France To Impose Lockdown As Second Wave Of Covid-19 Hits Europe; Will India Be Next?

France has announced a nationwide lockdown from Friday as the country comes under the grip of the second wave of Covid-19 infection. The development also puts focus on the recent spike in daily cases in Delhi.

A health worker (R) collects a swab sample from a boy to test for the Covid-19 coronavirus at a community gym centre on the outskirts of Hyderabad. (Photo by NOAH SEELAM / AFP)

New Delhi: As Europe braces for the second wave of the Covid-19 vaccine, France announced that it will enter a national lockdown starting from Friday to put control on rising numbers. "The virus is circulating at a speed that not even the most pessimistic forecasts had anticipated, Like all our neighbours, we are at the same point, overwhelmed by a second wave which will undoubtedly be harder and more deadly than the first, “said President Emmanuel Macron in a report by Xinhua news agency. For the new lockdown which will be similar to what was done in mid- March this year the only authorised reasons for stepping out of the home will be- work, medical appointment, shopping, to provide assistance, and to take the air. Several countries in Europe have recorded a sharp incline in the total cases. Germany has also imposed a partial lockdown and looking at making stricter regulations to control rising numbers. A report by IANS says that according to new rules only members of the same household plus those of an additional household with a maximum of ten people would be allowed to meet in public. Entertainment and leisure activities such as theatres, operas etc will also be prohibited In India, while the total active cases saw a decline, there has been a sharp increase in cases in the national capital Delhi. The union territory on Wednesday recorded over 5000 new cases in a day. the high numbers have been recorded for the second day in a row. On Tuesday the daily cases were 4,853. With the increase in numbers, there are fears that the city may be witnessing another wave of Covid-19 infection.