France: Coronavirus: French President Emmanuel Macron extends lockdown nationwide

rench President Emmanuel Macron ordered a third lockdown across the countryon Wednesday as a fresh wave of coronavirus infections looks set to overrun its hospitals.

Speaking in a televised address, Macron said the British variant was creating "a pandemic inside a pandemic" that was more "contagious" and "more deadly."

Read more at: Coronavirus: French President Emmanuel Macron extends lockdown nationwide | News | DW | 31.03.2021

EU: New corona-strain already in EU, as UK locked off

A new, more contagious strain of Covid-19 is already in the EU, with Sweden closing its border to Denmark, on top of a UK cordon sanitaire.

"The new mutated virus has also been confirmed in Denmark and some other countries," Swedish home affairs minister Mikael Damberg said on Monday (21 December), announcing the border closure.

Read more at New corona-strain already in EU, as UK locked off

The Netherlands: New coronavirus measures likely in Amsterdam, The Hague, prime minister says

New measures to combat the spread of coronavirus are very likely to be introduced in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague after the weekend, prime minister Mark Rutte said at his weekly press conference on Friday.

The situation in much of the country is worrying, and eight new regions are being added to the list of six areas which are already in special measures, Rutte said. But the situation in the Randstad area is of great concern, he said: ‘We are also in talks with the mayors of the three cities and have asked our Outbreak Management Team to give extra advice on Monday about what is necessary to stop the spread of the virus there.’

 He declined to say if this could include a lockdown in the three big cities. It is not just about the measures, Rutte said. ‘It is about our behaviour; it is about keeping to the rules.’

‘What I would say to the people of my city, The Hague, Rotterdam and Amsterdam is to ask what you can do to reduce the risk,’ Rutte said. ‘The impact on healthcare and hospitals is serious and further measures will also have an impact on our economy.’

Read more: 
New coronavirus measures likely in Amsterdam, The Hague, prime minister says - DutchNews.nl

Spain: Catalonia places 200,000 people under coronavirus lockdown

Spain's northeastern Catalonia region on Saturday locked down an area with around 200,000 residents near the town of Lerida following a surge in cases of the new coronavirus.

Read more at:
Catalonia places 200,000 people under coronavirus lockdown - The Local

US Economy: Dow Jones Collapses Because New York Is Now Wuhan - by Ben Brown

Wuhan in China went into complete lockdown after 500 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus Covid-19. New York City is now dangerously close to that same figure.

Read more at: Dow Jones Collapses Because New York Is Now Wuhan

The Netherlands on lockdown: schools, cafes and sports clubs shut

All schools and daycare centres in the Netherlands are to be shut from Monday until at least April 6 in an effort to prevent the spread of coronavirus, ministers decided on Sunday after a crisis meeting with health experts and education officials. In addition, cafes, restaurants, sex clubs, cannabis cafes, saunas and sports clubs will all close their doors at 6pm on Sunday for three weeks, health minister Bruno Bruins said in a televised news conference.

The move is a u-turn on Friday’s position, when the government said that schools and daycare centres should remain open so that essential workers can continue to do their jobs.

Read more at: The Netherlands on lockdown: schools, cafes and sports clubs shut - DutchNews.nl