Delta on the advance: Numbers in Italy rise significantly, China seals off Nanjing

In

, the daily number of corona infections has recently increased further. In almost all regions and autonomous provinces, the authorities had recorded growing case numbers in all age groups, according to the weekly Corona situation report of the Italian Ministry of Health in Rome on Friday. The last calculated seven-day incidence value averaged 58 cases per 100,000 inhabitants nationwide. According to the latest results, the delta variant is the most common in Italy. On Friday, the health authorities reported a little more than 6,600 new corona infections and 18 deaths related to the virus.

Because of the infection situation, the government under Prime Minister Mario Draghi decided last week to introduce restrictions from August 6th. From then on, anyone who wants to eat inside a restaurant, attend a sporting event or go to a museum needs proof of having been vaccinated against Covid-19 at least once. Anyone who can prove recovery or who has a negative corona test result that is not older than 48 hours is also allowed to enter. Opponents, restaurant owners and hotel operators in large cities have protested against the new measures in recent days. More protests are expected in the coming days. According to media reports, these are often not approved.

The

corona virus is also on the rise again

in

. A corona hotspot in the east Chinese city of Nanjing has spread to five provinces and also reached Beijing. Nanjing health authorities reported a total of 184 cases of infection on Friday, with at least 206 infections linked to the hotspot nationwide. In order to contain this, the authorities ordered exit restrictions for hundreds of thousands of people. According to the authorities, all cases are due to the more contagious Delta variant of the virus.

Hundreds of thousands are affected by lockdowns in Jiangzu Province with its capital Nanjing. In Beijing's Changping District, where two cases have been reported so far, around 41,000 people have been forced to stay in their homes. In Beijing, it is the first corona cases in six months. Beijing is pursuing a zero Covid strategy: If small clusters appear in a city or province, the affected areas are cordoned off and all residents are tested for the virus.

Meanwhile, it became known that the overwhelming proportion of Covid-19 patients treated in

hospitals are not vaccinated: Around 85 percent of Covid-19 patients in normal and intensive care units do not have a vaccination against the coronavirus, as from one official statistics published on Friday shows. In addition, 78 percent of all deaths after a corona infection are not vaccinated. In the period examined between the end of May and mid-July, only seven percent of the patients who had to be hospitalized for Covid-19 were fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.

The number of infections has skyrocketed in France in the past few weeks. The government is talking about a fourth wave, and stricter rules will apply again to contain it. A negative test or proof of vaccination or recovery must be shown in museums and cinemas. From August 9th, proof will also be compulsory for bars, restaurants and long-distance trains. In some areas, a mask requirement in the open air or early closing times apply again.

And even in the most popular holiday destination for Germans, the situation remains tense.

high incidence area

since Tuesday

, which means that everyone who has not been vaccinated or recovered has to be in quarantine for ten days after returning to Germany, which can be ended after five days at the earliest with a negative test. The corona numbers are hardly increasing any more, but remain at a high level.

Since there is no uniform nationwide regulation, the regions decide on restrictions. These must be approved by their highest regional courts. In Valencia, Catalonia, Cantabria and Navarra, there are again some nighttime bans. On the Canary Islands, which are also popular with holidaymakers, the judiciary refused to do so, while the regional government waived such a measure on Mallorca. The German federal government, on the other hand, also classifies the Principality of

from Sunday on as a high incidence area. A number of African countries that were previously virus variant areas are now considered to be such: South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Lesotho and Namibia. The Dominican Republic, which is also popular with holidaymakers, is no longer a risk area. Uruguay and Brazil remain virus variant areas.