It was reported that Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and President Emmanuel Macron of France have both announced new nationwide lockdowns on Wednesday, 28 October as the cases of coronavirus pandemic increased in Europe. Chancellor Angela Merkel stated that German officials have agreed to shutdown restaurants, bars, cinemas, theaters and other leisure facilities for four weeks in order to curb the increase of coronavirus pandemic in the country (Germany). Shops and schools in the country are to remain open while restaurants will be providing take-out food. Angela Merkel said that hotels would not accommodate people on tourist trips, she also appealed to the people to not make unnecessary travels. The decision for a second lockdown was taken after the country’s disease control agency recorded 14,964 new cases across the country in the past days and the national total cases of the pandemic is 449,275. According to Robert Koch Institute, the country’s overall death toll as at Wednesday was 10,098. The nationwide lockdown agreed by Angela Merkel and the 16 state governors would take effect from Monday, 2 November to November ending. Also in France, President Emmanuel Macron announced a second lockdown in France in order to control the coronavirus increase in the country. Our (Viewers Corner News) correspondent in Paris reported that half of the country’s intensive care units are occupied by Covid 19 patients. French military and commercial planes were carrying critically ill virus patients to other regions as hospitals are filled up, making French doctors to call on the government to impose a new nationwide lockdown. On Tuesday, 27 October, over 520 deaths were recorded in France.
Source: Viewers Corner News.