"A 'long, hard winter' for Europe"

 UK & EU enter second wave of lockdowns

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned of a long, hard winter ahead as she defended the reinstatement of a national lockdown.

Mrs Merkel was heckled by right-wing MPs as she outlined the new measures in parliament.

Rising coronavirus infections and deaths are triggering tougher restrictions across Europe.

France restores a lockdown on Friday, ordering people to stay at home except for essential work or medical reasons.

President Emmanuel Macron said the country risked being "overwhelmed by a second wave that no doubt will be harder than the first".

Daily Covid deaths in France are at the highest level since April. On Thursday, authorities reported 47,637 new cases compared to 36,437 a day earlier and 235 new deaths, nine fewer than on Wednesday.

German health officials said on Thursday that another 89 people had died in the past 24 hours, with a record 16,774 infections.

Germany's new measures, which come into force on Monday, are not as far-reaching as in France, but they include the closure of restaurants, bars, gyms and theatres, Mrs Merkel said.

The UK reported a further 23,065 cases on Thursday, and an additional 280 deaths, bringing the total death toll to 45,955. In England, a new study shows almost 100,000 people are catching the virus every day, putting pressure on the government to change policy from a regional approach.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the continent was "deep in the second wave".

"I think that this year's Christmas will be a different Christmas," she said.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54728893

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