Europe continues to experience a recovery from coronavirus infections, as governments struggle to impose new restrictions and accelerate vaccinations. France, Italy, Belgium and Germany, among other nations, have seen sharp increases in new cases since the beginning of March and are now back to the levels last seen at the end of last year or at the beginning of January.
The German government has stopped pushing for national measures to contain the pandemic and is now asking local authorities to take appropriate measures at their level. This week, the government canceled a planned five-day Easter blockade that had caused a torrent of criticism from businesses, local officials and the media.
However, many local officials are reluctant to tighten already tight restrictions as impatience increases among voters. Officials in the capital said this week that Berlin would follow the limited reopening measures that began three weeks ago, despite a sudden increase in infections above the level that should trigger a new shutdown. Some states, such as the Saar, which borders France, have announced a gradual reopening after the Easter holiday.
Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn asked Germans not to travel at Easter and warned that current trends suggested that the country’s intensive care units could be overwhelmed with new patients throughout April. With Germany vaccinating just 10% of its population, the current recovery from infections has been accompanied by a sharp increase in hospitalizations. There are currently no official travel bans within Germany, although passengers returning to the country must now pass a negative PCR test.
Lothar Wieler, president of the Robert Koch Institute for Infectious Diseases in Germany, said the current wave of infections would be worse than all previous ones, adding that “we have very difficult weeks ahead … Many people will die”.
Germany registered 21,573 new cases on Thursday, according to RKI – 4,091 more than a week earlier. The incidence of the virus among children has increased particularly rapidly, according to the institute.
Italy is expected to partially relax restrictions in parts of the country where infections are decreasing, including in Lazio, the region around Rome. Starting next Tuesday, schools, shops and hairdressers are due to reopen in Rome. The Italian government is expected to make a decision on Friday. The northern region of Lombardy around Milan, however, must remain confined. Lombardy, Italy’s economic powerhouse and home to some 10 million of Italy’s 60 million inhabitants, has been the most affected part of the country since the pandemic began.
Italy reported nearly 24,000 Covid-19 infections on Thursday and 460 deaths. Average daily infections have doubled since late February, prompting Italy to tighten restrictions earlier this month in most parts of the country. The government of the new prime minister, Mario Draghi, is lobbying Italy’s regional authorities to improve its slow vaccination campaign and has offered to take direct control if the regions cannot accelerate their efforts.