Around Europe: How countries are battling to prevent a second wave of Covid-19

Denmark has been registering comfortably over 400 new cases of Covid-19 daily for the best part of two weeks, with 559 cases registered on Thursday. This week has also seen the first strong signs of the increase in numbers now transferring to hospitalisations, with 95 Covid-19 patients admitted across the country at the time of writing. The figure stood at 18 three weeks ago on September 4th.

The government has responded to this by requiring all bars and restaurants in the country to close by 10pm and putting night-time assembly bans in place in spots where people might have impromptu gatherings in the absence of the closed bars and nightclubs. Gatherings are currently limited to 50 people.

A request to avoid busy public transport and work from home where possible has been issued. Face masks have been mandatory on all public transportsince late August.

The health minister, Magnus Heunicke, appeared to sound an optimistic note earlier this week when he tweeted that the R-number – the average number of people an infected individual passes the virus to – was on its way downwards. But the virus is still spreading in Denmark.

With Germany set to enforce quarantine on arrivals from Copenhagen and the Danish foreign ministry now advising against non-essential travel to a host of European countries, including the UK and Ireland, Denmark is beginning to feel small and confined again for those with families abroad or other reasons for travel.

In some senses, there’s little to distinguish the situation from that in preceding weeks.

A second strict lockdown does not yet appear on the cards, face masks are not required in shops and schools and universities are open. But university welcoming events and extracurricular school activities are unlikely to take place as experts continue to caution against unnecessary social contact.

As the dark nights draw in, continued distancing and quiet streets make early autumn feel a little greyer than usual.

Walking around the streets of the centre of Madrid, it’s hard to fathom that the capital is once again at the epicentre of the coronavirus crisis, not just in Spain this time but leading the way in Europe for the daily number of new cases. 

Terraces are bustling as friends meet up to enjoy drinks and tapas on the last of the warm evenings before autumn sets in, students recently reunited in colleges and universities squeeze together tightly on benches in the plazas just as they have always done. Young children crowd around swings and climbing frames in playgrounds, reaching out to their friends with fingers sticky from after-school merienda.

Masks are as likely to be seen slipped under the nose, supporting the chin or loosely dangling from a finger beneath a lit cigarette as worn in the correct Covid-19 preventative position.

There is a sense that people are making the most of meeting friends and enjoying life outside the home in case their section of the city is the next to be declared a confinement zone. 

Blame for being in the grip of a second wave is deftly placed on the politicians from either the left (central government) or right (regional government) depending on your own political standpoint.

Broadly, the plea by Spain’s Minister of Health earlier this week for all Madrileños – not just those in the 37 trouble spots - to stay home and only go out and meet people if strictly necessary, has fallen on deaf ears. 

But the daily statistics tell a different story. Madrid currently has an average incidence rate of over 750 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over 14 days reaching above a worrying 1,200 in the poorest most populated zones of the city. 

And the number of Covid-19 deaths each day are creeping up although still far below the numbers reached at the peak of the first wave. At least 18 of the capital’s public hospitals are already at 90 percent occupancy with doctors begging for reinforcements while warning that worse is yet to come. 

But the question no one dares ask is how much worse will it have to get before we get locked down again?

Map: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. For more data on the latest Covid-19 situation in Europe click HERE. 

'A message was sent out that said 'Oslo needs your help',' Agnes Erickson, Oslo

With the recent rise in COVID-19 cases in Norway, the government has begun to introduce and tighten current regulations set in place in order to keep the public safe. Norway’s capital city Oslo, has been hit hard with the news that the number of people infected is the highest it has been since June.

There has been a spike of 548 positive cases within the last 14 days according to VG. On Tuesday, September 22nd the government mandated private gatherings be limited to a ten person maximum, halving the  number from 20. 

Before the announcement was made public, Oslo Commune sent out a text message to the city’s  inhabitants saying, “Oslo needs your help. Keep a 1 meter distance. Use  a facemask when needed. Sick? Stay home. Avoid busses, trams and the subway if possible. Do this for Oslo.”

READ MORE: Which European countries are on Norway's quarantine list?

When walking around the capital’s city streets, one’s first impression wouldn’t be of a city dealing with a pandemic. Public transportation is full and shops are open with normal business hours. A more inspective glance would show the signs for keeping a distance between others  are everywhere and the bottles of sanitizer are conveniently placed just inside store fronts. 

The latest city to take on stricter guidelines is Arendal. VG, reported on Thursday, September 24th, residences of Arendal received word that private gatherings have a 10 person maximum. There is a 50 person max for public arrangements and businesses open to the public must arrange a guestlist. The newest restrictions must be followed over the course of the next 10 days. 

The Norwegian Health Department believes the most important thing citizens can do is keep a 1 meters distance from each other. To date, NRK reports 778 new positive cases this week, 24 corona positive patients currently admitted in hospitals, and a total of 270 deaths.

Generally speaking, it appears locals are still trusting and following the government's regulations all the while moving on with their daily lives. The pandemic continues to be  a popular topic among citizens, and they are cautiously optimistic the current rules set in place will be enough to control the spread of the virus. 

'The Swiss government has been careful not to stoke fears and create panic,' Helena Bachmann, Geneva

'Germany is trying to strike a balance', Rachel Stern, Berlin

At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in March, there was a visible worry in Berlin. The U-Bahn, normally packed with early evening commuters, breezed by mostly empty. Toilet paper and hand sanitizer were sold out legends, heard of but not seen on empty supermarket shelves. 

Now, aside from the Alltagsmasken (literally ‘everyday masks’ which must be worn in transport or stores or you, ahem, face a fine) life seems relatively "normal". In light of not being able to travel to California this year, I've journeyed through eight German states in the past couple weeks and observed people eating in pubs, cueing for the cinema, and trying to live life aside from the pandemic. I can't blame them as I am too.

But despite Germany's relative success in the pandemic - it’s had 248,500 reported recoveries out of a total of 281,407 cases - we shouldn't be ready to relax yet, warned Christian Drosten, a top virologist at Berlin's Charite Hospital, on Wednesday. 

For three times in the past months, the daily coronavirus case count has topped 2,000 - numbers not seen since April. In light of locally growing infections, individual states have made moves to stem the spread of the virus - be it Munich mandating masks in some parts of its old town, or the whole state of North Rhine-Westphalia putting a limit on participants in private events. 

As temperatures dip, Germany is debating whether and how it should keep its famous Christmas markets (Cologne already cancelled as a precaution), if there can still be outdoor seating at restaurants with heaters, and how to make coronavirus testing even more widespread and accessible. 

No one knows what the coming colder months hold, but this time Germany is trying to strike a balance between the status quo and safety.