It is the highest number of new daily infections in Europe.

Since the start of the pandemic, only the United States and India have reported average daily new cases above 200,000.

Yesterday, the United States reported more than 505,000 new COVID-19 cases.

Britain today reported a record 129,471 new cases, but the data did not include figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland due to differences in reporting practices over the Christmas period.

France’s previous record of 104,611 was set on Saturday, after the 86,852 high of 11 November, 2020 was broken with two consecutive days of more than 90,000 new cases per day at the end of last week.

The seven-day moving average of new cases in France – which smoothes out daily reporting irregularities – rose to a new all-time high of 87,500. On Sunday and Monday, the health ministry reported only about 30,000 new cases per day.

On Monday, the government announced new measures to curb infections, including limits on the size of big gatherings, a ban on eating and drinking in transport systems and the mandatory wearing of masks again outdoors.

Despite the jump in new cases, the number of patients in hospital with COVID-19 remained well below record levels, with Covid-19 patients in intensive care up by 83 to 3,416 today, well below the highs of more than 7,000 in early April 2020.

Meanwhile, France will pay intensive care nurses an extra €100 per month from January as it seeks to improve work conditions for staff exhausted by the fight against COVID-19, Prime Minister Jean Castex said.

“This is about improving attractiveness, training, qualification, working conditions in intensive care units, acknowledging the skills of those who work there,” Mr. Castex said during a visit to an intensive care unit in Creteil, near Paris.

The bonus comes ahead of a broader set of measures that will be unveiled next week by Health Minister Olivier Veran to stem shortages of staff on the frontline of the COVID-19 fight.

The rapid spread of the Omicron variant has seen a record number of cases surge in France, putting extra pressure on intensive care units in public hospitals.

Unvaccinated to be blocked from entering Finland

Finland has announced it will block entry for foreign travellers who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19, as it steps up its fight against the Omicron variant.

Only foreign travellers with a negative COVID-19 test who can prove full vaccination or past infection will now be allowed to enter, the interior ministry announced after a government meeting.

A border guard spokesman confirmed to AFP that unvaccinated foreigners would be turned away unless they were on a list of exceptions that includes Finland residents, essential workers and diplomats.

The measure also affects EU nationals.

“Regardless of the foreign citizen’s origin, everyone must present a vaccination certificate and a negative test less than 48 hours old,” said Tomi Kivenjuuri of the border guard.

The measure came into force today and follows weeks of toughening border measures across the European Union.

Madrid’s free COVID tests strain under demand

Demand for free COVID-19 testing kits provided by Madrid’s regional government far outstripped supply today, with long queues forming outside pharmacies in what has become a common scene since the Omicron variant began driving up infection.

Madrid-based pharmacist Cristina Sanchez said she had only received 20 test kits to distribute today as part of a plan to reinforce supply after pharmacies started running out of paid tests, but there were already more than 30 people waiting outside when she opened.

As the first few people in line tend to take several tests each, most have to return home empty handed or buy kits for €9, which were also selling out fast.

Fuelled by the highly contagious Omicron variant, cases in Spain have soared in the past month, pushing the national 14-day incidence to a record 1,206 cases per 100,000 people on Monday, a five-fold rise since the beginning of December.

Despite the surge, hospital admissions and intensive-care occupancy remain well below the peaks of last January.

The government brought back mandatory outdoor mask wearing last week but has not attempted to reimpose any tougher national restrictions.

However, regional administrations, which are responsible for implementing their own health policy, have introduced measures ranging from a night curfew in Catalonia to limits on social gatherings and bar opening times.

Madrid, whose conservative government has put supporting the hospitality sector at the top of its political agenda, is opting for increased testing and no restrictions on socializing.

Closure of cultural venues suspended by Belgian court

A Belgian court has suspended the closure of cultural venues, including theatres, a measure announced last week to stem the spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant.

The decision – which will not immediately lead to the reopening of cinemas – came after protests from the country’s hard-hit cultural sector that it was being unfairly singled out.

A ruling from Belgium’s highest administrative court said the authorities had not demonstrated “in what way entertainment venues are particularly dangerous places for (people’s) health… in that they would spread coronavirus, to the extent necessary to order their closure”.

Prime Minister Alexander De Croo announced the original measure on 22 December as Belgium saw a sharp increase in the percentage of tests showing the Omicron variant.

That came despite an overall drop off in COVID-19 infections since a peak at the start of the month as the country battled a fourth wave that strained hospitals.

Police in Brussels estimated that some 5,000 people took to the streets on Sunday to protest the closure of cultural venues.

The authorities were accused of targeting the sector as bars and restaurants were allowed to keep trading. The decision to reverse the government’s closure order came after a complaint was lodged by a theatre producer in the capital.

Cinemas and other venues including bowling alleys and casinos were not included – but the authorities are facing similar challenges that could see more locations allowed to reopen in the coming days.

Several prominent theatres and cinemas had decided to remain open in defiance of the measure.

Source: https://www.rte.ie/news/coronavirus/2021/1228/1268989-europe-covid/

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France’s parliament voted to make vaccine passports a key part of daily life in the battle against Covid-19 this week, after a compromise between lawmakers from the upper and lower houses. Shortly after, France’s highest constitutional authority said it would rule next week on whether the new legislation will be accepted into law.

The Constitutional Council, which has the power to send laws back to the legislature and government for changes, said it would issue the ruling on August 5. The breakthrough in talks came a day after France was again shaken by protests against the rules that saw over 160,000 rally and dozens arrested.

President Emmanuel Macron last week ordered that vaccine passports — proof of full vaccination or a negative test — would be required for the French to visit venues such as cinemas or nightclubs. The announcement was a move by Macron to make vaccinations the top weapon against Covid-19 as new variants emerge, essentially requiring people to become vaccinated if they want to continue daily routines.

Those changes were implemented by decree, but parliament has been engaged in a marathon session since last week debating whether to extend them. Vaccine passports have encountered fierce opposition from some, who believe they erode civil liberties.

The ruling party has faced a tough task pushing the legislation through parliament. Pro-Macron MPs control the National Assembly, but the Senate — the upper house — is dominated by the opposition right.

The Senate had approved the legislation but added numerous amendments that the government feared risked limiting its impact. The two sides held three hours of talks Sunday, finding a compromise to pass the bill that evening by a large majority: 156 votes for, 60 against and 14 abstentions.

The legislation still needs to be approved by France’s highest administrative authority, the Constitutional Council, before becoming law — an extra step requested by Prime Minister Jean Castex.

Compromise deal

Macron’s announcement had already made the health pass compulsory for cinemas, museums and any venue gathering more than 50 people. The new legislation would make it compulsory from August for air travel and inter-city trains, as well as for visiting cafes and restaurants.

It would also make vaccinations obligatory for health workers and caregivers. The Senate wanted the legislation to be more mindful of civil liberties.

Parliamentary sources said the compromise means the system will only continue after November 15 following a new vote. The deal also limits the enforcement role of the police, and makes clear that health workers and caregivers who refuse vaccinations will not automatically be sacked but have their salary suspended.

“COVID is temporary, but firings are final,” argued one Republican member of the Senate, Philippe Bas. Some 161,000 people, including 11,000 in Paris, had protested Saturday against requiring vaccine passports for dining out and cinema visits.

Seventy-one people were arrested and 29 members of the security forces were injured, the ministry of the interior said.

Vaccine passports controversy

President Macron scoffed at how slogans of freedom were being brandished at the protests. “Everyone is free to express themselves calmly with respect for the other,” he said. “But freedom where I owe nothing to someone else does not exist”.

Macron said that under such logic, relatives could be infected by someone who is not vaccinated, or the person could themselves end up in hospital. “I don’t call this freedom, I call this irresponsibility and egoism.”

By maximizing vaccinations, the French government wants to minimize the impact of the fourth coronavirus wave. Some 40 million people should have received at least one shot by this week.

France recorded almost 23,000 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, twice as many as last week, as the Delta variant caused a surge. But in figures the government credits to vaccinations, there are 878 Covid-19 patients in intensive care, compared with a peak of almost 6,000 at the end of April.

Source: https://techhq.com/2021/07/france-opting-for-vaccine-passports-despite-privacy-concerns/

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