London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 17, 2025

France orders new lockdown, Germany imposes toughest virus rules in months

France orders new lockdown, Germany imposes toughest virus rules in months

Macron seeks ‘brutal brake on infections’, while Merkel unveils one-month partial shutdown; Spain, Italy, Britain, Greece and Portugal report record new coronavirus cases.

Europe’s leaders imposed harsher pandemic measures as the coronavirus roars back across the continent. Spain, Italy, Britain, Greece and Portugal all reported record numbers of new cases on Wednesday.

French President Emmanuel Macron imposed a new nationwide lockdown for the next month, clamping down on movement as the rapid spread of the coronavirus overwhelms health services.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel imposed a one-month partial shutdown starting on Monday, the toughest restrictions in the country since the end of a lockdown in the spring.

European leaders have been forced to relent and revive strict curbs, which hammered economies in the second quarter, as contagion rates soar and hospitals come under strain.

WHO chief warns against politicising coronavirus pandemic as world sees highest weekly case number


France’s shutdown of bars, restaurants, non-essential retailers and other activities will start on Friday, and comes less than a week after the country expanded a curfew to about two-thirds of the population in a bid to regain control of the pandemic.

Infections and hospitalisations are rising at such a pace that avoiding tighter measures is no longer possible, according to health care officials.

“The virus is circulating in France at a speed that even the most pessimistic forecast didn’t foresee,” Macron said in an address televised nationally on Wednesday evening. “The measures we’ve taken have turned out to be insufficient to counter a wave that’s affecting all Europe.”

France needs a “brutal brake on infections”, the president said, adding that the country could have 400,000 deaths in months if nothing is done. He said intensive-care facilities will have 9,000 patients – close to capacity – by mid-November, based on current trends.

The French leader opened the prospect of easing some curbs if there is an improvement in two weeks. The goal of the measures is to lower daily cases to 5,000 – a far cry from current rates. French authorities last week reported four consecutive days of record infections, including more than 52,000 on Sunday.

In Germany, strict new rules will see bars and restaurants closed as Europe’s largest economy attempts to regain control of the rapid spread of the coronavirus.

The one-month partial shutdown, which will go into effect on Monday, is designed to keep most businesses operating, Merkel said on Wednesday after tense talks with the leaders of the country’s 16 states. Officials will gather again in two weeks to assess the impact of the measures.

“We don’t want to fall into a national health emergency,” Merkel said at a press conference in Berlin, adding that hospitals could be overwhelmed within weeks if trends continue.

Merkel, who had vowed to avoid a repeat of the curbs that hammered the economy in the second quarter, had struggled to forge a consensus in recent weeks, and political tensions were high before the meeting, which was moved forward by two days in a sign of increased urgency.


German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks during a news conference at the Chancellery in Berlin on Wednesday.


With the public weary of pandemic measures and protests increasing, the government sought to ease pressure by making up to €10 billion (US$11.7 billion) in aid available for companies affected by the measures, including reimbursing as much as 75 per cent of lost sales.

The latest steps are less severe than the spring lockdown. Many shops will be able to stay open along with schools and company cafeterias. Germany’s professional soccer league will be able to play games, but fans will not be allowed in stadiums.

Elsewhere in Europe, Spain said 9,303 new coronavirus cases were detected over the past day, the highest number registered during the course of the pandemic. The number of deaths in the past seven days rose to 761, compared with 746 reported on Tuesday, the Spanish health ministry said on its website.

Greece reported 1,547 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, the highest daily increase since the beginning of the pandemic and a second straight record day bringing the total to 34,229. The country recorded 10 more deaths from the virus in the past 24 hours, with the total number of dead now at 603.

Italy’s new coronavirus cases jumped 14 per cent on Wednesday to a record 24,991 as hospitalisations climbed to the highest since early May. There were 205 fatalities linked to Covid-19, while hospitalised patients rose by 1,151 to 16,517.

Portugal reported its biggest daily increase in confirmed virus cases since the start of the outbreak. There were 3,960 new cases in a day, more than the previous record of 3,669 reported on Saturday, taking the total to 128,392.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
French Political Turmoil Elevates Marine Le Pen as Rassemblement National Poised for Power
China Unveils Sweeping Rare Earth Export Controls to Shield ‘National Security’
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
US Prosecutors Gained Legal Approval to Hack Telegram Servers
Macron Faces Intensifying Pressure to Resign or Trigger New Elections Amid France’s Political Turmoil
Standard Chartered Names Roberto Hoornweg as Sole Head of Corporate & Investment Banking
UK Asylum Housing Firm Faces Backlash Over £187 Million Profits and Poor Living Conditions
UK Police Crack Major Gang in Smuggling of up to 40,000 Stolen Phones to China
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Trump Proposes Farm Bailout from Tariff Revenues Amid Backlash from Other Industries
FIFA Accuses Malaysia of Forging Citizenship Documents, Suspends Seven Footballers
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
×