Europe worries the World Health Organization (WHO). She faces an increase in the number of cases "for the first time in months," said WHO Europe director Hans Kluge at a press conference broadcast online Thursday, June 25, from Copenhagen. Every day, nearly 20,000 new cases and more than 700 new deaths are recorded there.

Without naming a country or providing national figures, Hans Kluge said that in eleven of these countries, the acceleration of transmission has resulted in "a very significant upsurge which, if not controlled, will push health systems to the limit. edge of the abyss once again in Europe ".

France24 takes stock of these countries which are the subject of particular attention.

  • Germany confines itself in the west

The situation is most worrying across the Rhine. After having detected a cluster in a slaughterhouse and identified more than 1,500 people who tested positive for the new coronavirus, North Rhine-Westphalia (west) has chosen to confine two of its cantons until at least June 30. In total, over 360,000 people from Gütersloh and 280,000 from Warendorf are affected. The measure involves the strict limitation of contact between people, the closing of bars, cinemas and museums, and finally the prohibition of leisure activities in closed spaces. On the other hand, restaurants can remain open but they can only accommodate customers from the same household.

  • In Portugal, Lisbon under cover

Bad news for the Iberian Peninsula, which has so far been hailed for its management of the pandemic. As the country prepares to reopen its borders to travelers from the European Union on July 1, an increase in the number of outbreaks of Covid-19 infection has been confirmed in recent days, mainly in the Lisbon region. According to official data, between May 21 and June 21, 9,221 new cases were registered in the country, including 85% in the Lisbon region and the Tagus Valley. Since Tuesday, June 23, the Portuguese government has decided to ban any gathering of more than ten people in this area, and to close cafes and shops from 8 p.m.

  • Sleeping clusters in France , rebound in Guyana

"The epidemic situation is stable in mainland France," said the Directorate General of Health (DGS) Wednesday June 24, while recalling that the virus continues to "circulate on the territory". Currently, 82 clusters are being investigated, mainly in the Île-de-France, Occitanie, Normandie and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions, where the virus reproduction rate is 1 infected person per sick person.

No worries in schools. Two Parisian establishments were closed this week: one in the 12th arrondissement (3 cases since June), the second in the 4th (one case). But the Regional Health Agency (ARS) specifies that it is not a cluster. 

On the other hand, Guyana is experiencing a marked acceleration of the epidemic with 2,827 confirmed cases (+234 cases in 24 hours), 103 hospitalizations, 15 patients in intensive care and 9 deaths. For the moment, Overseas Minister Annick Girardin has expressed reservations about a reconfiguration.

# COVID19 #CelluleDeCrise

ℹ📝 CovidInfo of June 24

➡️ 234 cases / 773 tests ℹ 1 death

📍1 Apatou
📍180 ile de Cayenne
📍19 Kourou
📍5 Mana
📍15 Macouria
📍14 SLM

Reinforcements for the hospital unit campaign arrive today. Thank you @SecCivileFrance # TousMobilisés pic.twitter.com/Fy8R22co5k

- Prefect of the Guyana region (@ Prefet973) June 24, 2020

  • Heat causes fear of second wave in UK

The heat wave that hit Europe, including the UK with a record 35.9 degrees in June, prompted the British to hit the beaches en masse on Thursday, June 25. As a result, the local authorities had to call on the police to enforce social distancing rules. The city council of the southern seaside town of Bournemouth has declared a "major incident", triggering a coordinated response from the police and rescue services. He deplored an "irresponsible" and "shocking" attitude.

Piles of rubbish were left strewn across a park and the beach was packed as crowds flocked to Bournemouth during the hot weather.

Get the latest news here: https://t.co/TucfRtr2aJ pic.twitter.com/46GRYL5zx7

- SkyNews (@SkyNews) June 25, 2020

The day before, British health professionals had expressed their concern about a possible resurgence of contamination in an open letter to the British Medical Journal. They called for a "constructive" and "non-partisan" commission, which would assess areas of weakness "where urgent measures are needed".

  • In Italy, hotbeds of contamination in Bologna and Rome

The Italian health authorities have called for "caution" following "warning signals" revealing a still significant circulation of the virus. In a depot in the city of Bologna (center), used by a transport and delivery company, 46 cases, 44 of which were asymptomatic, were identified among the staff, according to local press. The depot was closed. Two weeks ago, two sources of contamination also appeared in Rome .

  • Discos closed in Catalonia

"The pandemic in Ibiza: how the night world collapsed", headlined the daily El Mundo on June 18. A week after authorizing the reopening of the nightclubs, the regional government reversed its decision. Nightclubs in Barcelona and the surrounding area are forced to close during the summer. Only people who already know each other are allowed to dance and only in restaurants or hotels. Objective: reduce the risk of contagion when tourists arrive.

"We want to dance," protested the Barcelona nightclubs. "A nightclub without dancing is like an opera without music or a restaurant without food," said general secretary of the Barcelona discotheque union, Ramon Mas, during an appearance in the regional parliament.

Ramón Mas, Presidente de España de Noche y Secretario General del Gremi de discoteques de Barcelona, ​​during the sesión de esta mañana en el Parlament: “Queremos abrir, queremos bailar y queremos trabajar" https://t.co/qQEPSGa6Zf pic.twitter .com / P5ZJiUJG1c

- España de Noche (@espana_denoche) June 23, 2020

The country has reopened its borders and lifted all restrictions on the movement of travelers. It is always mandatory to maintain a distance of at least 1.5 meters between people or to wear a mask when this is not possible.

  • The Balkan cluster

Novak Djokovic has been making the headlines since the start of the week for hosting a tennis tournament in the Balkans, which has helped spread the virus. The world number one tennis player, his wife, and three other players (the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, the Croatian Borna Coric and the Serbian Viktor Troicki) tested positive.

Started in Belgrade in a crowded stadium, the Adria Tour continued to Zadar in Croatia. These charity matches quickly turned into an unbridled party, without any physical distancing, on the courts, in the stands and outside the stadiums. Photos and videos notably illustrated players' festive evenings in restaurants and nightclubs.

View this post on Instagram

❌ CANCELADO! Assim como já era esperado, depois da confirmação dos casos de Covid-19, as duas etapas remaining do Adria Tour, series of torneios de exibição promovidas por Novak Djokovic foram cancelados! As cidades de Banja Luka e Sarajevo seriam as agraciadas com a prova. #SET #SomosTenis #AdriaTour

A post shared by Somos Tenis (@somostenisbra) on Jun 23, 2020 at 8:05 am PDT

In recent days, the Balkan countries have recorded a higher contamination rate, with nearly 200 new cases per day in North Macedonia. Croatia, faced with an increase of up to 30 cases a day last week, has reinstated the 14-day quarantine - lifted in late May - for travelers from the Balkans. In Slovenia, the wearing of masks has been reimposed in places and public transport.

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