THIRD WAVE HELL
Italy plunges into another lockdown & Paris evacuates Covid patients on planes after vaccine rollout chaos
ITALY has been plunged back into lockdown as a third Covid wave sweeps across Europe.
The French government is to evacuate patients from Paris using special planes as hospitals reach breaking point amid the chaos of the Europe's vaccine roll out.
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Germany and Poland are also seeing a surge in cases and the infection rate EU is now at its highest level since the beginning of February, with the spread of new Covid variants behind the rise.
The new wave of cases comes amid the shambles of the EU's vaccine rollout, which has been hampered by production delays, political infighting and public skepticism over the Astrazeneca jab.
As the UK appears on course to easing restrictions and vaccinating all adults by early June, the Europe appears to be heading in the opposite direction.
The Netherlands has joined Ireland in suspending use of the AstraZeneca vaccine over blood-clot fears despite the World Health Organisation saying there is no link with the jab.
It comes as:
- Hairdressers open from today in Wales as lockdown lifts but people in England will have to wait four weeks
- Brits can jet off to Turkey this summer without having Covid vaccine
- Cases will soar in Autumn despite an expert has warned.
- The Netherlands is the latest country to suspend the AstraZeneca jab
Italy recorded nearly 27,000 cases and 380 deaths on Friday as hospitals struggle to cope with rising numbers.
The country’s Prime Minister has warned Italy faces a similar situation to this time last year when it was Europe’s Covid epicentre.
“More than a year after the start of the health emergency, we are unfortunately facing a new wave of infections,” said Prime Minister Mario Draghi.
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Italy's lockdowns
Italy has now been placed under Covid lockdown restrictions for the third time.
March - May 2020
On March 8, Lombardy region together with 14 additional northern and central provinces in Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, and Marche, were put under lockdown.
The government extended the lockdown measures to the whole country two days later and by April 20 cases began to fall.
Restrictions began to be eased on May 4 and businesses including shops, bars and hairdressers opened their doors for the first time.
Churches were also allowed to hold services including at St Peter's Basilica where Pope Francis led a mass celebrating the 100th birthday of John Paul II.
October 2020 – January 2021
Cases began rising in the Autumn and it became clear the country was experiencing a second wave.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced a new lockdown, with Italy divided into three zones depending on the severity of the pandemic.
In red zones restrictions were similar to March to May’s with bars, restaurants and most shops closed with only nurseries and primary schools open.
In orange zones, restrictions include compulsory closing of restaurants but movement within the home-town territory was still allowed.
In yellow zones, the only restrictions include compulsory closing for restaurant and bar activities at 6 PM.
By December there were no regions in the red zone.
Italy began easing restrictions on February 1 and after severe curbs over the Christmas and New Year period, two-thirds of Italy was declared a yellow zone.
March 2021
On March 14 red zones were re-imposed, from Lombardy in the north to Puglia in the south, with the Lazio region around the capital Rome in between.
“The memory of what happened last spring is vivid, and we will do everything to prevent it from happening again.”
Much of the country, including the region around Rome, is now under tougher restrictions on movements outside the home with most shops closed, along with bars and restaurants.
Officials in Paris say the region may be heading towards a new lockdown as new variants of the virus fill up intensive care units and limited vaccine supplies drag down inoculation efforts.
Special medical planes have dispatched patients from the Paris area to less-saturated regions over the weekend and high speed trains will also pressed into service later this week.
“If we have to lock down, we will do it,” the head of the national health agency, Jerome Salomon, said on BFM television Sunday.
“The situation is complex, tense and is worsening in the Paris region."
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Salomon acknowledges that a nationwide 6pm curfew wasn’t enough in some regions to prevent a spike in cases.
The French government has been relying on curfews for months - along with the long-term closures of restaurants and some other businesses - to try to avoid a costly new lockdown.
In Germany 12,800 new Covid infections were reported on Friday, a rise of over 3000 from the previous week.
The country’s infectious disease agency has acknowledged that the country was now in the grip of a third wave of Covid-19.
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Intensive care doctors in Germany warned Monday that the country would need to make an "immediate return" to partial lockdown.
"From the data we currently have and with the spread of the British mutation, we would argue strongly to return immediately into a lockdown to avoid a strong third wave," Christian Karagiannidis, director of Germany's intensive care register, told broadcaster RBB.
The number of cases in the country have been rising for the last few weeks as some restrictions have been lifted.
Earlier this month, Chancellor Angela Merkel and state leaders agreed and easing of restrictions along with an “emergency brake” for a lockdown if case numbers rise above 100 per 100,000 on three consecutive days.
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Similarly in Poland, 18,789 new cases and 352 new deaths were reported, the country’s highest figure since November.
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The country has already has imposed tight restrictions on social gatherings.
Most schools are closed and restaurants can only serve meals for delivery though new restrictions are likely to be announced this week.
Dr Hilary Jones tries to reassure public as more countries pause AstraZeneca Covid vaccine use despite 'no link' to blood clots
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