Not so merry Christmas? Covid resurgence forces fresh restrictions, lockdowns in Europe
India Today
The world is witnessing a resurgence of the novel coronavirus with the emergence of the Omicron variant. The Netherlands has already imposed a nationwide lockdown while the UK is mulling similar restrictions.
The resurgence of Covid cases is poised to affect Christmas and New Year celebrations as many countries have imposed lockdowns and restrictions to arrest the spread of infection. At an average of 6.46 lakh daily cases, fresh Covid infections around the globe have surged by 12 per cent since the beginning of this month and nearly 5 per cent since last week. While Europe accounts for 58 per cent of the daily global cases, the United States accounts for 20 per cent.
Omicron, the new variant, is spreading rapidly, leading to a dramatic rise in cases in many countries, including the United Kingdom. In just a week, Covid cases in the UK shot up by 51 per cent from 51,297 to 77,601 on December 19, 2021.