European countries continue to increase restrictive measures to fight against the second wave of Covid-19.

Thus, Portugal establishes Monday, November 9 a state of health emergency, accompanied by a curfew in most of the country, and Romania is also taking new draconian measures.

As everywhere else in Europe, contaminations record a worrying increase in Portugal: since the beginning of October, their daily number has increased from 2,000 to 6,000. From Monday, a "ban on traffic on public roads" applies in the 121 municipalities where approximately 70% of the Portuguese live.

A nighttime curfew, which will begin at 1 p.m. during the weekend, comes into effect.

A nighttime curfew, as well as the compulsory wearing of masks outdoors and the ban on public and private parties, also comes into force on Monday in Romania, which is approaching the threshold of 10,000 new cases per day and deplores 7,540 deaths since the start of the epidemic.

"The measures adopted so far are no longer enough, additional measures are necessary" because "too many deaths have been recorded", declared Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, while the country's hospitals are on the verge of asphyxiation.

More than 12.5 million cases have been recorded in Europe, where restrictions over the second wave are causing outbursts of anger in several countries.

Leipzig, Germany, was the scene of violence on Saturday between the police and "anti-mask" demonstrators, denounced by the political class.

Partial confinement in Hungary

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, so far reluctant to toughen measures to fight the second wave of the pandemic, announced on Monday a partial containment from Wednesday. 

Gatherings will be banned, restaurants closed, cultural and leisure events canceled and the curfew extended from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., Viktor Orban said in a video posted on Facebook.

These restrictions, which have yet to be approved by Parliament, are in place for a minimum period of 30 days.

In Switzerland, the army mobilized reservists on Sunday to try to deal with the second wave of Covid-19 in hospitals. 

Greece, for its part, introduced a second lockdown on Saturday, following in the footsteps of France, England, Ireland and part of Italy.

With AFP

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