March 2020. Walls are being raised and mass quarantines enforced across Europe to combat the spread of the coronavirus, with Germany the latest to partly seal its borders, banning entrants from France, Switzerland and Austria from Monday. More than 100 million people across the continent are on lockdown after Spain announced it would follow Italy in confining citizens to their homes for 15 days unless they had to buy food or medicine, go to work or seek medical treatment. Spain’s death toll from the Covid-19 virus doubled on Sunday to 288 with more than 8,000 infections reported, the second-worst rates after Italy, where more than 1,400 people have died and more than 21,000 are sick. Italy announced a record one-day death toll of 368 on Sunday. German media outlets said three of the country’s key borders would be closed amid more than 4,500 coronavirus cases and at least nine deaths, with exceptions made for cargo and commuters. Neighbouring countries Denmark, the Czech Republic and Poland have closed their borders to tourists. Austria said gatherings of more than five people would be banned from Monday, part of a wave of restrictions across the continent the World Health Organization says has become the “epicentre” of the outbreak. Non-essential shops would be closed along with restaurants, bars, playgrounds and sports venues, the Austrian chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, announced, warning that the next weeks would be “challenging, difficult and painful”. More than 800 people have been infected out of a population of 8.8 million and one person has died. Vienna has banned anyone entering from the UK, the Netherlands, Ukraine and Russia.
Mar 2020. Coronavirus World Lockdown Part 3
