BERLIN – Europe grappled with resurgent coronavirus infections yesterday, as Germany considered extending restrictions into April and EU leaders abandoned plans to attend a summit on the pandemic.
Thousands of protesters angry at Covid-19 restrictions rallied in cities across Europe over the weekend, even as several nations reimposed partial lockdowns to fight new surges in infections.
A memo from several of Germany’s regions, seen by AFP, said the country’s partial lockdown should be extended into April because of rising infection rates driven by variants.
Travel needed to be cut to a minimum, with quarantines and negative tests required for those re-entering Germany, the memo warned, with media reports suggesting the current restrictions could be extended until April 18.
The prospect of further curbs will infuriate the thousands of protesters who marched against existing restrictions in the Germany city of Kassel on Saturday.
Police there used water cannon, batons and pepper spray to disperse the crowds, which they estimated to number up to 20,000.
Protesters also marched in Amsterdam, Vienna, the Bulgarian capital Sofia, and Switzerland over the weekend.
In the southern city of Marseille, around 6,500 people took part in a carnival parade, flouting the new restrictions that came into force this weekend to try to stem surging infection numbers.
Meanwhile, Britain yesterday warned the EU over its threat to halt exports of AstraZeneca’s vaccines, in a row that has heightened post-Brexit tensions between London and Brussels.
Anglo-Swedish pharma giant AstraZeneca has delivered only 30% of the 90 million doses it promised the EU for the first quarter, infuriating European leaders and complicating the continent’s already struggling vaccination drive.
Brussels has accused London of operating its own de facto export ban to achieve its vaccine success, a claim furiously denied by the British government. – AFP, March 22, 2021
