by A.P.
(AFP) — A swathe of new restrictions to curtail a second wave of coronavirus infections were announced or came into force from Austria to Greece, Italy to Portugal on Saturday as the global death toll climbed above 1.3 million.
More than 53 million have been infected worldwide by Covid-19, which is running rampant throughout America and Europe, forcing governments to take more drastic action despite the potential economic devastation.
Austria joined a growing trend announcing schools and non-essential shops would close from Tuesday, having imposed a partial lockdown two weeks ago.
“There are still many who say that infections don’t happen at school, in shops or services,” said Chancellor Sebastien Kurtz.
“But the truth is the authorities can no longer trace 77 per cent of new infections, which means they no longer know where contamination is happening.”