Traffic will pass through the Champs Elysee Avenue near the Arc de Triomph in Paris, France, on Friday, March 19, 2021. French President Emmanuel Macron includes several regions, including the Paris area, and slows down the country’s economic recovery as it struggles to curb a third wave of the coronavirus epidemic. Photographer: Cyril Marcilhacy / Bloomberg via Getty Images
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LONDON – Warnings of an exponential increase in infections for Germany and a new monthly shutdown in Paris have highlighted the dire situation in Europe as the coronavirus rises again.
The variant first discovered in the UK is considered to be the reason for the new peak. The strain is said to be much more virulent than the original.
The French capital and northern parts of the country will enter a new exclusion on Friday, although schools and essential shops will remain open.
The country’s seven-day average new cases of coronavirus rose above 25,000 this week for the first time since November.
In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel announced in March that the lock-in should be relaxed. That was when the number of infections per 100,000 people over seven days was 65.
But it’s 96 now and there’s a fear that infections during Easter could reflect what it was like at Christmas.
“Rising case numbers could mean we can not take further opening steps in the coming weeks,” German Health Minister Jens Spahn told Reuters at a news conference.
“On the contrary, we may even have to take steps backwards.”
According to Reuters, Poland also saw a huge increase in infections with about 52% of the new cases related to the variant from Britain.
The total number of cases for the country passed two million on Friday with 25,998 in the last 24 hours.
CNN’s Bryn Bache contributed to this article.