Berlin (AFP)

Hit hard by the second wave of the coronavirus epidemic, European countries are tightening their restrictions, especially Germany and Belgium on Monday, not without provoking resentment or even anger among their populations, as in Spain or Italy .

And the epidemic spares no one, not even the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced on Sunday evening that he had been placed in quarantine after being in contact with a person who tested positive for Covid-19.

The growing virus is also increasing tensions.

These could increase further this week in the Italian peninsula.

According to the local press, the government will announce on Monday a lockdown of the country's major cities, starting with Milan and Naples.

A risky bet after the clashes between the police in Rome on Saturday and protesters angry at the restrictions imposed in an attempt to stem the epidemic.

Similar incidents also erupted in Florence on Friday.

In Spain, police arrested dozens of people early on Sunday during clashes in several cities.

The biggest unrest occurred in Madrid, where many demonstrators chanted "Freedom!"

set fire to dumpsters and erected makeshift barricades on Gran Via, the main thoroughfare in the center of the capital.

The demonstrators denounced the night curfew imposed last week and the closure decreed by almost all Spanish regions.

Bitterness is also great in Germany where severe restrictions come into force on Monday.

“Sitting here in such an empty room is totally depressing and painful,” sighed Jan Brachmann, 48, on Saturday evening, bow tie around his neck and surgical mask on his face.

Along with about fifty other spectators, this bel canto enthusiast attended the "premiere" of the opera "Die Vögel" (the birds) by German composer Walter Braunfels, which nevertheless looked like "last".

Like all venues, the Munich Opera closes its doors on Monday.

- "More severe confinement" -

In Belgium, the country in the world where the coronavirus circulates the most, the government has decided on "more severe confinement" for six weeks.

All non-essential businesses will remain closed on Monday, and telecommuting is becoming the norm, wherever possible.

Prime Minister Alexander De Croo also announced the limitation of home invitations to one person and a further three-day extension of school holidays, until November 15 inclusive.

In Brussels, as elsewhere in Europe, the authorities justify this new turn of the screw by the "critical" situation in hospitals.

In France, epidemiologist Arnaud Fontanet, member of the Scientific Council which guides the government, warned that the number of hospitalizations and entries into intensive care units would "climb" over the next few days.

"We cannot prevent it," he warned on Sunday.

In this anxiety-provoking context, Prime Minister Jean Castex urged the French on Sunday to respect confinement, "essential" to get out of it as quickly as possible.

And to calm the rebellion of small traders, he announced the closure of non-essential departments in supermarkets out of equity.

"The French are complaining, the French are in difficulty" and "I understand the weariness of our fellow citizens", he assured Sunday evening.

- "Not a normal party" -

In the United Kingdom, the most bereaved country in Europe with at least 46,555 dead, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a reconfinement of England from Thursday until December 2.

Wales was already contained, and Northern Ireland in partial containment.

In Austria, "a second containment is put in place from Tuesday until the end of November", announced Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.

The country records more than 5,000 daily cases, compared to just 1,000 in early October.

In Switzerland, the city of Geneva announced Sunday the closure of bars, restaurants and non-essential shops in the face of a "severe worsening of the situation".

Wearing a mask will also be compulsory on all ski lifts in the Swiss mountains throughout the winter.

European countries are the third most affected region with 10.46 million cases, behind Latin America and the Caribbean (11.3 million) and Asia (10.57 million).

Across the planet, more than 46 million human beings have been infected, of which nearly 1.2 million have died.

The United States recorded more than 87,000 new cases on Sunday in the past 24 hours, shortly after a national record (94,000), according to the count from Johns Hopkins University.

They are the most affected country both in terms of the number of deaths (230,934) and cases (9,198,700).

In the Middle East, the Lebanese Interior Ministry announced on Sunday a national curfew from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., renewing the closure of bars and nightclubs "until further notice", as well as the total confinement imposed on 115 villages and towns for a week.

Rare good news, but for only a handful of privileged people, the Inca site of Machu Picchu, jewel of Peru's tourist sites, reopened on Sunday after nearly eight months of closure due to Covid-19.

But for health security reasons, only 675 tourists will be able to access the site each day, or 30% of the daily number of visitors before the pandemic.

burs / ob / ybl

© 2020 AFP