© Reuters / Eva PlevierA police officer holds a dog during a protest against Covid-19 restrictions in Amsterdam, The Netherlands on January 24, 2021.
The
World Health Organization's European director Hans Kluge said on Thursday
Covid-19 transmission rates in Europe remained too high, putting health services under severe strain, and therefore it was "too early to ease up".
"We need to be patient, it will take time to vaccinate," he told an online briefing. "We have learned harsh lessons - opening and closing, and reopening (societies) rapidly is a poor strategy" in seeking to curb coronavirus contagion, he said.
Comment: We
see that France is, yet
again, following in lockstep and is now admitting that lockdowns may continue well into the spring. In the UK they've
extended lockdown powers into July, and we should be under no illusion that they won't be dragged into summer without some kind of restrictions. With Singapore threatening restrictions that could last up to 5 years, we can reasonably conclude that now those in power have gotten a taste of tyranny, it's unlikely they'll give it up willingly:
The government had initially asked to extend the current state of emergency until June 1. It allows authorities to impose various restrictions, including stay-at-home orders.
The measure would be "consistent with the dynamics of the epidemic," Health Minister Olivier Veran said, arguing that "time is needed for the vaccination campaign to fully take effect."
Not voting for the extension would be akin to "stabbing the government in the back in the middle of a battle," Senator Claude Malhuret said during debates.
© Gonzalo Fuentes / ReutersFrench Prime Minister Jean Castex exits the Elysee Palace in Paris, France following the weekly cabinet meeting, January 27, 2021.
The government is under growing pressure to impose another nationwide lockdown, the third since the start of the pandemic. The first lockdown was announced in mid-March 2020, when the country was first hit by Covid-19, and lasted until early May of that year.
Another lockdown was put in place from the end of October until mid-December, as officials were fighting the second wave of infections in the autumn. The stay-at-home orders were then replaced with an 8pm-6am curfew, which became 6pm-6am earlier this month.
Gabriel Attal, a spokesperson for the government, said on Wednesday that the curfew has failed to "sufficiently slow down" the spread of the virus. Attal added that a "very strict lockdown" is among the scenarios that are being assessed.
Attal noted that President Emmanuel Macron requested "additional analyses" of all options, but "the continuation of the current [legal] framework seems unlikely."
So, they're warning us that they're intended for the lockdown to become even more brutal, and, as we see
below they're testing the waters with an even harsher curfew:
French Health Minister Olivier Veran has warned that the country's current 6pm curfew is no longer effective at curbing the spread of Covid-19, as the government weighs implementing a third national lockdown.
Speaking at a press conference, Veran explained how new variants of Covid-19 are "actively spreading" throughout France and continuing to put significant pressure on the health service, despite the existing restrictions, including a 12-hour nightly curfew.
Alongside the curfew, French citizens are asked to remain at home unless traveling for work, education or essential trips, such as medical appointments, shopping or family emergencies. "What we want to avoid is an epidemic in the epidemic which is not yet truly visible in France," Veran said, warning that "everything leads us to believe that it will be a reality very quickly and very strongly if we do nothing."
"Clearly, the effectiveness of the 6pm curfew is waning and it is not enough to reverse the virus."
If the current trend is anything to go by, the protest movements against the nonsensical lockdowns will continue to grow:
Lockdown protests continue in Lebanon, Israel, and the Netherlands
Comment: We see that France is, yet again, following in lockstep and is now admitting that lockdowns may continue well into the spring. In the UK they've extended lockdown powers into July, and we should be under no illusion that they won't be dragged into summer without some kind of restrictions. With Singapore threatening restrictions that could last up to 5 years, we can reasonably conclude that now those in power have gotten a taste of tyranny, it's unlikely they'll give it up willingly: So, they're warning us that they're intended for the lockdown to become even more brutal, and, as we see below they're testing the waters with an even harsher curfew: If the current trend is anything to go by, the protest movements against the nonsensical lockdowns will continue to grow: Lockdown protests continue in Lebanon, Israel, and the Netherlands