Spain Extends Lockdown For 6 Months, A Look At Countries Recoiling After Fresh Wave Of Coronavirus

In a bid to stem the fresh wave of the coronavirus epidemic, countries including Germany, France, Spain, and several European countries have imposed fresh regulations. Check the list here.

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Coronavirus: The world is facing a fresh wave of Coronavirus and many countries have started to take stricter measures to curb the rise of the pandemic again. In a recent update, the Spanish government declared an extension of 6 months of medical emergency across the territory. Also Read|France Terror Attack: Another Shocking Knife Attack At Church, Woman Beheaded, 2 Others Killed | See First Visuals Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's minority leftist government on Sunday declared an initial 15-day state of emergency and the extension approved by lawmakers means it will now run until May 9th. Under the state of emergency, Spain's 17 regional governments, which are in charge of health, can impose measures to restrict people's mobility, such as nighttime curfews and closing their borders Stricter restrictions in Spain. The measure should legally enable the Spanish authorities to impose stricter restrictions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. “The situation we are experiencing is extreme,” Sanchez said in a televised address after an extraordinary cabinet meeting. Spain passed the milestone of one million COVID-19 cases this week and is facing a resurgence of the epidemic that seems out of control. While Spain undergoes lockdown again there are more countries that have already announced fresh lockdown to handle the surge of Covid cases. Europe has been witnessing a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and fearing its spread during the winter season. The World Health Organisation (WHO) had said that Europe is reporting more than 1.3 million new cases, and the threat of further spikes in COVID cases looms during the winter season this year. The UK reported 367 new deaths from coronavirus on Tuesday, which is the highest daily total since the end of May, and a further 22,885 new cases. Also Watch|Spain: Health Emergency implemented for 6 months as COVID-19 cases increase Germany: Germany will implement tighter COVID-19 restrictions with the fresh spike of coronavirus cases. Effective from November 2, Germany will go into the second lockdown as a massive second wave of coronavirus infections threatened to overwhelm Europe. Reports inform that 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 would be largely prohibited throughout Germany as theaters, operas, and concert venues would have to close until the end of the month. France:

French President Emmanuel Macron announced that the country will go into national lockdown starting from Friday to curb the second wave of the coronavirus epidemic. Macron ordered France to go back into a national lockdown, like in mid-March. For the new lockdown, the only authorized out-of-home trips will be "to go to work, to a medical appointment, to provide assistance, to go shopping, or to take the air," said Macron.

Macron said 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", he said. France was in a national lockdown from March 17 to May 11 to contain the spread of the virus.

Australia

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has urged to develop of alternatives to large-scale lockdowns to deal with future coronavirus outbreaks in the country. On Tuesday, Morrison delivered a direct plea to unshackle the country's economy from lockdowns and border closures, Xinhua reported. "Borders and lockdowns are not demonstration or evidence of success," he told the Parliament.

Italy

Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte imposed strict restrictions after the country recorded a surge in COVID-19 cases. With the new restrictions in place, theatres, cinemas, gyms, and swimming pools will remain closed as per the new rules, which will remain in place till November 24. Gatherings for funerals have been banned.

London

London, which has over 9 million people, will enter a tighter coronavirus lockdown from midnight on Friday as Prime Minister Boris Johnson seeks to tackle a swiftly accelerating second coronavirus wave.

Switzerland

In Switzerland, face masks have been made mandatory across the country. Amid the surge of coronavirus cases, a gathering of more than 15 people is not allowed in public places, where private events can allow 100 people to gather at most.

The world is struggling and taking efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic. Several countries including Germany, France, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States are racing to find a vaccine. On October 19, the WHO said there were 198 COVID-19 candidate vaccines being developed worldwide, and 44 of them were in clinical trials.