Several other European countries are bracing for harsh restrictions to mitigate a deadly third COVID-19 wave that has been fueled by fast-spreading variants and a lack of vaccines. Half of Italy will be placed under a strict lockdown from Monday through the Easter holidays. Italy logged more than 27,000 new COVID-19 cases and nearly 400 deaths on Friday. Health authorities in France and Germany are also calling for national lockdowns as emergency rooms fill up and death tolls rise. In contrast, the United Kingdom, where the vaccine rollout has been largely successful, is set to loosen some restrictions.
Read it at Guardian