Italy and France recorded, Sunday, October 25, new records of coronavirus contamination in a Europe which is pitching in the face of the second wave of the pandemic.

This resumption of the pandemic forces to impose new turns of screw, as in Spain where a curfew was established on Sunday. 

At the global level, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Sunday that it recorded a new world record for contamination by the coronavirus on Saturday for the third day in a row, the northern hemisphere being particularly affected.

According to WHO global statistics, 465,319 cases were confirmed on Saturday, up from 449,720 on Friday and 437,247 on Thursday.

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Faced with a health situation deemed "extreme", Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced on Sunday the establishment of a state of health emergency until early May, and a curfew throughout the country of 23 hours at 6 a.m., with the exception of the Canary Islands.

This is the second state of emergency declared in Spain, after the one established in March to counter the first wave of the pandemic and which lasted until June. 

This country passed the milestone of one million Covid-19 cases this week and is facing a seemingly uncontrollable upsurge in the pandemic.

The death toll is close to 35,000.

In France, a new record of daily cases 

The curfew has already been implemented in several European countries, including part of France, where there too, the epidemic has broken a new record with 52,010 new cases in 24 hours for a total of 34,761 deaths since the start. of the epidemic.

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In Italy, three regions have adopted it in recent days, those of Rome, Lazio, Milan, Lombardy and Naples, and Campania.

At least two others, Piedmont and Sicily, will follow suit this week.

Because the pandemic is not weakening in the first European country to have been severely affected in the spring.

Before a new record of contaminations announced Sunday (21,273 new cases in 24 hours, for a total of more than 525,000 cases and 37,000 deaths) - the government had to tighten the screw again. 

Cinemas, theaters, gyms and swimming pools will close from Monday until November 24.

Bars and restaurants will have to stop serving after 6 p.m., and 75% of classes in high schools and universities will be held online.

Tightening of the curfew in Belgium

In Belgium, the Brussels authorities have decided to advance the curfew imposed in the country to 10 p.m.

Stores will close at 8 p.m. and cultural and sporting activities will be banned from Monday.

In Switzerland, the Geneva University Hospitals have appealed to medical students and recently retired medical staff to come and help treat Covid-19 cases.

They fear, in fact, that they will be "much more numerous" than in the spring. 

Several eastern countries, where the situation is also deteriorating, imposed new measures on Saturday.

The entire territory of Poland has passed into the "red zone", which means many restrictions.

In Bulgaria, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov announced on Sunday that he had tested positive for the new coronavirus, in the midst of the resurgence of the pandemic.

With AFP

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