A resurgence in COVID-19 cases has gripped countries across Europe, leaving politicians grappling with how to curb the spread of the virus. Governments are now strengthening regulations around mask-wearing, limiting the number of people that can gather in public spaces, and concentrating on areas with particularly high numbers of cases.
Countries are wary of nationwide lockdowns that would have crippling impacts on their economies. Local restrictions allow governments to curb the spread of the virus while keeping parts of the country and the economy open.
The initial outbreak of COVID-19 came along with strict public health restrictions and lockdowns. As the cases started to plateau, many European governments gradually eased lockdowns during the summer months to help support struggling economies.
However, it seems that Europe is experiencing another uptick in new COVID-19 cases after the reopening of some social spaces, including restaurants and schools.
Cumulatively, the European countries recorded more than 882,000 new cases as at October 15, 2020, per World Health Organisation (WHO) data.
Europe’s response saw Italy and France re-introducing restrict social gatherings and re-imposing capacity limits on bars and restaurants. France also shut down gyms and swimming pools.
The Netherlands issued stricter lockdowns, closing all eating establishments and banning the sale of alcohol after 8p.m.
The U.K. implemented a new tiered approach that places different regions in different risk levels.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that Europe is “well behind” in its battle against the second wave of the virus. “There’s no question that the European region is an epicentre for [the] right now,” the Director of the WHO’s health emergencies programme, Mike Ryan, told a media briefing.
Much as Europe has been in the news recently for all the bad reasons concerning the COVID-19 pandemic, most countries in Africa are also not faring any better. Ghana is a typical example.
Ghana’s active Coronavirus cases continue to rise steadily. As at Friday, October 29, 2020 the cases had moved up to 535, and the number of deaths has also increased to 326.
Following the resumption of international flights into Ghana on September 1, 2020, the country has conducted 40,976 tests, out of which 127 have turned out positive. It is obvious that the nation is still at risk of imported cases.
In the aftermath of the lifting of lockdown measures and easing of public health restrictions, the government made the wearing of face masks in public compulsory, and then appealed to the citizenry to maintain social distancing and health protocols.
However, it seems like the strict adherence to the health protocols has been thrown to the dogs, as people use public spaces without wearing facemasks and obeying the social distancing rules.
The worst culprits are the politicians, who continue to organise political rallies for the masses without respecting the health protocols.
The Chronicle cannot but agree with the saying that the politician will damn the consequences and go to any lengths just to get political power.
For instance, after US President Donald Trump’s diagnosis and recent hospitalisation for Covid-19, he still went ahead to hold a mammoth rally, addressing a packed, largely maskless, crowd in Florida, a state he desperately needs to win.
The Chronicle will want to serve a word of caution that Ghana is not yet out of the woods concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. We must bear in mind that our actions and inactions will determine how we combat the virus.
The post Editorial: COVID-19 resurgence in Europe; Ghana must beware! appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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