While England is preparing for a new confinement, that Germany should close its schools,
Le Figaro
takes stock of the restrictions in force among our neighbors.
In the grip of a surge in contamination, the
British
are called upon to re-define themselves.
In England, the measure comes into force on Wednesday, at least until March.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has thus extended the confinement already applied to three quarters of the English population throughout the province and even toughened it in the process.
Schools, left open until now, have closed and switched to distance education on Tuesday.
The population is only allowed to go out for essential reasons, such as shopping or for medical reasons.
Neighboring Scotland has begun its first day of total containment, with the closure of schools too.
Northern Ireland and Wales had already instituted their third lockdown just after Christmas.
Read also: British experts point to the worrying role of children and schools in the circulation of the virus
The
Germany
is preparing to extend the restrictions to stem the spread of the pandemic.
Chancellor Angela Merkel and the leaders of the 16 regional states are expected to decide this Tuesday by videoconference to extend the limitations in place in mid-December, probably until January 31.
This extension is deemed
"inevitable"
by the Minister-President of Saxony, the conservative Michael Kretschmer, who still castigated
"hysteria"
of anti-Covid measures
a few weeks
ago.
Shops - with the exception of food stores -, restaurants, bars and cultural venues should therefore keep their doors closed in the coming weeks.
Schools are also expected to remain mostly closed.
The
Italians,
after having spent a large part of Christmas and New Year at home, will for their part be able to get some fresh air.
The rules that were in effect during the holiday season expire Thursday, January 7 and the country will return to the old three-level system, which allows different measures to be applied depending on the region.
All bars and restaurants will however have to close this weekend across the country.
Travel between the 20 regions of the country is prohibited until January 15, with a few exceptions.
The return to high schools was postponed to Monday with a gauge of 50% of their capacity.
In some areas, the reopening has been postponed to January 31.
This is the case in the north of Veneto, around Venice.
Also the ski resorts will remain closed at least until January 18th.
Read also: Covid-19: United Kingdom, Israel, Austria ... Which countries are re-defined?
In
Spain
, restrictions are also decided at regional level.
Faced with an upsurge in cases, Catalonia has banned people from leaving their town since Monday, gyms and shopping centers are closed.
Only essential stores such as pharmacies are allowed to open on weekends.
Bars and restaurants can still accommodate guests for breakfast and lunch and offer take-out for dinner.
Other regions such as Andalusia, Murcia or Extremadura have announced new measures in recent days.
Madrid continues to have lighter restrictions than most of the country, but has locked down some districts with a higher infection rate.
The partial containment put in place at the end of October is still in progress in
Belgium
.
The closure of bars, restaurants and cafes, the obligation to work from home when possible, the restriction of social contacts remain in force, as does the curfew which varies by region.
In Flanders, it runs from midnight to 5 a.m.
In Brussels and Wallonia, it comes into force at 10 p.m. and ends at 6 a.m.
The schoolchildren have returned to school this week, like their French neighbors.
Non-essential businesses were able to reopen their doors in early December under strict conditions.
The situation should be reassessed in mid-January.
Read also: Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, Germany ... The second wave of Covid puts cultural activities at a standstill
In Switzerland
, the federal government put measures in place at the end of December across the country to try to stem the epidemic.
Restaurants, cultural and sporting establishments as well as leisure venues have closed their doors.
The stores, on the other hand, can remain open but by limiting their capacity.
Ski resorts can remain open but must put in place the same restrictive measures as those for restaurants and shops, in addition to devices to ensure that skiers do not crowd at the ski lifts.
The decision to close or not will be up to each canton.