'Hoodwinked' before Christmas, EU nations seek to slow virus

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THE HAGUE – Nations crossed Europe took caller measures Friday successful an effort to support a COVID-19 spike from spiraling retired of control, hoping that enactment present volition safeguard the joys of Christmas adjacent month.

A spike successful cases fueled by the contagious delta variant forced governments to enactment to rein successful infections adjacent successful countries not seeing surges and wherever vaccination rates are high.

Meanwhile, the satellite connected Friday was confronted with yet different situation successful its agelong pandemic ordeal: the find of a new, perchance much transmissible COVID-19 variant recovered successful confederate Africa — which the World Health Organization connected Friday named “Omicron” nether its Greek missive system.

In Belgium, wherever a spike successful cases and infirmary admissions exceeded adjacent the worst aesculapian predictions, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo reinforced measures for the 2nd clip successful small much than a week and closed nighttime clubs, portion bars and restaurants person to unopen astatine 11 p.m. for the adjacent 3 weeks.

“We person been hoodwinked by the delta variant,” helium said.

Referring to the much than 25,000 cases a time present successful the state of 11 million, helium said: “This is unprecedented successful our country.”

Neighboring Netherlands has been struggling with the microorganism conscionable arsenic much.

Health Minister Hugo De Jonge said hospitals crossed the Netherlands person been told to upwind backmost planned surgeries and standard up acute attraction and intensive attraction beds to 1,350 nationwide to header with the rising fig of COVID patients.

The Dutch authorities tightened its lockdown Friday nighttime amid swiftly rising infections and ICU admissions, though it kept unfastened schools and universities — wherever astir students volition person to deterioration masks successful corridors betwixt lessons.

Caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that for 3 weeks starting Sunday each venues specified arsenic bars, restaurants, theaters and shops selling non-essential items volition adjacent from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. Under the existent lockdown they person to adjacent astatine 8 p.m.

“The numbers are high, higher, highest,” Rutte said of the soaring infections.

He said a sheet of experts had advised the authorities to instrumentality enactment to trim the fig of contacts betwixt radical by astatine slightest 20%.

“That means we won’t get determination with a fewer tiny tweaks. And that’s wherefore we’re present today, a week earlier than hoped, with different connection that is going to request a batch from each of us,” Rutte said.

He urged radical to enactment successful and enactment from location arsenic overmuch arsenic imaginable and extended the usage of look masks and societal distancing to screen locations wherever the country’s COVID walk is already successful use.

As Rutte spoke, a fewer twelve protesters demonstrated noisily, but peacefully, successful a adjacent street, blowing whistles and sounding sirens. Some held posters that read, successful Dutch: “It’s not right.”

In Spain and Portugal, wherever rates of infections are little than astir of Europe, authorities were besides reinstating erstwhile restrictions oregon adding caller ones.

In Spain, contempt having afloat vaccinated 79% of its 47 cardinal residents and infirmary admissions expanding astatine a slower gait than successful erstwhile surges, the mandatory usage of the alleged COVID-19 passes is becoming widespread.

In northeastern Spain’s Catalonia the passes were expected to go mandatory from Friday to participate bars, restaurants, gyms, nightclubs and nursing homes. But authorities successful the portion said they were temporarily halting the bid owed to an overwhelming fig of requests for the passes.

The Catalan wellness section said successful a connection that it had received much than 700,000 requests for the passes successful the 4 days starring to Friday. Health authorities said that implementing the mandatory passes volition beryllium reconsidered adjacent week.

In Portugal, little than 2 months aft scrapping astir of the pandemic’s tighter restrictions, the authorities connected Thursday announced it would reconstruct immoderate of the measures specified arsenic mandatory look masks successful enclosed spaces oregon the integer certificate required to participate immoderate venues. Even inoculated radical indispensable person a antagonistic trial to sojourn hospitals, aged attraction homes, sports events and bars and discos.

And successful Italy, wherever the COVID concern was nether power compared with neighbors similar Austria, mayors successful cities including Milan, Bologna, Padova and Bergamo, were imposing disguise mandates for the vacation season. New restrictions besides were expected successful Rome.

Denmark, meanwhile, said Friday that it plans to commencement offering COVID-19 vaccination shots to children from 5 to 11 years opening this play aft the European Union regulator authorized Pfizer’s vaccine for kids connected Thursday.

“Our appraisal is that by offering children successful the people group, we tin summation immunity and interruption down infection,” said Helene Probst, lawman caput of the Danish Health Authority. “We request this.”

She said Denmark is "in the midst of a historical wellness crisis.”

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Corder reported from The Hague, Netherlands. Associated Press writers Colleen Barry successful Milan, Aritz Parra successful Madrid, Barry Hatton successful Lisbon and Jan M. Olsen successful Copenhagen contributed.

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