Europe braces for second COVID-19 wave

Europe is bracing for a second wave of coronavirus as continuing outbreaks raise the prospect of reimposed restrictions at a time when millions of people are travelling across the continent for their summer holidays, The Guardian writes.

The Belgian government has warned that country could be put into a second "complete lockdown" following a significant spike in infections, while the Spanish region of Catalonia may also have to reintroduce lockdown measures if outbreaks are not brought under control within 10 days.

In France, the health minister has called for greater vigilance after a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases in young people, and Germany’s public health advisory body has said it is “deeply concerned” about the rise in cases over the past few weeks.

Germany’s public health advisory body, the Robert Koch Institute, has said it is “deeply concerned” about the rise in cases over recent weeks. The new number of new cases climbed past 800 on Friday after several weeks of hovering between 300 and 400. At the pandemic’s height, Germany saw over 6,000 cases a day.

The health minister, Jens Spahn, has warned that partying holidaymakers on Mallorca or Ibiza are in danger of forgetting rules such as physical distancing and hand-washing, contributing to the threat of a second wave. He announced he is planning to introduce obligatory testing for travellers returning from areas considered high risk because of their level of coronavirus cases.