South Africa is scaling back its lockdown regulations in view of fewer newly reported corona cases. President Cyril Ramaphosa said on television that, among other things, the curfew will be shortened and the sale of alcohol will be made easier again. The easing is expected to result in higher consumer spending and a steady recovery in the labor market. “All of our efforts must be directed towards economic growth.” 33 of the 53 border crossings into the country remain closed, and only five airports are open for international travel.
With more than 1.5 million registered infections and almost 50,000 deaths, South Africa is the most numerically affected country on the African continent by the corona pandemic. The economy has also been badly hit: the unemployment rate at the end of 2020 was 32.5 percent. Finance Minister Tito Mboweni had recently announced that South Africa would have to incur new debts of more than 500 billion rand (more than 27 billion euros) every year due to record tax failures.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa
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Shops open in Denmark
In Denmark, most retailers will be able to welcome customers into their stores again this Monday. After more than two months of closure in the fight against the spread of coronavirus, stores with an area of less than 5,000 square meters are allowed to reopen, provided they are not in a mall. Larger shops are also allowed to open their doors again, albeit with strict restrictions. Customers need to book a time to shop here in advance.
Open-air cultural institutions such as zoos can now receive visitors again if the guests can show a negative corona test that is no more than 72 hours old. The meeting restriction will be increased from five to a maximum of 25 participants for outdoor and organized sports and club activities.
A shopping center in Copenhagen
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The number of new infections in Denmark has fallen sharply since the end of 2020. The government in Copenhagen has therefore decided, together with its support parties in parliament, to loosen some of the strict lockdown measures – despite concerns about the spreading British variant of the corona virus, which is now dominating in Denmark.
Oslo pulls the reins
After another increase in the local corona numbers due to the spread of the British virus variant, the Norwegian capital Oslo is closing all restaurants and shops. Exceptions apply to supermarkets and pharmacies. Restaurants are only allowed to offer take-away food. Organized leisure activities for adults are also discouraged, as are private gatherings and visits. The measures apply from Tuesday to March 15. The decision was made against the background that, according to the Norwegian health authority FHI, the British variant is now the dominant one in Oslo. So far, Norway has come through the Corona crisis well in a European comparison. In the capital Oslo, however, the number of cases is significantly higher than in the rest of the country.
Tougher conditions in the Czech Republic
In the Czech Republic, a much tougher corona lockdown will come into force this Monday. People are only allowed to leave their respective district for three weeks in exceptional cases. Trips to work, to the doctor and to the authorities are permitted if written evidence is provided. The country’s 77 districts correspond in size to the districts in Germany. More than 25,000 police officers and up to 5,000 soldiers are supposed to monitor compliance with the strict measures.
Failure to comply could result in fines equivalent to more than 400 euros. Walks and sports are even only allowed in their own town or municipality. Visiting relatives is prohibited. Only absolutely necessary shops are allowed to open. The background to this is that the Czech Republic has the highest new corona infection rate of all EU countries. Prime Minister Andrej Babis warned urgently of a collapse of the health system and a “Bergamo in the Czech Republic”. The Italian province had become the tragic symbol of the Corona crisis in spring 2020.
Distance learning students in Italy again
With the updated Corona restrictions, many students in Italy will again have to follow the lessons via the Internet from Monday. This applies, among other things, to the regions of Basilicata and Molise in southern Italy, where there is now a lockdown again. Health Minister Roberto Speranza had ordered the new zoning. In other regions, the governments have already intervened and partially closed schools in areas with infection sources. The corona situation had recently worsened again. Different variants of the virus spread. The incidence rose to 145 cases per 100,000 population for the surveyed period from February 15 to 21.
At the weekend, pictures from the metropolis of Milan in Lombardy caused a sensation, where many people gathered in the squares and in the pedestrian zones. The region will fall into the Orange Zone from Monday, which is subject to stricter rules. Meanwhile, the island of Sardinia will be classified as the first Italian region as a white zone this Monday and can hope for more normality, among other things with a possible opening of gyms. Sardinia had achieved an incidence of less than 50 cases per 100,000 population for three consecutive weeks.
kle / ww (dpa, afp)
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