Nations across Europe are taking new measures in an attempt to keep a COVID-19 spike from spiraling out of control, hoping that action now will safeguard the joys of Christmas next month.
A spike in cases fueled by the contagious delta variant forced governments to act to rein in infections even in countries not seeing surges and where vaccination rates are high.
The Dutch government tightened its lockdown Friday night amid swiftly rising infections and ICU admissions, although it kept open schools and universities — where most students will have to wear masks in corridors between lessons. He urged people to stay in and work from home as much as possible and extended the use of face masks and social distancing to cover locations where the country’s COVID pass is already in use.
In Spain, despite having fully vaccinated 79% of its 47 million residents and hospital admissions increasing at a slower pace than in previous surges, the mandatory use of the so-called COVID-19 passes is becoming widespread. In Portugal, less than two months after scrapping most of the pandemic’s tighter restrictions, the government on Thursday announced it would restore some of the measures such as mandatory face masks in enclosed spaces or the digital certificate required to enter some venues. Even inoculated people must have a negative test to visit hospitals, elderly care homes, sports events and bars and discos.
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