How the "City Lockdown Order" Will Expire How to Safely Pass Christmas,
Many European Countries Start to Work out the Latest Epidemic Prevention and Control Plan for Christmas and New Year
Affected by the new crown pneumonia epidemic, France is still in the country's "closed city" stage, and shopping malls have not yet reopened for business.
However, as a "traditional project" for Christmas, the Christmas window has arrived as scheduled, adding a festive atmosphere to the city. Photo courtesy of Xinhua News Agency
Many European countries began to implement the "cities closure order" in early November to curb the second wave of the new crown epidemic.
Now that the month-long "cities lockdown" is about to expire, many countries have begun to formulate the latest epidemic prevention and control plans for Christmas and New Year.
Worried that the epidemic would break out during the holiday season, British and Italian officials even directly shouted to the public.
The number of new cases in France has decreased recently, and the second "closure of the city" has shown results.
The French government spokesperson said on the 22nd that the government is considering lifting the "lockdown" in three stages.
French President Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to give a national televised speech on the epidemic on the 24th and may announce a plan to unblock it.
United Kingdom
Implementation of "enhanced" three-level COVID-19 alert system
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on the 23rd that an "enhanced" three-level new crown epidemic alert system will be implemented in England after the "closed city" ends on December 2.
The British government announced on the 22nd that the government is considering relaxing epidemic prevention measures within 5 days during the Christmas period, but has not announced the details of the plan so far.
The media predicts that people will concentrate on traveling on the first day when restrictions are relaxed, increasing the pressure on public transportation to prevent epidemics.
In an interview with BBC Television on the 24th, British Transport Secretary Grant Sharps called on people to travel cautiously during Christmas.
"I want to be honest and honest. We have to ask everyone to carefully study the travel plan and think about the route (is it safe)."
Germany
It is proposed to allow gatherings of up to 10 people
After discussion on the evening of the 23rd, the governors of the 16 federal states in Germany reached an agreement and proposed a draft, hoping to allow gatherings of up to 10 people during the Christmas and New Year holidays, so that family and friends can get together.
The governors are scheduled to discuss the draft with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the 25th.
Two of the governors said that the governors reached a broad consensus that they could "tighten first and then loosen" and implement the "closure order" before December 20 to curb the epidemic, and then relatively loosen restrictions so that people can reunite on Christmas.
In addition, according to the draft, in order to avoid crowds, it is prohibited to set off fireworks in public places such as parks on New Year’s Eve.
Italy
Call on people not to go skiing during the Christmas season
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte called on the public not to go skiing during the Christmas season.
There are many ski resorts in northern Italy, and the annual income of the ski resort industry is 11 billion euros, one third of which comes from the numerous ski resorts and supporting hotels in the Alps and Dolomites from Christmas to New Year holidays.
Conte said that this year's situation "does not allow skiing for the holidays, and we cannot afford (the consequences)".
Italy's cumulative number of deaths from the new crown exceeded 50,000 on the 23rd, becoming the sixth country in the world and the second in Europe to break this number.
In order to save themselves, some regions in northern Italy have jointly drafted provisions to limit the number of passengers taking the same ski lift and the number of admission tickets issued daily.
Conte worries that despite such a clause, "everything will get out of control when people go to the snow on a holiday."
France
Lift the anti-epidemic blockade in three stages
Although the epidemic "still exists", French President Emmanuel Macron announced on the 24th that the second wave of the new crown epidemic "peak has ended", and the country will lift the anti-epidemic blockade measures in three stages from November 28.
Macron said in a national television speech that the current epidemic prevention measures "have slowed the spread of the new crown virus."
According to government regulations, the first phase of "unblocking" began on November 28. Specific measures include the resumption of business under the premise of anti-epidemic measures; the daily travel range of the people has been expanded from 1 km to 20 km near the residence, and the time is from 1 hour. Extend to 3 hours, but still need to bring travel certificate.
From December 15th, if the number of newly diagnosed cases in a single day in the country falls below 5,000, it will enter the second phase of "unblocking". Measures include the reopening of cinemas, theaters, museums and other places, but every day from 21:00 to the next day A curfew is implemented at 7 o'clock.
Starting from January 20 next year, if the number of new confirmed cases per day remains below 5,000, the third phase of "unblocking" will be implemented. Measures include the reopening of stadiums and restaurants, the lifting of curfews, and the full resumption of middle schools.
The epidemic data released by the French health department on the 24th showed that the country has a total of 2,153,815 confirmed cases of new crowns, with 9,155 new cases in the past 24 hours; a total of 50,237 deaths, and 1,005 new cases in the past 24 hours.
The current number of new cases in a single day is still far from the target of 5,000 cases, but it is a significant drop from the 40,000 to 50,000 cases added in a single day before the "closed city".
Macron said that on December 24th on Christmas Eve and December 31st on New Year's Eve, people can travel without curfew, but this year’s holiday "will undoubtedly be different from before."
He called on the people to continue to abide by the epidemic prevention regulations and "make every effort to avoid the third wave of epidemics and the third'closed city'".
French government officials previously said that after the first "closure of the city" was lifted in the first half of the year, the people ignored the epidemic prevention regulations such as maintaining social distancing, leading to a violent rebound of the domestic new crown epidemic.
In order to curb the second wave of the epidemic, France will once again implement a nationwide "closed city" from October 30th for a period of one month. Measures include prohibiting all non-essential travel.
In addition, Macron announced that the government will start a non-compulsory vaccination plan for the new crown vaccine from the end of December to early January next year, giving priority to vaccinating the elderly and other high-risk groups.
At the same time, the government will improve the new coronavirus detection system, and strive to allow people to get results within 24 hours.
Epidemic data
Nearly 1.2 million children in the U.S. are infected with COVID-19
A new report jointly issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics and Children’s Hospital Association shows that since the outbreak of the new crown, nearly 1.2 million children in the United States have been diagnosed with the new crown virus.
Recently, the number of child infections in the United States has increased rapidly, with more than 140,000 new cases in a week.
This report counts the children's new crown infections announced across the United States.
Data as of November 19 shows that the United States has reported a total of 1,183,609 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in children, accounting for 11.8% of the total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19, and about 1,573 infections per 100,000 children.
During the week from November 12th to 19th, there were 144,145 new confirmed cases of pediatric new crown in the United States.
This is the largest increase in the number of confirmed cases of new crowns among children since the outbreak.
In the two weeks from November 5 to 19, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in children increased by about 28%.
The data also shows that in the United States, hospitalized children with new crowns account for 1.2% to 3.1% of the total number of hospitalized cases of new crowns in the state, and deaths from children with new crowns account for less than 0.23% of the total number of new crown deaths in the state.
Data released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the 24th showed that 157,531 new confirmed cases of new crowns and 1,058 new deaths were reported across the United States on the 23rd.
This is the 16th consecutive day that the number of newly confirmed cases in the United States has exceeded 100,000 in a single day.
The average daily increase in the number of confirmed cases in the United States in the past seven days has recently continued to rise, and currently exceeds 170,000 cases, a record high since the outbreak.
Statistics from Johns Hopkins University in the United States show that as of the evening of the 24th Eastern Time, the cumulative number of confirmed cases of new crown in the United States exceeded 12.55 million, and the cumulative number of deaths was nearly 260,000.
Brazil adds 30,000 confirmed new crown cases
The latest data released by the Brazilian Ministry of Health at 18:30 on the 24th shows that in the past 24 hours, Brazil has newly confirmed 31,100 new cases of new crown, with a total of 6,118,708 confirmed; 630 new deaths, with a total of 170,115 deaths; and a total of 5,476,018 cured cases.
Brazilian media quoted data from Imperial College London on the 24th. From the end of September to the end of October, the basic number of new coronavirus infections in Brazil was less than 1. Since November, it has risen to more than 1. The current rate is 1.3, which is May. The highest value since the 24th means that each infected person can infect 1.3 people on average.
The basic infection number continues to be below 1, and the epidemic may gradually dissipate.
Researchers from several public universities in Brazil said in a joint epidemic report on the 23rd that Brazil is ushering in a second wave of epidemics. At least three factors have led to the explosive increase in the number of confirmed cases or the continued large-scale spread of the virus, that is, the lack of a system. Virus testing and case tracking lacked a nationally coordinated, clear and effective anti-epidemic policy, and the quarantine policy was relaxed without a basis and careful evaluation by experts.
According to data from the Brazilian Ministry of Health on the 24th, Sao Paulo State is the most severely affected state, with more than 1.2 million confirmed cases and more than 40,000 deaths.
The cumulative confirmed cases in Minas Gerais, Bahia, Rio de Janeiro and other states all exceeded 300,000.
According to data released by the World Health Organization on the 24th, Brazil's cumulative number of confirmed cases currently ranks third in the world, second only to the United States and India; the cumulative number of deaths ranks second in the world, second only to the United States.
impact of the epidemic
Many ski resorts in Europe may be closed during the Christmas season
Affected by the new crown epidemic, French President Emmanuel Macron announced on the 24th that French winter sports venues will not be open until the end of this year.
Many ski resorts in Italy and Germany may also be closed before the end of this year.
France plans to lift existing anti-epidemic measures in phases from the 28th.
However, Macron said that the government has communicated with operators that French winter sports venues are “unlikely to reopen for the holiday at the end of the year”.
Under the premise of easing the epidemic and coordinating with other European countries, French winter sports venues may reopen in January next year.
Italy is rich in skiing resources, but the government urges people not to ski during the Christmas season.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said in an interview with La7 TV on the 23rd that the situation this year does not allow ski vacations, "we can't afford (the consequences)."
The president of the Veneto region of Italy, Luca Zaya, called for the closure of ski resorts within the European Union.
This initiative was supported by the Governor of Bavaria, Germany, Marcus Zeder.
He hoped that Europe would "promulgate a mutual agreement" to close ski resorts, "either close ski resorts or not take (Christmas) holidays".
Closing ski resorts during the Christmas season may cause huge economic losses.
Deutsche News Agency quoted news from the office of Austrian Finance Minister Gernot Brummel that Austria would lose 2.4 billion euros (approximately 18.8 billion yuan) in revenue if the ski resort was closed for three weeks during the Christmas season.
Brummel said that if the EU wants to close the ski resort, it must compensate 80% of the "loss".
Danish culling of mink affects British Christmas trees
In order to prevent the spread of the mutated new crown virus, Denmark has strictly controlled exports. The UK has also tightened the entry policy of trucks to Denmark. As a result, the import of Caucasus fir from Denmark for Christmas trees has been affected, resulting in a shortage of Christmas trees in the UK.
The British "Metro Daily" reported on the 24th that the average annual sales of British Christmas trees is about 10 million, of which about 3 million are imported and about 1 million are from Denmark.
The Caucasus fir from Denmark has become a "good heart" for the British because of its dense branches and the needles that last for several weeks.
However, Chris Bonnett, the founder of the well-known British gardening supplier "GardenExpress.com", said that because Denmark has stepped up its control over merchandise exports, Christmas trees "will be in short supply."
He said, "If Denmark does not immediately lift the control measures, many Danish suppliers will stop supplying" Christmas trees.
Bonnett said that at the end of 2019, he and his colleagues predicted that there would be a shortage of Christmas trees in the coming year. The reason was that the United Kingdom left the European Union. It was unexpected that the shortage this year was caused by the epidemic.
Heather Parry, manager of the British Christmas Tree Growers Association, said that Britain’s “Brexit” and the new crown epidemic, including the phenomenon of “mink transmission of the new crown virus” in Denmark, have affected British imported Christmas trees. “The speed of customs clearance is much slower than in previous years.” The vast majority of Christmas trees sold in the UK this year come from the UK.
In Denmark, there have been a number of cases in which the mutated new crown virus was transmitted to humans by farmed mink in recent months, raising concerns that the new crown virus variant may affect the effectiveness of the vaccine.
Earlier this month, the Danish government decided to culminate all farmed minks, up to 17 million.
This edition text/Xinhua News Agency