Major European nations France, Germany and Spain announced tougher infection control measures yesterday, joining the ranks of countries battling an increase of coronavirus cases.
France expanded a mask-wearing order across capital Paris, while Germany trialled a €50 ($59) fine for those caught without a mask where it is compulsory and said fans may have to stay away from sports stadiums until at least December.
Madrid said that children as young as six will be required to cover their nose and mouth at Spanish schools, while Britain reversed earlier guidance that pupils aged 11-18 did not need to wear masks.
“The use of masks will be mandatory in general from the age of six, even if social distance is maintained,” Education Minister Isabel Celaa told a news conference ahead of schools’ reopening next month.
Spain’s 17 regional governments, which are responsible for healthcare and education, have in recent days outlined a patchwork of different measures, leading critics to charge there was a lack of co-ordination.
The northern region of Cantabria’s requirement for children as young as three to wear masks sparked particular controversy.
As well as mask-wearing, pupils will also have to maintain a social distance of 1.5m (five feet) from each other, Celaa said, except for young children who will be allowed to mix only with their classmates but not with outsiders.
Other measures include requiring children to wash their hands at least five times a day, regularly ventilating classrooms, and taking pupils’ temperature.
The goal is for children return to schools instead of having online lessons as they did at the end of the last school term due to the pandemic.
“We aim for all students to be present,” Celaa said.
Countries worldwide are struggling to balance the need for populations to get back to work and study with keeping cases under control – fearing above all a return to draconian lockdowns.
The pandemic has killed more than 826,000 people worldwide since surfacing in China late last year, and more than 24mn infections have been recorded.
While travel has been blamed in part for the rise in cases in Europe, attempts to salvage at least some of the vital tourist trade across Europe were not enough for Paris.
Fourteen million fewer tourists explored the French capital in the first six months of 2020 compared to last year, Ile-de-France (Paris region) president Valerie Pecresse said.
“We have seen the pandemic shatter an extremely dynamic and flourishing sector,” he added.
The impact has been felt by global businesses tied to travel, with aircraft engine maker Rolls Royce losing £5.4bn ($7.1bn) in January-June, while Air New Zealand lost $300mn over its full financial year.
Adding to a growing list of country-by-country travel restrictions, Britain said yesterday that it would require arrivals from the Czech Republic, Switzerland and Jamaica to quarantine themselves from tomorrow.
Outlining tougher restrictions yesterday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that “we are calling on people to avoid travel to risk areas wherever possible”.
Paris is one of the hardest-hit regions in France, where official figures released in France on Wednesday showed more than 5,400 confirmed new cases in just 24 hours – the highest level since May.
Even with the French capital’s mask requirement, Prime Minister Jean Castex has warned a new lockdown cannot be ruled out even if the government will do its best to avoid one.
In Brussels, meanwhile, European Commission trade boss Phil Hogan had to step down, faced with a public outcry after he admitted to breaching Ireland’s coronavirus restrictions.
Economies have picked up generally since April-June, though there are concerns that the recovery appears to be slowing faced with mounting cases.
Hopes for economic revival are partly pinned on the development of a vaccine, which companies and governments worldwide are racing to develop.
from Gulf Times https://ift.tt/2YF7Kg5
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