Traffic passes along the Champs Elysee Boulevard near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, on Friday, March 19, 2021. French President Emmanuel Macron is blocking several regions, including the Paris area, slowing the country’s economic recovery as it struggles to a third wave of the coronavirus epidemic. Photographer: Cyril Marcilhacy / Bloomberg through Getty Images
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LONDON – Warnings of an exponential increase in infections for Germany and a new one-month blockade in Paris have highlighted the serious situation in Europe as the coronavirus grows again.
The variant first discovered in the UK is seen as the reason for the new peak. The strain is reported to be much more virulent than the original.
The French capital and the northern regions of the country will enter a new blockade on Friday, although essential schools and shops will remain open.
The seven-day average of new cases of coronavirus has risen to more than 25,000 this week, for the first time since November.
In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel announced a reduction in blockades in March. At that time, the number of infections per 100,000 people over seven days was 65.
But that number is now 96, and there are real fears that Easter infections could reflect what they were at Christmas.
“The growing number of cases may mean we cannot take new steps in the coming weeks,” German Health Minister Jens Spahn told Reuters on Friday.
“On the contrary, we may even have to take steps back.”
Poland also saw a huge increase in infections, with about 52% of new cases related to the UK variant, according to Reuters.
The total number of cases for the pushed country exceeded 2 million on Friday, with 25,998 in the last 24 hours.
– CNBC’s Bryn Bache contributed to this article.