Photo : REUTERS/Tatyana Makeyeva
NIAS Europe Daily Brief #06, 08 November 2021, Monday
IN FOCUS
By Padmashree Anandhan
The resurgence of COVID-19 in Europe
On 04 November, the officials of WHO reported a resurgence of new COVID-19 cases in Europe. It expects the count to hit a record of half a million in the coming three months. According to the WHO director Dr Hans Kluge: "We are at another critical point of pandemic resurgence, Europe is back at the epicenter of the pandemic where we were one year ago." Out of the total new cases reported across the world, Europe accounts for 59 percent, comprising 1.8 million cases. The reason behind the surge is believed to be the spread of the Delta variant affecting individuals of all age groups. Eastern European countries – the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland have been the most affected in the region with a spike in deaths. While tracing the spread of infection, it was prevalent in countries that had low vaccination rates and those fully vaccinated such as Italy.
Government measures
Italy which has the highest vaccination rate of 72 percent has also seen the emergence of new cases in its unvaccinated residents. It has imposed severe rules to vaccinate the remaining and mainly the worker population. One such rule is the "Green Pass" which is a QR code to confirm an individual's vaccination and negative status. Individuals need to show this at restaurants, cinemas, gyms, and trains.
This has provoked anti-vaccine protests in the city of Trieste. According to one of the protestors, "the health pass sidelined the unvaccinated from the country's workforce and rendered vaccine skeptics socially dead." They have warned the government that on the continuity of such rules the anti-health pass movement would spread everywhere.
In Hungary, the infection rate has multiplied in the past weeks. The government has mandated vaccination at the state institutions, urging people to get vaccinated. It has also asked the private companies to necessitate its workers to get jabbed. But there are no new laws or measures to meet the immediate rise in the cases.
In the cases of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland, all of them have stiffened the restrictions on mask-wearing, showing of vaccination certificates in the public spaces, and testing of children in schools where cases are peaking. Poland, along with the above rules, has also limited the seating capacity in theatres to 75 percent.
Three issues
First, there is a lack in taking a unified action across the region to close the difference between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated populations. Till now, only 47 percent of people count as fully-vaccinated. The authorities need to speed up and expand their vaccinations in countries with low vaccination rates to avoid mistrust or dissatisfaction in certain groups of people. Larger the difference, the larger the scope for protests and increase in cases.
Second, easing of restrictions in the public spaces. Social measures such as mask-wearing, social distancing, frequent testing, and inoculation need to be in place as a preventive measure and cannot be eased – essentially, neglecting the presence of the virus. This was the case in the Netherlands and Denmark, which did not consider the infection to be critical. Such negligence needs to stop.
Third, the mandate of COVID-19 passports. These were implemented to boost the intake of vaccines. But the follow-up of this rule has been poor. Taking Slovenia as an example, it is one of the least vaccinated members of the EU. The rule of the COVID-19 passport worked well in the initial stages as it increased the vaccination rate. Once the constitutional court ruled out the COVID-19 pass for public sector workers, the execution of the rule became irregular, and inspection no more effective. However, in Italy and France, where the rule is followed strictly, it has led to anti-vax protests.
The situation inside Europe is becoming more challenging and complex to counter the virus spread as the difference widens among the countries in administering the pandemic proactively.
References
"Covid: WHO warns Europe once again at epicentre of pandemic," BBC, 06 November 2021.
"Statement – Update on COVID-19: Europe and central Asia again at the epicentre of the pandemic," World Health Organization, 04 November 2021.
Paul Kirby, "Covid passes set to stay as Europe heads for winter," BBC, 28 October 2021.
Jason Horowitz, "Center of Italy's Anti-Vaccine Protests Is Now a Covid Hot Spot," The New York Times, 07 November 2021.
IN BRIEF
By Joeana Cera Matthews and Vaishnavi Iyer
GEORGIA
Conservative priest advocates for LGBT rights
Bishop Malkhaz Songulashvili, a Baptist priest in Tbilisi, has been fighting for LGBT rights. He is a professor of comparative theology and religious ethics and is the leader of Georgia's Evangelical-Baptist Church. He was the Archbishop of Georgia's Baptist Church until he was forced to resign due to his support for gays and marginalized Muslim groups. His Peace church has been lobbying for the community in conservative Georgia. His congregation marched in support of the LGBT community when they faced violent protests and attacks in July, and also provided for the rent of transgender women during the pandemic. He mentioned that the church had lost donors owing to the open support for the community. However, he believes that the injustice against the community must be addressed politically, culturally, and even religiously. Despite a loss in donors, the church continues to operate its social projects and helps immigrants, internally displaced people, and others in need. He believes that anyone could change their views and help overcome injustice. (Emil Filtenborg and Stefan Weichert, "Meet the baptist priest fighting for LGBT rights in conservative Georgia," Euronews, 04 November 2021)
ITALY
More than 800 people were rescued from the Mediterranean
Following days of waiting in the central Mediterranean, a boat carrying more than 800 migrants including 200 minors and five pregnant women was allowed to dock at Trapani, off the Sicilian coast. The ship was allowed to dock after rejections from Lampedusa and Malta. The German rescue vessel was granted permission to dock after a fellow charity ship delivered food and blankets to the Sea-Eye 4, which was the ship carrying the migrants. Negotiations will be pursued after docking but in an effort to ensure the safety of the crew and the migrants, hospitals performed routine check-ups. The Sea-Eye charity complained about the "appalling" state of the country's inability to provide for assistance. Another boat is set to arrive in Italy carrying over 314 migrants. ("Italy: 800 migrants on board German rescue ship reach Sicilian port," Deutsche Welle, 08 November 2021)
Organized Crime: 70 'Ndragheta members pronounced guilty
On 06 November, Judge Claudio Paris condemned 70 members of the' Ndragheta, a prominent Italian mafia group. In the first stage of a massive trial, dubbed the 'maxi trial' which attempts to confront organized crime, 355 suspects are expected to be judged in the custom-built courtroom of Lamezia Terme, Calabria. Six of those convicted have been given 20-year sentences. These suspects have been charged with attempted murder, money laundering, usury, drug-dealing, extortion, and illegal weapons possession. The' Ndragheta had replaced Italy's Cosa Nostra, as the wealthiest and most influential mafia group, after Cosa Nostra was afflicted by a similar 'maxi trial' from 1986-1987. According to court officials, the current trial is speculated to last 2 years, maybe longer. ("Italy convicts first 70 'ndrangheta members in massive Mafia trial," Deutsche Welle, 07 November 2021; "Italian 'maxi trial' results in conviction of 70' Ndrangheta suspects," The Guardian, 06 November 2021)
POLAND
Miners protest against plans to phase out coal production
Around 200 miners demonstrated outside the European Commission building in Warsaw, arguing that scheduled coal mine closures will result in job losses and higher fuel prices. The Polish government offered the phase-out as part of its efforts to tackle global warming. Many citizens state that Polish electricity must continue to come from coal. Janusk Kowalski, MP from Poland in the Solidarity party affirmed that the citizens will not tolerate a drastic increase in energy prices. A petition has been handed over to the European Commission by the protestors. (Richard Good, "Miners protest in Warsaw against Polish government's plans to phase out coal production," Euronews, 06 November 2021)
Health Ministry responds after protests against abortion law
On 07 November, the Polish Health Ministry released a statement that effectively brought modifications to the previous guidelines on when abortion was legal. It read: "It should be strongly emphasized that physicians must not be afraid to make obvious decisions, based on their experience and available medical knowledge." The statement followed nationwide protests on 06 November, as protesters gathered against the 'restrictive abortion law' which had caused the death of a 30-year-old pregnant woman. The doctors who denied the termination have been suspended as the probe into the same continues. The 2020 Constitutional Court ruling tightened the abortion law, providing the only ground for the legal termination of pregnancy to be when the life of the mother was being risked. (Amanda Rivkin, "Poland's Health Ministry revisits abortion guidelines after protests," Deutsche Welle, 07 November 2021; "Poles march against abortion ban after pregnant woman's death," BBC, 06 November 2021)
SPAIN
Suspicions of illegal migration after individuals flee post-emergency landing
12 individuals were arrested by police in Mallorca after fleeing a plane that had made an emergency landing. The landing is suspected to have been an attempt by the 12 Moroccans to illegally enter Spain. Those in suspicion include nine people who illegally exited the plane, a passenger who claimed to be sick, the passenger's companion, and a passenger who was jailed for fighting with a plane official. 23 passengers are thought to have exited the plane in total when an ambulance was called to carry off an apparently ill passenger. The runways of the airport were then closed before some of them were caught. At least eleven migrants are still believed to be on the loose. They have all been accused of facilitating illegal immigrants to enter the country. (Daniel Bellamy, "More than 20 suspected migrants flee from plane after it lands in Mallorca," Euronews, 06 November 2021)