France rules out new shutdown as Europe grapples with surging coronavirus
PARIS - French President Emmanuel Macron ruled out bringing the nation to a halt and Spain's government appeared rudderless as Europe struggles with a resurgence of the coronavirus that threatens its tentative recovery.
"We cannot shut down the country because the collateral damage of confinement is considerable," Mr Macron, who hosts German Chancellor Angela Merkel for talks later on Thursday, said in an interview with Paris Match magazine. The country's response must be to"speed up vaccines, guarantee their access, and provide the best health response given what we know", Mr Macron told Paris Match, adding that, if necessary, authorities should resort to local"targeted" lockdowns. Testing, tracing, isolating the infected and broadening the wearing of masks when necessary are also key, he said.
Italy has also seen a pick-up in new cases, albeit more contained than elsewhere. On Wednesday, the country reported 642 new infections, the biggest increase since May 23. The government could even move to isolate Sardinia, one of the country's busiest summer vacation regions, after a rise in coronavirus cases linked to the island, Corriere della Sera reported on Thursday, citing unnamed ministry officials.
In the latest clampdown on travel within the region, Germany's Robert Koch Institute, which called the recent trends"very concerning", added two coastal regions in Croatia and part of Romania to its list of risk areas, while Luxembourg and three other Romanian regions were no longer seen as a concern. The advisory requires people returning from those areas to quarantine for two weeks or present a negative test.
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