Germany’s Easter Covid blockade shows the fact that Europe is left with no answers

Photographer: Filip Singer / Pool / Getty Images

Chancellor Angela Merkel ordered a five-day closure for Easter in one of Germany’s toughest moves since the start of the pandemic, highlighting the sudden deterioration in Europe’s efforts to contain the coronavirus.

A few weeks after the spread of the spread under control, there has been a further rise in infections and anti-spill vaccinations France and France Italy expands blockades. The Netherlands is likely to widen the sidewalk later Tuesday, while in Hungary hospitals are asking for help from untrained volunteers.

The darkness of the region’s outlook will be reflected in a joint statement by European Union leaders on Thursday, when they will discuss the pandemic, which has worsened due to Covid-19’s aggressive strains.

“The epidemiological situation remains dire, also in light of the challenges posed by the variants,” the leaders will say, according to the latest draft of their statement seen by Bloomberg. “Therefore, restrictions, including non-essential travel, must be maintained for the time being.”

Plans to hold the summit in person were abruptly dropped last week and the meeting will be held by video conference, in a move that encompasses the worsening situation.

Infections in Belgium, where EU summits are usually held, have risen more than 40% weekly, according to the latest available data. Germany’s infection rate has almost doubled in the last month.

Widespread outbreak

Covid-19 infections per 100,000 people for 14 days

Source: European Center for Disease Prevention and Control

At the radical Easter closing of Europe’s largest economy, all shops will be closed from April 1 for five days, except the grocery stores that will open on April 3 . Adding next Thursday to the German Easter weekend could end up costing Germany Until 7 billion euros ($ 8.3 billion) of lost production, according to the Cologne Institute for Economic Research.

What Bloomberg Economics says …

“The delay has a modest impact on our Q2 growth forecasts. But, with the ink still dry in these projections, the risks are already accumulating downwards ”.

-Jamie Rush. To read your report, click here

European stocks fell on Tuesday for fear the crisis of infections could delay the region’s rebound from life’s strongest recession.

A large European stock of leisure and travel has fallen for three consecutive days, the longest streak since January, amid concerns that another tourist season may be lost, a stark contrast to last week’s optimism, when the STOXX 600 Travel & Leisure reached record highs.

After more than 11 hours of tense talks that ended early Tuesday, Merkel and state leaders extended Germany’s current closure measures until April 18, but failed to reach an agreement on further measures. hard as curfews in the hardest hit areas and set rules for domestic travel.

With officials increasingly at odds with the way to proceed, opinion polls suggest the public is increasingly dissatisfied with the government’s handling of the crisis just six months before the September national elections.

“We are now in a very, very serious situation,” Merkel said at a news conference that began shortly after 9:30 a.m. in Berlin. “Cases are increasing exponentially and intensive care beds are being refilled.”

Resurgence outbreak

The spread of coronavirus in Germany has accelerated in recent days

Source: Robert Koch Institute

The situation is even worse in Hungary, which has run out of doctors and nurses to care for a record number of Covid-19 patients, forcing hospitals to seek volunteers without any medical training.

Read more: Hungarian doctors claim Harsh Confinement with Deaths Hit Records

Greece, which has put a lot of pressure on EU leaders to pass a vaccination permit to facilitate leisure travel for inoculated people, began writing private doctors this week, using national security legislation to help the inoculated. its extensive public health system.

Hospitals fill up as Europe struggles to speed up vaccination campaigns. EU and UK try to intensify supply dispute that could block exports to Britain AstraZeneca Plc plant in the Netherlands. The disorderly suspension of the shooting last week by Germany and other countries added to the confusion.

Read more: Vaccine diplomacy is approaching as the EU proposal floats

The EU has administered doses covering 6.6% of the population, less than a third of what the UK has administered, according to the Bloomberg vaccine tracker.

The European Commission kept up the pressure on AstraZeneca when a senior health official appeared before EU lawmakers on Tuesday. Sandra Gallina said she remained “dissatisfied” with the company, reiterating statements by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that the blog would use all the tools at its disposal to get doses.

“No holidays, no weekends to get vaccinated,” French President Emmanuel Macron, who has been criticized for slow deployment, said on Tuesday during a visit to a city immunization center. of Valenciennes, in the north, compromising that students, firefighters, nurses and retired doctors could shoot.

‘Control system’