Dutch partial lockdown to tackle surge in infections

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has announced Western Europe's first partial Covid lockdown of the winter, with three weeks of restrictions for shops, sport and catering. He said that the annoying, drastic move was in response to record infections and rising intensive care cases. Police have fired water cannon against hundreds of protesters in The Hague. Much of Europe is facing a surge in cases, blamed partly on low vaccine take-up in several countries. Austria is expected to back a lockdown for unvaccinated people this weekend. Restrictions would be imposed first in the two provinces of Upper Austria and Salzburg from Monday, according to Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein. Denmark, which had downgraded coronavirus as no longer a "socially critical" disease, has re-instated a Covid pass that was phased out in September. The government wants to push through a law allowing workplaces to require the pass for staff. Covid passes set to stay as Europe heads for winter The Du...