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Now Germany bans unvaccinated people from restaurants as continent goes on 'red alert' for Christmas lockdowns, French protest against further restrictions and Belgians are ordered to work from home
Germany is following Austria's example in locking-down unvaccinated people in regions where hospitals are becoming 'dangerously full' of Covid patients.
Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday announced that the move is 'necessary' to tackle a 'very worrying' fourth wave of the pandemic that is overwhelming hospitals, and blamed the unvaccinated for driving the surge.
Europe has become the epicentre of the pandemic once again, with the World Health Organisation warning that the Continent was the only region in the world where deaths had increased as Covid-related fatalities spiked by five per cent just this week.
Vienna imposed a lockdown on unvaccinated people. However, pressure on the Austrian government to impose a full lockdown grew as its worst-hit provinces said they would adopt the measure for themselves amid rising cases and reports of people dying in hospital corridors.
In places in Germany where hospitalisation rates exceed a certain threshold, access to public, cultural and sports events and to restaurants will be restricted to those who have been vaccinated or who have recovered. The Chancellor added the federal government would also consider a request by regional governments for legislation allowing them to require that care and hospital workers be vaccinated.
Saxony, the region hardest hit by the wave, is considering shutting theatres, concert halls and soccer games, Bild newspaper reported. The eastern state has Germany's lowest vaccination rate. New daily cases have risen 14-fold in the past month in Saxony, a stronghold of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, which harbours many vaccine sceptics and anti-lockdown protesters.
In a show of unity, finance minister and chancellor-in-waiting Olaf Scholz said: 'To get through the winter, we will see drastic measures that have not been taken before.'
Across the border, hundreds of French protesters demonstrated outside the Austrian Embassy in Paris against Vienna's Covid apartheid amid fears that France might be next to reimpose curbs.
The Czech Republic has already followed Austria's lead by banning unjabbed people from access to public events, bars and restaurants from next week.
And Slovakia is also considering imposing a similar measure which would see unvaccinated people banned from non-essential stores, shopping malls, gyms, pools, hotels and mass public gatherings for at least three weeks after recording 8,342 daily cases.
Earlier this week, Belgium made facemasks compulsory and introduced working from home instructions.
- Germany following Austria's lead in locking down unvaccinated in places where hospitals are overwhelmed
- Hundreds of French protesters demonstrated against Austria's Covid apartheid on Thursday
- Crowds waving flags gathered outside Austrian Embassy in protest at Vienna's lockdown for unvaccinated
- Europe has become the epicentre of the pandemic once again, with WHO warning of rising deaths
- Coronavirus fatalities spiked by five per cent on the Continent this week, the UN health body warned
- Austria has seen rising cases despite locking down people who are unjabbed on Monday this week
- Germany, Italy, Greece are all considering joining Austria with vaccine apartheid ahead of 'terrible' winter
Germany is following Austria's example in locking-down unvaccinated people in regions where hospitals are becoming 'dangerously full' of Covid patients.
Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday announced that the move is 'necessary' to tackle a 'very worrying' fourth wave of the pandemic that is overwhelming hospitals, and blamed the unvaccinated for driving the surge.
Europe has become the epicentre of the pandemic once again, with the World Health Organisation warning that the Continent was the only region in the world where deaths had increased as Covid-related fatalities spiked by five per cent just this week.
Vienna imposed a lockdown on unvaccinated people. However, pressure on the Austrian government to impose a full lockdown grew as its worst-hit provinces said they would adopt the measure for themselves amid rising cases and reports of people dying in hospital corridors.
In places in Germany where hospitalisation rates exceed a certain threshold, access to public, cultural and sports events and to restaurants will be restricted to those who have been vaccinated or who have recovered. The Chancellor added the federal government would also consider a request by regional governments for legislation allowing them to require that care and hospital workers be vaccinated.
Saxony, the region hardest hit by the wave, is considering shutting theatres, concert halls and soccer games, Bild newspaper reported. The eastern state has Germany's lowest vaccination rate. New daily cases have risen 14-fold in the past month in Saxony, a stronghold of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, which harbours many vaccine sceptics and anti-lockdown protesters.
In a show of unity, finance minister and chancellor-in-waiting Olaf Scholz said: 'To get through the winter, we will see drastic measures that have not been taken before.'
Across the border, hundreds of French protesters demonstrated outside the Austrian Embassy in Paris against Vienna's Covid apartheid amid fears that France might be next to reimpose curbs.
The Czech Republic has already followed Austria's lead by banning unjabbed people from access to public events, bars and restaurants from next week.
And Slovakia is also considering imposing a similar measure which would see unvaccinated people banned from non-essential stores, shopping malls, gyms, pools, hotels and mass public gatherings for at least three weeks after recording 8,342 daily cases.
Earlier this week, Belgium made facemasks compulsory and introduced working from home instructions.
