Germany on Friday passed two million coronavirus cases as a World Health Organization emergency committee readied to issue advice on stemming the spread of new, more contagious strains of the disease.
The surge in Europe’s biggest economy came as countries on the continent again tightened restrictions, with Portugal entering a fresh lockdown and Britain requiring negative tests for entry.
Despite the rollout of vaccines — India’s mammoth programme will begin on Saturday — many nations are doubling down on efforts to stall a pandemic that has now claimed almost two million lives.
Fresh curbs on populations were announced from Brazil to Lebanon, and Mexico has been hit with its deadliest week of the pandemic yet.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday pushed for a “significant” tightening of curbs to slow the infection rate as the European Union’s most populous country added more than 22,000 new cases.
The chancellor said she wanted to bring forward crisis talks with regional leaders to the coming week, participants at a meeting of her centre-right CDU party told AFP.
They quoted her as saying the virus could only be stopped with “significant additional measures” and people urgently needed to reduce social contact.
At the Meissen crematorium in the state of Saxony, coffins were stacked up to three high or even stored in hallways awaiting cremation. The eastern region has been one of Germany’s worst-hit areas in recent weeks.
Manager Joerg Schaldach, 57, said anyone still denying the severity of the pandemic should come and take a look at the bodies piling up.
“This is heavy work, so why don’t the Covid-19 deniers come and do it,” he said.
“We have a disastrous situation here.”
Germany has fared better than many of its European neighbours in the pandemic, with France, Italy, Spain and Britain all recording more infections despite smaller populations.
Britain on Thursday said it would ban all arrivals from South American countries from Friday over fears of importing a new coronavirus strain.
“I’ve taken the urgent decision… following evidence of a new variant in Brazil,” Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said on Twitter.
The new strain, known as E484K, has raised alarm among researchers over its possible impact on immunity.
London will also begin Friday requiring all arrivals to show evidence of a clean coronavirus test taken in the last 72 hours to gain entry to the country.
