The Times - UK (2020-10-14)

10 1GM Wednesday October 14 2020 | the times

News

Europe is turning into a patchwork of

rules and regulations as local, regional

and national authorities grapple with

the second wave of the pandemic.

Bar closures and restrictions on

social interactions are high on each

country’s new rules but there are key

differences in implementation. Every-

where, however, the political norms are

being stretched.

Angela Merkel, the German chancel-

lor, is shouting orders above the leaders

of 16 federal states, each trying to pro-

tect their citizens, some by raising bar-

riers against Covid-19 hotspots. In

Spain, Madrid’s officials have accused

the national government of breaking

the law when it imposed a state of emer-

gency on the capital. President Macron

in France is forcing through new rules

in defiance of politicians and citizens.

Amid the confusion, the EU has

agreed a “traffic-light” coding system to

act as an advisory guide for govern-

ments or people wanting to rate the risk

of travelling across the continent.

EU governments have agreed to pro-

vide information to the European

Centre for Disease Prevention and

Control to produce a weekly map with

countries coded, green, orange or red.

The ratings will be based on the num-

ber of cases per 100,000 people over the

previous 14 days, the number of tests

per capita and the percentage of posi-

tives. The guidelines are not legally

binding after governments resisted EU

moves to decide on border controls for

people travelling from high-risk areas

or setting a standard quartile procedure

across the region.

Travel advice varies from country to

country. Some governments demand a

two-week quarantine while others set a

seven-day isolation period.

In France, curfews possibly applying

from 9pm or 10pm to 6am are favoured

as the best way to limit social gatherings

because the constitution prevents the

state restricting activities in homes and

other private property.

The government is advising strongly

against social mixing outside immedi-

ate family in areas of maximum alert.

Regional lockdowns have not been

ruled out. The most likely targets are

the Paris and Marseilles regions.

For a few weeks last month, Ger-

many looked like an island of stability

as the second wave of infections hit

neighbouring countries.

That period of relative calm is over.

The situation is not a catastrophe yet.

Germany has one of the lowest infec-

tion rates per capita in Europe, roughly

comparable to Finland’s. But the rise

has rattled the federal government and

many people. Mrs Merkel has said that

if present trends continue the country

will have 19,200 cases a day by Christ-

mas, nearly triple the peak recorded at

the start of April.

Imposing national restraints is diffi-

cult, however. Most coronavirus policy

decisions are devolved under the feder-

al structure and many regional minis-

ters are protective of their autonomy,

which allows them to tailor their

responses.

Last month Mrs Merkel brokered a

deal to restrict private gatherings in

badly hit areas such as Berlin, Munich,

Frankfurt and Stuttgart. She has also

forged consensus on a warning against

unnecessary travel to “risk areas”,

including much of the UK and France.

Fines for people who give false contact

details in bars, cafes and restaurants

were also agreed.

One source of friction is the recent

“accommodation ban”, under which 11

states have forbidden overnight stays

by people from hotspots, to the annoy-

ance of the hospitality sector.

Italy tightened its rules on gatherings

last week to stamp out a surge in cases

but rejected a proposal for a UK-style

ban on meetings of six people in homes.

The “rule of six” does appear in a

decree published on Tuesday. It was

reduced from an obligation to a “strong

recommendation” in the final text

because of fears that Italians would

rebel against state snooping.

The new decree comes into effect for

30 days after daily cases in Italy rose to

more than 5,000. It orders bars and res-

taurants to close at midnight and to

stop serving standing customers, inside

or outside the premises, at 9pm.

Weddings and religious ceremonies

can be attended by no more than 30

people, while five-a-side football is

banned unless organised by a sports

association. The decree allows 1,

spectators to attend football matches

and reduces the period of quarantine

for asymptomatic cases from 14 to ten

days if they test negative.

Spain’s second wave of the pandemic

initially hit Madrid worst. Concerns are

increasing over rising numbers of

infections in the northern regions of

Navarre and Catalonia.

The state of emergency in the

Madrid region, enforced on Friday,

banned people from leaving or entering

the city unless for work or essential vis-

its. People can move freely in the city.

Other restrictions in the capital

include a limit on gatherings of six

people and a cap to limit restaurants to

half their capacity. Bars and restaurants

must close at 11pm.

Portugal remains under a “state of

contingency” with gatherings limited

to ten people and staggered closures

enforced on commercial establish-

ments between 8pm and 11pm.

The government has banned festi-

vals and similar events until new year.

The sale of alcohol is banned at service

stations and after 8pm in shops and

supermarkets.

Alcohol may only be served outdoors

after 8pm if accompanied by a meal. No

more than four people can gather in

cafés within 300m of schools and in

shopping centre food courts, unless

they all belong to the same family unit.

Belgium now has the second highest

spread rate in Europe, with 430 infec-

tions per 100,000 people. The govern-

ment brought in national restrictions

on the opening hours of bars or restau-

rants as well as new “rule of four” limits

on household socialising.

The Dutch government has intro-

duced “circuit-breaker” measures by

closing cafés, restaurants and bars with

a ban for a fortnight on evening alcohol

sales in shops. “Today we are announc-

ing new and weighty measures and in

fact we are going to a partial lockdown,”

Mark Rutte, the prime minister, said. “It

hurts, but it’s the only way.”

A state of emergency was formally

declared in the Czech Republic at the

start of the month but the government

has been keen to avoid new restrictions.

All schools — but not kindergartens —

will close for two weeks from today.

After a lull, infections in Sweden are

rising. Yet the prevailing attitude is one

of watchfulness. The public health

agency has suggested that local restric-

tions may be around the corner.

Stefan Lofven, the prime minister,

has decided against raising the limit on

public gatherings from 50 to 500

people. Despite the increase in infec-

tions the death rate remains low, at

about one or two a day.

Europe relies on patchwork of

News Coronavirus Wo r l d

Oliver Moody Berlin

Bruno Waterfield Brussels

Charles Bremner Paris

Tom Kington Rome

Isambard Wilkinson Madrid

At a glance state of play in Europe

Covid-19 cases in Europe

Under 100

No data

100–

200–

300–

Over 400

Data to October 13

14-day cumulative per

100,000 population

Country by country

DENMARK

32,811 cases

671 deaths

Rules: Bars, cafes and

restaurants must shut at 10pm.

Up to 50 people can gather

indoors and outdoors. Rules to

be reviewed at end of October

Travel: Free entry limited to

visitors from Germany, Norway,

Finland, Italy, Australia and

Japan. Others, including UK,

must prove a 'worthy purpose'

for visit, such as study or work

Denmark

Sweden

Germany

France

Spain

Italy

Czech Rep

Belgium

Netherlands Poland

Portugal

Rules: Bars closed in eight cities

including Paris, Marseilles, Lille,

and Toulouse. Gatherings there

limited to 10 outdoors and 1,

in sports stadiums. Constitution

prohibits limits in homes.

Travel: Arrivals restricted from all

countries outside EU except

Australia, Canada, Britain, New

Zealand, Thailand, Tunisia and

Uruguay

FRANCE

743,479 cases

32,828 deaths

GERMANY

329,453 cases

9,634 deaths

Rules: Alcohol sales banned in

Berlin from 11pm to 6am.

Frankfurt's bars and restaurants

close at 11pm, Munich's at 10pm.

Limits on gatherings vary per

region, down to ten indoors.

Travel: All arrivals from “risk areas”

• including Scotland, Wales,
  Northern Ireland, north of England,
  US, Spain, Russia, Belgium and
  almost all of France - must provide
  negative test result or quarantine

BELGIUM

165,787 cases

10,211 deaths

Rules: Bars closed in Brussels

and shut elsewhere at 11pm.

Restaurant tables limited to four

or a single household, and close

at 1am. Only four non-family

visitors allowed into homes,

excluding children under 12.

Travel: Arrivals from 'red zones',

including most of England,

Scotland and all of Wales, must

quarantine or produce negative

test. Curbs on all other countries

NETHERLANDS

181,294 cases

6,587 deaths

Rules: Bars and restaurants closed

for two weeks. No more than three

visitors to a household every 24

hours. Children under 13 do not

count. Private gatherings limited

to four outside. Inside, no more

than 30 people in one room with

social distancing

Travel: US among countries

barred. UK citizens face no

restrictions or quarantine.

359,569 cases

36,205 deaths

Rules: Bars stop serving at 9pm

and close at midnight. Outdoor

gatherings can be banned if

distancing breaks down.

Recommended limit on gatherings

inside is six.

Travel: Arrivals from outside EU

must quarantine for 14 days. Those

arriving from high-risk European

states, including UK and parts of

France, must take rapid test or

show recent negative test

ITALY

121,421 cases

1,051 deaths

Rules: Bars and restaurants close

from today and off licence sales

end at 8pm. Drinking in public

banned. Outdoor and indoor

gatherings capped at six.

Travel: Arrivals from Britain, most

parts of the EU and a handful of

non-European states such as

Japan, Canada and Australia must

show recent negative result or

take a test within five days. US

tourists barred

CZECH REPUBLIC

130,210 cases

3,039 deaths

Rules 10pm closing time in 'red

zones', other bars limited to one

customer per 4sqm. Private

gatherings capped at 75, public

at 150. Only over 65s in shops

and pharmacies 10am-noon from

this week.

Travel Most visitors from outside

EU banned; ban on inbound

flights from 29 countries,

including Brazil and Israel

POLAND

Source: ECDC

netherlands

A woman receiving cancer

treatment is believed to have

become the first person to die after

contracting the virus for a second

time. The patient, 89, had bone

marrow cancer and her immune

system was compromised. She

tested positive for coronavirus after

going to a hospital in the south of

the Netherlands this year and was

treated for five days. Two months

later she began a new round of

chemotherapy but after two days

Wo m a n i s

first person

to die from

reinfection