Virus curbs tighten as deaths pass 1.3 million

A swath of new restrictions came into force in Europe from Austria to Greece, Italy to Portugal on Saturday as the global death toll climbed above 1.3 million.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, rear, and European Council president Charles Michel in Vienna, Austria, on November 9. Picture: AFP

A swath of new restrictions to curtail a second wave of coronavirus infections were announced or came into force from Austria to Greece, Italy to Portugal on Saturday as the global death toll climbed above 1.3 million.

More than 53 million people have been infected worldwide by COVID-19, which in Europe has forced governments to take more drastic action despite the economic devastation.

Austria joined a growing trend announcing schools and non-essential shops would close from Tuesday, having imposed a partial lockdown two weeks ago.

In Italy, Tuscany and Campania plunged into red zones of tough restrictions, which now cover 26 million of the 60 million population. New antivirus curbs also came into force in Ukraine.

Romania meanwhile suffered tragedy when 10 COVID-19 patients were killed and seven were left badly burnt after a fire broke out in an intensive care unit in the northern town of Piatra Neamt.

Lebanon entered a new two-week lockdown, with hospitals in the country almost at capacity.

In several Germans cities there were protests against enforced mask-wearing, with police using water cannons to disperse nearly 1000 people in Frankfurt.

Hundreds of demonstrators also turned out in Portugal, defying a weekend curfew imposed on seven out of every 10 of the population’s 10 million.

Poland became the latest country to report record figures with 548 coronavirus deaths over 24 hours, just days after the government decided against introducing a nationwide quarantine.

AFP