An increasing number of countries are turning red on the coronavirus map of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), meaning they crossed the threshold of 120 confirmed infections per 100,000 inhabitants in the last two weeks.
After Belgium was coloured red on Wednesday 23 September, four other countries have now also gone from dark orange to red, according to the ECDC.
Previously, Spain (320 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over the past two weeks), the Czech Republic (267/100,000), France (235) and Luxembourg (189) were also previously coloured red.
Now, the Netherlands (171), Iceland (128), Denmark (128) and Hungary (127) have also been added to that list, bringing the total to 9 red countries in Europe.
Related News
- The Netherlands now considers all of Belgium an orange travel zone
- Belgium becomes red on European coronavirus map
According to Sciensano's latest figures, Belgium's incidence rate climbed to 175 confirmed infections per 100,000 inhabitants over the past two weeks on Monday.
The Netherlands has seen its figures skyrocket in recent days, with almost 3,000 new confirmed infections yesterday. Late on Monday evening, the country announced additional measures, including the closing of all bars and restaurants at 10:00 PM.
Iceland recorded 39 new infections on Sunday, double the number of Saturday. However, as Iceland has a population of only 364,000 people, this means that even a low number of new infections can cause a significant increase in the incidence. On Wednesday, the authorities will see whether the trend continues and whether the measures in the country need to be tightened.
In Denmark, the situation is "worrying" as the figures reached their highest level in four months on Monday, according to Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. "This applies to both the number of new infections and the number of hospital admissions," she told the Berlingske news site.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
