‘Jabbed, cured or dead’, Germany warns as Europe battles coronavirus surge
- French Prime Minister Jean Castex tests positive for Covid-19 after meeting with Belgian counterpart Alexander De Croo
- Belgium and the Netherlands are reeling from clashes at protests against new pandemic restrictions
Germans faced the stark warning Monday that they would be “vaccinated, cured or dead” from Covid-19 by the end of winter, while Austria returned to a partial lockdown as Europe battles an upsurge in the pandemic.
Belgium and the Netherlands are still reeling from clashes that rocked weekend protests against new anti-Covid-19 measures.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte labelled three nights of unrest “pure violence” by “idiots” and his Belgian counterpart Alexander De Croo called violence at a 35,000-strong protest in Brussels “absolutely unacceptable”.
Europe’s return to the pandemic’s epicentre has been blamed on a sluggish vaccine uptake in some nations, the highly contagious Delta variant and colder weather moving people indoors again.
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Anti-Covid-19 lockdown protests throughout Europe amid rising cases and increased measures
“Probably by the end of this winter, as is sometimes cynically said, pretty much everyone in Germany will be vaccinated, cured or dead,” German Health Minister Jens Spahn said, as he urged more citizens to get the jab.