According to DW, the governments of Germany, Lithuania and France are imposing stricter quarantine measures to control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The virus is circulating at a speed that not even the most pessimistic forecasts had anticipated," French President Emmanuel Macron said, adding that half of all intensive care beds at French hospitals were being occupied by COVID patients.
In France:
·renewing the spring system: people should leave their homes only if it is necessary — for example, to go to work, to get medical care, to buy groceries in authorized shops, or to exercise alone. However, in order to do any of these activities, people in France must download and fill out a form for every trip they want to make;
·the restaurants are closed from Friday;
·the internal borders of the EU, however, will remain open against the background of the coronavirus situation;
·the visits to nursing homes will be allowed under strict protocol;
·all the employees will be transferred to remote work if there is such a possibility;
·the universities move to distance learning, but kindergartens, schools and colleges will remain open.
In Germany, people will only be allowed to meet in public with members of their family or two households - no more than ten people. In the country, bars, clubs, pubs or other catering establishments will be open only for takeaway. In accordance with the new restrictions, overnight stays in hotels will only be allowed for a reason. Cinemas, theaters, and sports facilities, including gyms and swimming pools, will be temporarily closed. Beauty salons, massage or tattoo parlors will be closed as well. Schools and kindergartens will remain open, but new hygiene protocols will be required.
In Lithuania, the authorities decided to cancel all events and gatherings for two weeks. Exceptions are: funerals, sports events without spectators, cultural indoor events. Indoors, the number of people is limited to 200, they must keep their distance and wear masks. The open space can host events with a maximum of 400 people who follow the distance guidelines.
Meanwhile, Ukraine announced the creation of a vaccine against the coronavirus. Pre-clinical trials have shown a successful result and confirmed the effectiveness of the vaccine. Now it is planned to conduct three phases of clinical trials.