Curbs in Europe stay amid variant threat

ATHENS • Many European governments are agonising over when, how - or even whether - to lift shutdowns and other rules that restrain the spread of the Covid-19 as new variants of the virus sweep across the continent.

The Greek authorities announced on Friday that the nationwide lockdown that started on Nov 7 has been extended to Feb 15, while an earlier night curfew and closure of retail stores on weekends have been imposed in red zones, including Attica and Thessaloniki, in order to avert the third wave of the outbreak.

"The image of the epidemiological load nationwide has deteriorated. We need to climb a hill. It would be a pity to give up now that we have started vaccinating vulnerable groups. We can avert a new wave," said associate professor of paediatrics Vana Papaevangelou, who is on the committee of experts advising the Greek Health Ministry on the management of the Covid-19 crisis.

In Britain, the Telegraph reported on Friday that the country will test all arriving travellers twice for Covid-19, in a bid to control the spread of new variants.

The government previously announced quarantine measures starting on Feb 15 for people entering the country from Covid-19 hot spots. Testing will now include arrivals from all countries, in addition to those coming from the hot spots, the Telegraph reported, adding that Health Secretary Matt Hancock will announce the plans this week.

In Denmark, experts say lockdown restrictions are still necessary, after preliminary data showed on Friday that one in five new cases in Denmark was infected with the more contagious British variant called B117 in the last week of January.

Denmark instituted hard lockdown measures in December after seeing infections rise exponentially, and in particular to curb the spread of B117.

"We are down to some very low infection rates and if it were not for the darned B117, we would be able to relax," said Roskilde University's associate professor of mathematical epidemiology Viggo Andreasen.

The new strain has taken over as the main cause of new Covid-19 cases in Slovakia.

Prime Minister Igor Matovic said on Friday that the government had checked all positive samples of polymerase chain reaction laboratory tests taken in the country on Wednesday and results showed 74 per cent were of the British variant.

However, Slovakia is still going ahead with the launch of a tiered system of measures from tomorrow, allowing some schools to open even in the current highest level of restrictions.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, XINHUA, REUTERS