The Spanish government has warned that the country could be facing a “third wave” of Covid-19 infections and announced the first round of vaccinations will begin on 27 December.
The warning came as Italy prepared to outline new restrictions that could lead to the country going into complete lockdown over the Christmas and new year period, and France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, continued to self-isolate after testing positive for the virus.
Although the infection rate in Spain had dropped over recent weeks, it is creeping up once more, with the number of cases per 100,000 people passing the 200 mark on Wednesday. ...
Media reports in Italy suggest the government is considering placing the whole country under “red-zone” lockdown on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and then again between 31 December and 3 January.
Concerns that festivities could trigger a rise in infections also mean the country could again go into lockdown on 5 and 6 January, when Italy celebrates the feast of the Epiphany. Another option is an uninterrupted lockdown between 24 December and 6 January....
On Thursday, the Portuguese government said an overnight curfew, beginning at 11pm, would come into force on New Year’s Eve.
“We have to totally cut out the New Year celebrations,” said the prime minister, António Costa, adding that people would not be allowed to leave their homes between 1pm and 5am from 1 to 3 January.
Portugal has recorded 362,616 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 5,902 deaths.
In France, President Emmanuel Macron remains in self-isolation in the official presidential residence at La Lanterne at Versailles after testing positive for Covid-19.
Gabriel Attal, the government spokesperson, said Macron had “real symptoms … a cough, a fever and [he] is very fatigued”. ...
A source told AFP it was thought Macron was infected while attending a European summit in Brussels last week during which he spent 20 hours with other European leaders, including a “working dinner … and a night of negotiations”. ...
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