of a second wave in Europe.
German police clash with protesters angry at Merkel's coronavirus law
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-germany-protests-idUSKBN27Y15V
German police unleashed water cannon and pepper spray in an effort to scatter thousands of protesters angry about a new legal framework for enforcing coronavirus restrictions passed by parliament on Wednesday.
Protesters near Berlin’s landmark Brandenburg Gate threw bottles at police and set off smoke bombs, witnesses reported. Riot police detained some protesters while firing volleys of water and urging crowds by loudspeaker to disperse.
Police detained 190 people and nine officers were injured.
Demonstrators, including some far-right radicals, opposed legislation to enshrine in law powers to impose steps such as curbs on social contact, rules on mask-wearing, drinking alcohol in public and shutting shops.
The aim of the amendment, drawn up by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government, is to prevent legal challenges to the measures that have so far mostly been enforceable at the state or local level.
Although most Germans accept the latest “lockdown light” to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus in a second wave, critics say the amendment endangers citizens’ civil rights.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has compared the amendment with the 1933 Enabling Act that paved the way to Hitler’s Nazi dictatorship.
Protesters, whistling and banging saucepans, were neither keeping the required social distance nor wearing face masks. Some held banners with slogans such as “Stop the corona pandemic lie” and “No to forced vaccinations”.
Health Minister Jens Spahn told parliament no one would be forced to be vaccinated and described the pandemic as a “once in a century phenomenon”.
During mass marches against coronavirus curbs in August, protesters stormed the steps of the Reichstag parliament building. In embarrassing images that went around the world, some protesters waved the far-right Reichsflagge flag.
Europe’s largest economy kept infection and death rates below those of many of its neighbours during the first phase of the crisis, but is now in the throes of a second wave in Europe.