Europe faces its second covid Christmas with lockdowns, cancellations and rising cases | Washington Post - Perry Stein & Rick Noack:
December 23, 2021 - "[W]ith the Netherlands in a national lockdown once more, ... [t]he mood in much of Europe reflects hopes briefly glimpsed — and then dashed. As in the United States, new cases of the omicron variant are quickly overtaking previously dominant delta variant. But many European governments have gone further than the United States in reimposing curfews, closures and travel restrictions. Ireland is shutting pubs at 8 p.m. Greece, Italy and Spain have reintroduced outdoor mask mandates. In Austria, people without proof of vaccination or covid-19 recovery can leave home only for essential reasons....
"Britain’s National Health Service reported Thursday that staff absences due to covid were up 50 percent from the previous week. Transport for London announced it was closing a Tube line until the end of the year over a lack of drivers. And the education secretary is calling for former teachers to return to classrooms, in anticipation of omicron-related staff shortages in January....
"Covid health passes — documenting vaccination, recovery or a recent negative test — have become routine in much of Europe and helped boost vaccination rates. Some countries are now tightening the rules: adding a booster requirement, dropping testing as an alternative. Italy on Thursday said unvaccinated people would no longer be able to partake in the ritual of having an espresso at a cafe counter.
"Announcing that the French government intends to add more restrictions for the unvaccinated, Prime Minister Jean Castex lamented that hospital intensive care units 'are filled for the most part with unvaccinated people.' France has seen a problem with fake vaccination cards, too. Carole Ichai, a senior official at a hospital in Nice in southern France, said about 30 percent of patients in her hospital’s intensive care unit last week had counterfeit vaccination certificates....
"The Netherlands has the most all-encompassing restrictions at this point, with all but essential shops shut until at least Jan. 14. The sense that the worst of the pandemic is back may be most acute here.... In Amsterdam, the canalboats are docked. Dam Square is empty. Stores that were counting on strong Christmas sales are instead sending products back to their wholesalers, knowing they stand no chance of selling them now.... Some tourists, stuck with nonrefundable tickets, arrived in the city anyway this week but were disappointed they could no longer go to museums, restaurants or the famed Christmas markets....
"The restrictions across Europe have ruined yet another much-needed tourism season, said French travel agency operator Marie Vendroux-Deppe, who works with U.S. travelers. Most of her clients canceled their trips in the past few days, and now she doesn’t expect a return to normal until 2023."
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/12/23/covid-europe-lockdown-netherlands/
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