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Cases up in Serbia, France; US dip slows

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Authorities in some countries are preparing to prolong restrictions to halt the spread of COVID-19.
Camera IconAuthorities in some countries are preparing to prolong restrictions to halt the spread of COVID-19.

Restrictions are being stepped up against the spread of the coronavirus in Belgium and Serbia as regional lockdowns come into force in parts of France and Finland while US health authorities warn easing infection numbers could rebound.

Belgian health authorities said on Friday that the number of confirmed coronavirus infections is rising, possibly due in part to the fast-spreading variant first found in the UK.

The latest figures showed that 2294 new confirmed cases are appearing on average daily, a rise of 24 per cent over the previous seven-day period.

However, the number of reported cases in care homes is dropping and the COVID-19 death rate continues to decline.

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Officials appeared set to prolong restrictions that have been in place almost permanently since the start of November, including obligatory mask-wearing outdoors, night-time curfews and limits on certain shops opening.

Non-essential travel is also banned.

Infection figures are also rising in Serbia, with the country tightening its measures against the coronavirus this weekend following a decision by the government's crisis committee.

On Saturday and Sunday, restaurants and shopping centres may only stay open until 2pm, the government announced.

Petrol stations can only sell petrol from 2pm onwards on those days.

For several months, restaurants in Serbia have been allowed to serve their guests until 8pm.

In recent weeks, however, the number of infections has risen significantly.

On Thursday, 3588 new coronavirus cases were recorded in the Balkan country whereas a week ago the figure was 2467.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, 4398 people have died of COVID-19 in the country of 7 million inhabitants.

Finland recorded a new daily record for coronavirus infections over the last 24 hours, saying it registered 720 new cases, a public health agency said on Friday.

Recreational venues in Finland's capital region will be closed for two weeks, the Regional State Administrative Agency said, to curb a rise in coronavirus infections in Helsinki and eight surrounding municipalities.

The authority ordered public and private gyms, indoor sports venues, saunas and swimming pools as well as other recreational areas to close from March 1.

The closures are in addition to a three-week partial lockdown starting on March 8 announced by the government on Thursday.

The restrictions on recreation affect around 1.4 million of the country's 5.5 million inhabitants.

There are exceptions for venues that cater to fewer than ten people and for activities for children aged 12 and under.

Several Finnish regions have registered a rapid rise in COVID-19 infections in the past two weeks, with the metropolitan area around Helsinki the hardest hit.

Finland, among the the European countries least affected by the virus so far, has recorded 56,407 cases and 742 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, residents of Nice in the French Riviera will be denied their strolls along the beach on a sunny weekend under a temporary local lockdown imposed to curb soaring infections.

Starting on Friday evening, Nice and the surrounding coastal area will be under weekend lockdowns for at least two weeks, in addition to a country-wide 6pm to 6am curfew.

The northern port of Dunkirk is under similar restrictions.

In both places, numbers of infections have spiked and hospitals are overwhelmed, with some patients being transferred to other French regions.

Nice mayor Christian Estrosi announced on Friday a ban on the beaches and the famous Promenade des Anglais esplanade, where lots of people usually go for a seaside stroll, to ensure the restrictions are fully respected.

"We absolutely need to avoid too big gatherings, as the weekend is expected to be summer-like and extremely attractive... Reason must prevail," he said in a video message posted on social media.

Only essential shops will remain open, he added.

Estrosi has repeatedly attributed the worsening situation in his city to the presence of "too many tourists" during end-of-year holidays, listing the UK, Scandinavia, UAE and Russia, which have direct flights to Nice airport.

"We are now paying a very high price," he said.

Since then, France has banned almost all travellers from outside the European Union and applied restrictions to those coming from inside the bloc.

In the United States, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday that a recent decline in COVID-19 cases may be stalling.

Rochelle Walensky told reporters the number of cases had been increasing for the past three days compared to the prior week and that declines in hospitalisations and deaths were also "potentially levelling off at still a very high number" in a "concerning" development.

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