Curfew
On Thursday night, Prime MinisterGiuseppe Conte signed a new decree banning travel between regions in Italy from December 20 to January 6 and travel between municipalities between December 25 and December 26 to discourage large private gatherings. The government also resisted pressure from leaders of Alpine regions and will keep ski resorts closed until 7 January.
The Austrian government has announced a "hard lockdown" starting November 17th to contain rising numbers of Covid-19 infections. The country has seen an increase in cases in recent weeks, averaging over 7000 daily cases in the past seven days. Aa partial lockdown was introduced two weeks ago but was deemed ineffective in stopping the spread of the virus.
The new and stricter measures, which will be in effect until at least December 6th, include the closing of schools and all non-essential businesses as well as a 24-hour curfew. People are urged to stay inside their homes except for a few exceptions, e.g. for emergencies, job-related purposes, "necessary basic needs of daily life", help and care of family members and "physical and mental recovery". Restaurants, gyms and museums have already been closed since early November.
The Lazio region in Italy that includes the capital Rome plans to introduce a curfew from midnight to 5 am to try to reduce the surging Covid-19 infections.
According to Reuters, sources in the regional government said the new rules would be effective from Friday. Also, the source said, the region would introduce restrictions on schools and universities.
The Belgian federal government announced Friday that bars and restaurants would have to close for a month, and there will be a curfew from midnight to 5 am. The measures are a response to the surging second wave of Covid-19 and will be in effect from October 19.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said, during a news conference: "The coming weeks will be very difficult, but we must take those measures to avoid the worse."
Belgium has one of the highest per capita Covid-19 fatality rates in the world with 10,283 deaths.
A Berlin court suspended the 11 pm curfew on bars and restaurants that was in effect for a week. The court stated there was no evidence that establishments sticking to the existing rules on mask-wearing and social distancing contributed to an increase in the infection rates.
The court ruling was in response to a legal action brought by restaurant owners who contested the curfew, but not a ban on the sale of alcohol after 11 pm.
French President Emmanuel Macron has announced a curfew for Paris region and several other French cities. Under the curfew, people must be at home between 9 pm and 6 am. If curfew is broken, people will face a fine of €135. The curfew will last for up to four weeks, depending on Coronavirus cases.
Other cities include: Rouen, Lille, St Etienne, Lyon, Grenoble, Montpellier, Marseille and Toulouse
Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez of Miami Dada County has announced a countywide curfew starting on Friday and will last until further notice. The curfew will be from 10 p.m. through "sunrise". Essential workers such as hospital staff, first responders, food deliveries and media are exempted from the curfew.
"This curfew is meant to stop people from venturing out and hanging out with friends in groups, which has shown to be spreading the virus rapidly," so Mayor Gimenez in a statement. He further added: "I am also rolling back the reopening of entertainment facilities, such as movie theaters, arcades, casinos, adult entertainment, concert houses, bowling alleys and other establishments that have recently had their plans approved by the County."