Daily US Times: Amid new coronavirus cases rise, French President Emmanuel Macron has announced a second national lockdown, which will be valid until at least the end of November. The new measures are starting on Friday.
The French President said that under the new measures, people would only be allowed to leave home for essential work or medical reasons.
Non-essential businesses, such as bars and restaurants, will close, but factories and schools will remain open.
Daily Covid-19 deaths in France are at the highest level since April. The country confirmed 33,000 new cases on Tuesday.
Mr Macron said France risked being “overwhelmed by a second wave that no doubt will be harder than the first”.
Germany, another hotspot in Europe, will impose an emergency lockdown that is less severe but includes the closure of theatres, gyms and restaurants.
The Covid-19 infections are rising sharply across Europe, including the UK which announced 310 new deaths and 24,701 on Wednesday, a new officially-recorded cases.
A new study estimates almost 100,000 people are actually catching the virus every day in England, with researchers warning that “something has to change”.
Night curfews are in force in several countries to curb the spread of the virus, including for 46 million people in France.
The new national lockdown in France and other restrictions in Germany being introduced in Europe’s biggest economies led to sharp falls in the financial markets on Wednesday. Germany’s Dax dropped 4.2% and the UK’s FTSE 100 ended almost 2.6% lower, while major US indexes also sank 3.4% or more.
You may read: WHO: Europe’s daily deaths rise by nearly 40% compared with last week