[Asia Economy Reporter Suyeon Woo] As the resurgence of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in Europe accelerates, major countries such as the United Kingdom and Belgium are considering full lockdown measures.
According to local media on the 31st (local time), the UK government is reviewing nationwide lockdown measures as early as next week to curb the resurgence of COVID-19.
Foreign media reported that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is considering announcing lockdown measures containing such quarantine regulations, taking into account securing hospital beds due to the rapid increase in COVID-19 patients. The lockdown is expected to include a plan to suspend operations of all places except essential businesses and educational facilities for the entire month of November, aiming to ease restrictions before Christmas.
Currently, England applies a three-tier COVID-19 response system with different restrictions depending on regional infection rates, while Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland implement their own quarantine policies by their respective devolved governments.
According to UK government statistics, the number of new confirmed cases in the UK reached as high as 24,405 yesterday, with daily new cases exceeding 20,000 since last week, showing a rapid spread of COVID-19.
A street in Brussels, Belgium, where a nighttime curfew was imposed due to the spread of COVID-19 / Photo by Yonhap News
Meanwhile, Belgium, another European Union country, has decided to introduce partial lockdown measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. According to foreign media on the same day, the Belgian government announced that from the night of November 1st to December 13th, only essential businesses will operate, and working from home will be mandatory as part of the lockdown measures.
In the education sector, the autumn vacation has been extended by one week, and schools will remain closed until the 15th of next month. Working from home is mandatory, and gatherings outside the home are limited to a maximum of four people. Depending on the region, existing nighttime curfews, which were in effect from midnight to 5 a.m. or from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. the next day, will also be maintained.
According to the international statistics site 'Worldometer,' as of this day, Belgium's new daily confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 20,056, marking three consecutive days of daily new cases in the 20,000 range. Deaths have also exceeded 130 for four consecutive days, increasing to 144 on this day.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
