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Germans will be 'vaccinated, cured or dead' from Covid-19 in just a few months, the country's health minister Jens Spahn warned today as he urged more citizens to get jabbed to protect themselves against the Delta variant. 

The dire warning comes as Germany is racing to contain a record rise in coronavirus infections, with the country reporting 49,206 cases on Sunday - the highest number of new coronavirus cases since the beginning of the pandemic.    

'Probably by the end of this winter, as is sometimes cynically said, pretty much everyone in Germany will be vaccinated, cured or dead,' Shahn said, blaming the contagious Delta variant. 'That is why we so urgently recommend vaccination.'

The German health minister's warning comes as Austrians woke up to a nationwide lockdown - a move which sparked fierce backlash as tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Vienna at the weekend to protest against the measures. 

Austrians were not alone in their demonstrations as violent protests broke out across Europe at the weekend in the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and Northern Ireland over anti-Covid measures aimed at atemming spiralling cases. 

The Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte today slammed three nights of riots in several cities across the country as 'pure violence' by 'idiots' and vowed to prosecute those responsible.

Meanwhile, in Germany, politicians and health ministers are now debating whether to follow Austria's example in making vaccinations compulsory, with some admitting that the move is 'unavoidable' amid a rise in infections.

GERMANY: Traders dismantle figures from their stall at the closed Christmas market in Dresden, Germany, on Monday

AUSTRIA: The streets in Vienna are empty on Monday morning at the beginning of a nationwide lockdown

AUSTRIA: Austrians woke up on Monday morning to a nationwide lockdown with shops, restaurants and festive markets shut amid a fourth wave of the pandemic which is crippling the country's hospitals and tripling the death rate 

AUSTRIA: The nationwide lockdown - which had initially applied to the unvaccinated - stops Austria's 8.9 million people from leaving their homes unless for specific reasons such as buying groceries, going to the doctor or exercising.

AUSTRIA: Police officers control the occupants of a vehicle at a check point at the German-Austrian border on Monday

Europe has become the epicentre of the pandemic once again, with the World Health Organisation warning that the Continent was the only region in the world where deaths had increased as Covid-related fatalities spiked by five per cent just last week

THE NETHERLANDS: A worker clears glass from a destroyed bus shelter in Groningen on Monday after groups of people vandalised and set off fireworks during protests. The Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte today slammed three nights of riots in several cities across the country as 'pure violence' by 'idiots' and vowed to prosecute those responsible.

GUADELOUPE: The frustration is extending to as far as the Caribbean after France's island Guadeloupe saw a week of violent protests following an announcement that coronavirus jabs would be mandatory for all healthcare worker

In neighbouring Germany, the fourth wave is overwhelming hospitals, with health chiefs warning that the situation is 'extremely critical' in intensive care units across the country. 

'We have a very, very difficult situation in many hospitals,' Spahn said. 

Despite widespread access to free coronavirus vaccines, just 68 percent of the German population is fully vaccinated, a level experts say is too low to keep the pandemic under control. 

Europe has become the epicentre of the pandemic once again, with the World Health Organisation warning that the Continent was the only region in the world where deaths had increased as Covid-related fatalities spiked by five per cent just last week. 

Anger is mounting across Europe over the anti-Covid measures. Last night saw 35,000 people descend on the Belgian capital Brussels to protest against new measures banning the unvaccinated from entering restaurants and bars.

The frustration is extending to as far as the Caribbean after France's island Guadeloupe saw a week of violent protests following an announcement that coronavirus jabs would be mandatory for all healthcare workers. 

In response, France has sent elite police and counter-terrorism officers to the French territory to help quell the unrest which saw clashes and looting. 

It comes after the French government warned that the fifth wave of coronavirus infections are rising at 'lightning speed', with new daily Covid cases close to doubling over the past week.   

GERMANY: A doctor tends to a patient on the Covid-19 intensive care unit at University Hospital Leipzig on November 18

GERMANY: Lorenz Nowak, head physician of the Clinic for Intensive Care Medicine, treats a COVID-19 patient in the ICU of the Asklepios Clinic, in Gauting, Germany, on Friday

In Germany, a relatively low vaccination rate - hovering under 70 per cent - has left the country vulnerable to the virus. 

Now, the country's ministers and health chiefs are questioning whether compulsory vaccination is the answer to the worsening situation. 

The President of the Robert Koch Institute, Lothar Wieler, said he sees mandatory vaccination as a 'last resort' and said Germany must think about compulsory vaccination. 

He told ZDF newspaper: 'The last resort, which is now being discussed again and again, is what is known as compulsory vaccination. And I'm with the World Health Organisation that we all don't want that. 

'There is really no one who would like to have a mandatory vaccination. But if you have tried everything else, then the World Health Organisation also says that you have to think about compulsory vaccination. 

Meanwhile, Germany's federal tourism commissioner Thomas Bareiß said the situation makes it clear that compulsory vaccination is 'unavoidable'. 

Bareiß told DPA news agency: 'In retrospect, it was wrong not to see that right from the start. The hope at that time is understandable, but it was not realistic.'

His calls were echoed by the Prime Minister of Bavaria, which has seen Covid cases surge, who said 'in the end we will not be able to avoid compulsory vaccination'. 

The Health Minister of Bavaria, Klaus Holetschek, also said that while he had been an opponent of mandatory vaccinations, he now sees it as the only way to stop further restrictions and the spread of Covid. 

He told Deutschlandfunk: 'I believe that we can actually only get out of this endless loop if this mandatory vaccination is introduced.' 

But others are not so sure, with the Prime Minister of Saarland, Tobias Hans, warning that compulsory vaccinations would divide society and spark protests, as Austria has seen in recent days. 

Hans told Zeit Online: 'The compulsory vaccination is not the debate that we need now,' adding that not enough has been done 'to really convince them that vaccination is the right way to go'.    

Germany last week announced tougher coronavirus curbs to contain the worth wave, which has killed almost 100,000 people so far in the country, including 62 over the past 24 hours.    

In regions with high hospitalisation rates, the unvaccinated will be barred from public spaces like cinemas, gyms and indoor dining.

Employees are asked to return to working from home whenever possible, while anyone going into the workplace has to prove they are vaccinated, recovered or have recently tested negative - a system known as '3G'.

The same rule applies on public transport in those areas.

Several of Germany's hardest hit regions, including Bavaria and Saxony, have gone even further by cancelling large events such as Christmas markets and effectively barring the unvaccinated from non-essential public life.

All vaccinated adults have also been urged to get a booster shot to combat waning vaccine efficacy after six months.    

AUSTRIA: A police officer speaks to the occupants of a vehicle at a check point at the German-Austrian border on Monday

AUSTRIA: The streets of Vienna were largely empty on Monday after the country entered a nationwide lockdown

GERMANY: Traders dismantle figures from their stall at the closed Christmas market in Dresden, Germany, on Monday

Across the border in Austria, the streets were largely empty on Monday morning after the country entered a nationwide lockdown. 

The nationwide lockdown - which had initially applied to the unvaccinated - stops 8.9 million people from leaving their homes unless for specific reasons such as buying groceries, going to the doctor or exercising. 

The strict measures, which are set to last for 10 days but could extend to 20, comes as average daily deaths in Austria have tripled in recent weeks and some hospitals have warned that their intensive care units are reaching capacity.  

Austria's decision to enter a lockdown punctures earlier promises that tough virus restrictions would be a thing of the past. Over the summer, then-chancellor Sebastian Kurz had declared the pandemic 'over'.

But plateauing inoculation rates, record case numbers and a spiralling death toll have forced the government to walk back such bold claims.   

Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg apologised to all vaccinated people on Friday as he announced the measures, saying it wasn't fair that they had to suffer under the renewed lockdown restrictions. Earlier, Austria had tried out a lockdown just for unvaccinated people but it did not slow infections enough. 

Chancellor Schallenberg also announced last week that the country will introduce a vaccine mandate as of February 1. The details of how the mandate will work aren't yet clear, but the government has said that people who do not adhere to the mandate will face fines.

The vow to make Covid jabs mandatory led the head of one of Austria's main opposition parties, Herbert Kickl, to warn the country is 'now a dictatorship', while branding the move 'unconstitutional' and calling on the country's top court to intervene.    

After taking office in October, Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg criticised Austria's 'shamefully low' vaccine rate - which is at 66 percent - and banned the un-jabbed from public spaces.

When that proved ineffective at squelching the latest round of infections, he announced a nationwide lockdown of 20 days, with an evaluation after 10 days.

Schools will remain open, although parents have been asked to keep their children at home if possible. Working remotely is also recommended.

Political analyst Thomas Hofer blamed Scahllenberg for maintaining 'the fiction' of a successfully contained pandemic for too long.

'The government didn't take the warnings of a next wave seriously,' he said. 'The chaos is evident.'   

Protesters set up fire in the street during a demonstration against Belgium government's measures to curb the spread of Covid-19

A street in Brussels is left smouldering as Protesters continue to demonstrate against the Covid vaccine being made compulsory

Protesters face riot place clash during an anti-coronavirus measures protest in Brussels, as a flare goes off and debris litters the road

Belgian police hold their shields and batons as flares are released by demonstrators protesting a mandatory Covid vaccine

Police intervene in demonstrators as they gather around Nord Train Station to protest against mandatory Covid-19 vaccine

Last night, nearly 40,000 took to the streets of Brussels to protest against the return of strict anti-Covid measures banning the unvaccinated from entering restaurants and bars.   

Some protesters were seen throwing projectiles at riot police and in response, officers fired water cannon and tear gas at the group. Police have made some arrests, but it is not immediately clear how many.

Video footage from Brussels shows a large group of protesters shouting at police as some light flares and throw them at the officers. One man can even be seen mooning at them.

The protests descended into chaos, with some of the protesters seen setting fires on the streets while others threw rocks through the windows of local businesses including a post office. Two police cars have also been damaged.   

Saturday night also saw similar demonstrations against virus restrictions take place in Austria, Switzerland, Croatia, Italy, Northern Ireland, Austria and North Macedonia, a day after Dutch police opened fire on protesters and seven people were injured in rioting that erupted in Rotterdam.  

In Belgium, cases have been surging, with infections reaching 13,836 on Sunday. In response, the government has introduced restrictions including a ban on the unvaccinated from venues such as restaurants and bars, and an order to work from home at least four days a week. 

Police said 35,000 protesters marched from the North Station in Brussels on Sunday afternoon against a fresh round of Covid measures announced by the government on Wednesday.

The demonstration, called 'Together for Freedom', saw some protesters clash with riot police near the Belgian capital's EU and government district. Many of the protesters caught up in the clash were wearing hoods and carried Flemish nationalist flags.

A total of 42 people were detained and two were arrested in the riots. Meanwhile, three police officers were injured and taken to hospital and one protester was hurt after a firework exploded in his hand. 

People dressed in black protest against coronavirus disease measures near the European Commission in Brussels

Nearly 40,000 people descended on the Belgian capital of Brussels before the protest turned into a riot that left four people injured, including one demonstrator who was hurt after a firework exploded in his hand

Demonstrators gather around Nord Train Station to protest against mandatory Covid-19 vaccine, in Brussels, the Belgian capital

Protesters used whistles and even a traditional animal horn to voice their displeasure at heightened Covid measures in Brussels

Police take security measurements as people gather around Nord Train Station to protest against mandatory Covid-19 vaccine, in Brussels, Belgium

Europe descended into a third day of violent carnage on Sunday as tens of thousands of people in Belgium took to the streets to protest against the return of strict lockdown rules aimed at curbing a rise in Covid infections

Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Brussels today as violence erupted. Protesters can be seen holding a sign which reads 'Freedom over slavery'

Riot police are seen raising their shields against a group of protesters who are demonstrating against the Belgian government's anti-Covid measures 

A group of protesters in Brussels face a line of riot police officers who are seen carrying batons and shields on Sunday

Protesters took to the streets of Brussels on Sunday to protests against the Covid-19 measures. This sign reads: 'They can vaccinate the whole world but leave the hungry'

Nearly 40,000 people descended on the capital Brussels to protest against new anti-Covid measures banning the unvaccinated from entering restaurants and bars

Protesters set fire to piles of wood in the middle of roads and threw bricks through the windows of buildings, including a local post office.  

Several police officers were injured after protesters threw bottles and fireworks at them. 

Last week, Belgium's Prime Minister Last week, Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said 'the alarm signals are all red' as he imposed tough restrictions, ordering people to work at home for at least four days a week. 

Under new restrictions, all people in indoor venues such as cafes and restaurants will need to wear a mask unless seated and the rule will apply to those aged 10 or older. The previous age threshold was 12. 

Nightclubs may have to test their guests if they want to let them dance mask-free. People wanting to eat in a restaurant or go to the theatre already must present a COVID pass, showing vaccination, a negative test or recent recovery. 

Most Belgians will also have to work from home four days a week until mid-December, and for three days after that.

Belgium has one of the highest cases per capita rates in the European Union, behind only the Baltic and former Yugoslav nations and Austria, at around one per hundred people over the past 14 days, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

'The alarm signals are all red,' prime minister Alexander De Croo told a news conference. 'We had all hoped to have a winter without coronavirus, but Belgium is not an island.' 

Niels Van Regenmortel, the intensive care units coordinator at the ZNA Stuivenberg hospital in Antwerp, said there was an increasing risk hospitals in Belgium will have to resort to triage as ICUs fill up amid soaring COVID-19 numbers, calling on the government to restrict night life.  

The above graph shows the Covid infection rate per million people for western European countries from November last year. It reveals that Slovakia has the highest infection rate in the region, followed by Austria

The number of Covid cases are soaring daily in Germany, with the country reporting 48,201 infections on Saturday - the highest number of new coronavirus cases since the beginning of the pandemic

People take part in a demonstration against Belgium government's measures to curb the spread of the Covid-19 on Sunday

Riot police uses a water canon against protesters during a demonstration against the reinforced measures of the Belgium government to counter the latest spike of the coronavirus in Brussels, Belgium, on Sunday

People take part in a demonstration against Covid-19 measures, including the country's health pass, in Brussels on Sunday

Protesters clash with riot police during a demonstration against Belgium government's measures to curb the spread of Covid 

Last week, Belgium's Prime Minister Last week, Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said 'the alarm signals are all red' as he imposed tough restrictions, ordering people to work at home for at least four days a week. Pictured: Protesters in Brussels on Sunday

Riot police raise their shields as they clash with protesters on a bridge in Brussels on Sunday during anti-vaccine demonstrations

Thousands of protesters, many of them peaceful, marched through the streets of Brussels on Sunday. Some held signs which read 'Stand up for your rights' and 'Stop the madness'

Mr Bareiß, the tourism commissioner of Germany's federal government, said a compulsory vaccination is 'unavoidable'. 

He said: 'For me it is politically no longer justifiable that entire industries, retailers, restaurants, clubs, bars and the entire cinema, cultural and event scene live in a state of crisis prescribed by the state for 20 months and are faced with great existential fears, while others are concerned take the freedom not to vaccinate. 

'So far, historical measures and sums of money have been able to save many companies. That doesn't work in the long run.'

In Bavaria, there has been a 'dramatic' coronavirus resurgence. It prompted the Bavarian state capital of Munich to become the first major German city to cancel its Christmas market, which usually draws some three million visitors. 

The Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder said he believes the country will 'not be able to avoid' compulsory vaccination. 

He told Berliner Zeitung: 'I believe that in the end we will not be able to avoid compulsory vaccination. Otherwise it will be an endless loop with this coronavirus.' 

The director of Frankfurt University Hospital said the situation in intensive care units in the state of Hesse is 'critical'.

Jürgen Graf, who is also the head of the planning staff for the inpatient care of Covid patients in Hesse at the Ministry of Health, told Bild: 'The situation is extremely critical. What we are currently doing is crisis management.' 

He added: 'This is not a problem for Covid patients, it affects everyone,' explaining that inpatient care and the care of emergency patients are 'impaired' due to longer wait times. 

The warning comes as a hospital in Bavaria's Freising last week made the unprecedented decision to transfer a Covid-19 patient to northern Italy because it 'had no more capacity to receive them, and the surrounding hospitals were also full.'   

Almost one per cent of the new infections end up in the intensive care unit, Graf said. 'Given the current number of infections, that would be 50 or more patients per week in addition to the approximately 250 patients treated there today,' he added. 'Then in a few weeks we will be well above last winter's high.' 

The fourth wave is overwhelming hospitals, with health chiefs warning that the situation is 'extremely critical' across the country. Pictured: Doctors and nurses tend to a patient on the Covid-19 intensive care unit at University Hospital Leipzig on November 18

THE NETHERLANDS: A day after Rotterdam rioting that saw seven people injured, thousands more took to Amsterdam's central Dam Square and The Hague (pictured above), with seven arrests being made according to police

AUSTRIA: Protesters carrying a banner reading 'Control the border. Not your people' at the anti-lockdown demonstration held by the far-right Freedom Party in Vienna today

The fourth wave of infections has plunged Germany, Europe's largest economy, into a national emergency, Health Minister Jens Spahn said. He urged people to reduce their social contacts, warning that vaccinations alone would not reduce case numbers. 

Asked if Germany could rule out an Austrian-style full lockdown, Spahn said: 'We are now in a situation - even if this produces a news alert - where we can't rule anything out.

'We are in a national emergency,' he told a news conference.  

Their comments come after the upper house of parliament on Friday approved new measures to control the outbreak proposed by the centre-left alliance that emerged after the September 26 national election.

The measures include requirements for people to prove they are vaccinated, recently recovered from Covid-19 or have tested negative for the virus in order to access communal workplaces or public transport.

Separately, outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed with the governors of Germany's 16 states to introduce a new threshold linked to the number of hospital admissions of Covid-19 patients per 100,000 people over a seven-day period.

The new three-tier system would require people to show evidence of a vaccination or previous infection to enter public buildings or businesses in states where hospitalisation rates go above 3 in 100,000 people, based on a seven-day average. At present, that will affect 9 of Germany's 16 states.   

In France, the seven-day average of new cases reached 17,153 on Saturday, up from 9,458 a week earlier, according to the health authorities, an increase of 81 percent.

'The fifth wave is starting at lightning speed,' government spokesman Gabrial Attal said.

The latest seven-day increase is three times the average rise of cases recorded over the previous three weeks, indicating an exponential acceleration of infections.

For now the spike in infections has not led to a massive influx of Covid patients into hospitals, with the authorities attributing the limited number of intensive care patients to France's high rate of vaccinations which appear highly effective against the most dangerous forms of Covid.

On Saturday, hospitals reported a total of 7,974 Covid patients in their care, with 1,333 of them in intensive treatment. This compares to 6,500 and 1,000, respectively, a month earlier.

'There is a very strong increase in infections, but we also know that in France we have a very large vaccination cover,' he said. 'We seem to be ahead of our neighbours concerning booster shots.'

France's introduction of a health pass ahead of other countries in the summer was also helping to keep Covid in check, he said.

The health pass, required in French restaurants, cafes and many cultural venues, certifies that a person is fully vaccinated, has recently recovered from Covid, or has tested negative for the virus.

The government continues to stand by its choice to 'bring the weight of restrictions to bear on non-vaccinated people rather than vaccinated people', Attal said.

On Saturday night, Europe descended into a second night of violent carnage amid the return of strict lockdown rules aimed at curbing rising rates of Covid infection.

Thousands of people took to Amsterdam's central Dam Square and the Hague on Saturday, a day after the 'orgy of violence' during the Rotterdam riots that saw seven people injured. Police said seven arrests were made on Sunday after youths set streets ablaze and shot fireworks at officers. 

Video footage from the Hague showed motorists sounding their horns in support as a trio of small explosions could be clearly seen on the main road in the background. Elsewhere, protesters were pictured ripping down street signs in chaotic scenes.

Anti-riot police were forced to clear the wreckage of smouldering scooters and burnt-out bicycles that were torched by the anti-vax mob and left to block roads in one of the worst outbreaks of violence in the country since Covid restrictions were first implemented. 

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Monday slammed three nights of unrest over anti-Covid measures as 'pure violence' by 'idiots' and vowed to prosecute those responsible.

Riots in several cities around the country since Friday 'is pure violence under the guise of protest,' the premier said. He added he would always defend the right to protest, but 'I will never accept that idiots use pure violence,' he told Dutch media.

Meanwhile, similar demonstrations against virus restrictions also took place in Switzerland, Croatia, Italy, Northern Ireland, Austria and North Macedonia on Saturday, a day after Dutch police opened fire on protesters and seven people were injured in rioting that erupted in Rotterdam.

It comes as violence broke out in Vienna on Saturday as 10,000 protesters - many from far-right groups - took to the streets to demonstrate against new Covid-19 restrictions and mandatory vaccinations. 

Police were pictured arresting two protesters. A spokesman said there had been fewer than 10 arrests, for breaches of coronavirus restrictions and the ban on Nazi symbols. Some protesters mockingly wore doctor's scrubs, while others wore the yellow stars as badges in reference to Nazi Germany's policy of forcing Jews to wear the badge as identification. 

Chanting 'resistance!', waving Austrian flags and blowing whistles, the crowd swelled to more than 30,000. Many held signs mocking government leaders including Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg and Health Minister Wolfgang Mueckstein.  

Protesters rallied against coronavirus restrictions and mandatory COVID-19 passes needed in many European countries to enter restaurants, Christmas markets or sports events, as well as mandatory vaccinations. 

The Austrian protest, which was promoted by the far-right opposition Freedom Party, became violent and five police officers were injured - a development which Austria's Interior Minister Karl Nehammer slammed as 'unacceptable'. 

Nehammer told a press conference on Sunday morning: 'If at a meeting that is organised and promoted by a parliamentary party, where police officers are attacked and Nazi crimes are played down by wearing the Jewish star, that is unacceptable.'  

The protesters had worn the yellow Jewish star as badges, with the words 'unvaccinated' stitched on, as they compared the lockdown and mandatory vaccination measures with the atrocities of the Nazi era. 

Nehammer said: 'This is not only completely tasteless, it plays down the crimes of the National Socialists and offends the millions of victims of the Nazi dictatorship and their families.' 

The interior minister said some of the protesters were from right-wing extremist groups, with some setting fire to a police car and confessing that they 'wanted to burn a police officer'. 

'This is an extent of radicalisation that is by no means acceptable,' Nehammer said, adding that the police officers 'professionally ensured security in a difficult mission'.      

AUSTRIA: Thousands of residents - one holding a sign reading 'no to mandatory vaccination' - today gathered in Vienna to demonstrate against new Covid restrictions amid soaring infection rates across the continent

In Italy, 3,000 turned out in the capital's Circus Maximus, a field where in ancient times Romans staged popular entertainment, to protest against 'Green Pass' certificates required at workplaces, restaurants, cinemas, theaters, sports venues and gyms, as well as for long-distance train, bus or ferry travel within Italy.

In Northern Ireland, several hundred people opposed to vaccine passports protested outside the city hall in Belfast, where the city's Christmas market opened Saturday - a market where proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test was required.

The Northern Ireland government voted this week to introduce vaccine certificates for admission to nightclubs, bars and restaurants starting Dec. 13. 

'People like us never give up,' read one banner, in the red, white and green colors of the Italian flag. Virtually no one at the Rome protest wore a protective mask.

Switzerland saw 2,000 people protest an upcoming referendum on whether to approve the government's COVID-19 restrictions law, claiming it was discriminatory, public broadcaster SRF reported. 

In Croatia, thousands gathered at in the capital Zagreb, carrying Croatian flags, nationalist and religious symbols, along with banners against vaccination and what they describe as restrictions of people's freedoms.  

And in Denmark, more than one thousand gathered outside the Danish parliament in Copenhagen to push back against the reintroduction of the national health pass. 

North Macedonia also saw hundreds of anti-vaccination protesters march in downtown Skopje on Satruday evening against the country's health authority's recommendation of mandatory vaccinations.

Demonstrations against virus measures are also expected in other European countries - the latest in rising anger at the re-introduction of restrictions amid soaring cases on the continent. 

This comes as the World Health Organization (WHO) said it was 'very worried' about the spread of Covid-19 within Europe as the continent battles a fresh wave of infections.  

Regional director Dr Hans Kluge told the BBC that some 500,000 more deaths could be recorded by March unless urgent action is taken.  

THE NETHERLANDS: Riot police were forced to clear the wreckage of smouldering scooters and burnt-out bicycles (left) that were set ablaze by the anti-vax mob and left to block roads

THE NETHERLANDS: A scooter set on fire during a protest against the 2G policy in Coolsingel, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 19 November 2021. Hundreds of demonstrators have gathered to protest against the tightened coronavirus measures

ITALY: Demonstrators listen to speakers and show their mobile phones during a protest against restrictions for the unvaccinated, at Rome Circus Maximus, Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021

NORTHERN IRELAND: Demonstrators take part in a protest against Covid certification in Belfast city centre. PA Photo. Picture date: Saturday November 20, 2021

CROATIA: Demonstrators march in the centre of Zagreb to protest against Covid-19 measures such as obligatory certificates for public sector on November 20, 2021

SWITZERLAND: Demonstrators protest against a planned coronavirus disease (COVID-19) law of the Swiss government, in Zurich, Switzerland November 20, 2021

ROMANIA: Activists armed with banners march during a protest against vaccinations, the introduction of the controversial health pass, and Covid lockdown-style measures in Bucharest, Romania on Sunday, November 7

NORTH MACEDONIA: People protest through downtown Skopje, North Macedonia, on Saturday, November 20, 2021

 

Five police officers were injured during rioting at the Hague, with one taken to hospital suffering concussion and two suffering hearing damage from loud fireworks,.

A rock thrown by rioters also smashed the window of a passing ambulance carrying a patient, the city's police force said.

Elsewhere in the Netherlands, two football matches in the Eredivise, the top professional league, were briefly halted after fans - banned from matches under a partial lockdown in force in the Netherlands for a week - broke into stadiums in the towns of Alkmaar and Almelo.

Earlier Saturday, two protests against COVID-19 measures went off peacefully in Amsterdam and the southern city of Breda.

Police said in a tweet that seven people were arrested in The Hague and five officers were injured. One needed treatment in a hospital. Local media reported that rioters threw bicycles, wooden pallets and motorized scooters on one of the fires.

The chaos in The Hague was on a smaller scale than the pitched battles on the streets of Rotterdam on Friday night, when police said that three rioters were hit by bullets and investigations were underway to establish if they were shot by police. 

Officers in Rotterdam arrested 51 people, about half of them minors, police said Saturday afternoon. One police officer was hospitalized with a leg injury sustained in the rioting, another was treated by ambulance staff and 'countless' others suffered minor injuries.

Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb told reporters in the early hours of Saturday morning that 'on a number of occasions the police felt it necessary to draw their weapons to defend themselves' as rioters rampaged through the port city's central shopping district, setting fires and throwing rocks and fireworks at officers.

'They shot at protesters, people were injured,' Aboutaleb said. He did not have details on the injuries. Police also fired warning shots. 

Justice Minister Ferd Grapperhaus condemned the events. 'The riots and extreme violence against police officers, riot police and firefighters last night in Rotterdam are disgusting to see,' he said in a statement.

'Protesting is a great right in our society, but what we saw last night is simply criminal behavior. It has nothing to do with demonstrating,' he added.  

An independent investigation into the shootings by police was opened, as is the case whenever Dutch police use their weapons. 

As the march kicked off on Vienna's Heldenplatz, thousands of protesters gathered on the massive square. About 1,300 police officers were on duty. They used loudspeakers to tell protesters masks were required, but most did not wear them.

Chanting 'resistance!' and blowing whistles, protesters began to move slowly down the city's inner ring road. Many waved Austrian flags and carried signs mocking government leaders like Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg and Health Minister Wolfgang Mueckstein.

Some wore doctor's scrubs; others donned tinfoil hats. Most of the signs focused on the newly announced vaccine mandate: 'My Body, My Choice,' read one. 'We're Standing Up for Our Kids!' said another. 

By mid-afternoon the crowds had swelled to roughly 35,000 people, according to the police, and were marching down Vienna's inner ring road before heading back towards the Hofburg. 

Police were pictured arresting two protesters. A spokesman said there had been fewer than 10 arrests, for breaches of coronavirus restrictions and the ban on Nazi symbols. 

Meanwhile, a few hundred protesters gathered in Amsterdam today and a similar number marched through the southern city of Breda over the latest Covid-19 measures. 

Riots also erupted in the central 'Bible Belt' town of Urk and cities in southern Limburg province, while angry fans disrupted two football matches being played behind closed doors because of coronavirus rules, Dutch media said. 

It comes after violent riots last night in which 51 were arrested in Rotterdam after thousands of anti-lockdown protesters gathered on one of the city's main shopping streets. 

Dutch police fired water canons, 'warning shots' and bullets at protesters to disperse the crowd who had lit fires and set off fireworks. Police confirmed seven injuries, including officers, in the violence but did not say if live ammunition or rubber bullets were fired. 

The Netherlands re-imposed some lockdown measures last weekend for an initial three weeks in an effort to slow a resurgence of coronavirus contagion, but daily infections have remained at their highest levels since the start of the pandemic. 

The Dutch government has said it wants to introduce a law that would allow businesses to restrict the country's coronavirus pass system to only people who are fully vaccinated or have recovered from Covid-19 - that would exclude people who test negative.   

The violent scenes in Rotterdam mirrored much of the continent's reaction to similar schemes announced by Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia - with Italy and Greece also reportedly considering moves to restrict the movements of unvaccinated people.  

AUSTRIA: Anti-lockdown protesters hold lit torches and banners reading: 'Hands off our children' as they continue their protests against Covid-19 restrictions on Sunday, November 20

AUSTRIA: Riot police stand in a circle as they prepare for potential violence in Vienna hours after an estimated 35,000 protesters gathered in the Austrian capital to protests Covid-19 restrictions 

AUSTRIA: Demonstrators pass the State Opera during a rally held by Austria's far-right Freedom Party in Vienna on Saturday

AUSTRIA: A protester wears a respirator mask during a demonstration against the measures of the Austrian government to slow surging Covid-19 cases

DENMARK: Demonstrators in balaclavas hold torches and lit flares as they march during a 'Men in Black' protest against new government restrictions in Copenhagen

THE NETHERLANDS: At least one person was shot and six more injured in Rotterdam last night as Dutch riot police opened fire on protesters in an 'orgy of violence' 

THE NETHERLANDS: An ambulance drives past bicycles and scooters that were set ablaze by a mob as riots erupt in The Hague over new controversial Covid restrictions

THE NETHERLANDS: Rioters set police vehicles ablaze as anti-lockdown protests turned to riots in Coolsingel street, Rotterdam, on Friday evening

THE NETHERLANDS: Piles of burned bikes lay strewn across the streets of Rotterdam on Saturday morning following anti-lockdown protests after the government announced its 2G policy, restricted unvaccinated people's access to certain venues

THE NETHERLANDS: Police manhandle a protester as anti-lockdown demonstrations in Coolsingel Street in Rotterdam turned violent yesterday evening 

DENMARK: A protester addresses the crowd at the 'Men in Black' demonstration against new Government-led Covid restrictions in Copenhagen on Saturday, Nov 20

DENMARK: Masked members of the 'Men in Black' demonstrations harass a group of customers enjoying an evening meal in Copenhagen as the group protests the reintroduction of the green pass in the country

ITALY: : People protest during a demonstration organized by No Green Pass and No Vax movements against the Green Pass Covid-19 health certificate, at Circo Massimo, on November 20, 2021 in Rome

CROATIA: A man burns a flag during a protest against vaccination and coronavirus measures in Zagreb, Saturday

Austrians are protesting against a new national lockdown and mandatory vaccinations, which the government said yesterday would be rolled out on February 1.   

Vaccinations in Austria have plateaued at one of the lowest rates in Western Europe - under 66 per cent - and hospitals in heavily hit states have warned that their intensive care units are reaching capacity.  

Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said yesterday the country would go in lockdown for 10 days. 

The shutdown will then reevaluated and could be extended for a further 10 days.  

Most stores will close, and cultural events will be canceled. 

People will be able to leave their homes only for certain specific reasons, including buying groceries, going to the doctor or exercising. 

Average daily deaths have tripled in recent weeks and its infections are among the highest in Europe, with a seven-day incidence of 991 per 100,000 people. 

'We have not succeeded in convincing enough people to get vaccinated,' Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg told a news conference.

'It hurts that such measures still have to be taken.'

Schallenberg also apologised to all vaccinated people on Friday night saying it was not fair they had to suffer under the renewed lockdown restrictions when they had done everything to help contain the virus.

'I'm sorry to take this drastic step,' he said on public broadcaster ORF.  

Despite the violence a day earlier, around 300 protesters marched through the southern Dutch town of Breda near the Belgian border on Saturday carrying banners with slogans such as 'No Lockdown'.

Organisers said they opposed Prime Minister Mark Rutte's plans to exclude the unvaccinated from bars and restaurants.

A group that had called an Amsterdam protest for Saturday, United We Stand Europe, said on Facebook it had cancelled the rally because 'last night, all hell broke loose in Rotterdam'.

But several hundred flag-waving protesters still gathered in central Dam Square, watched over by police vans, according to Dutch media and images on social media.

AUSTRIA: Demonstrators wave the flag of the Austrian far-right Freedom Party during a rally against a new national lockdown and mandatory vaccinations in Vienna today

AUSTRIA: People burn smoke bombs as they take part in a demonstration against the country's coronavirus restrictions in Vienna today

AUSTRIA: Protesters with a banner 'Control the borders' attend a demonstration against measures to battle the coronavirus pandemic in Vienna today

AUSTRIA: A demonstrator shouts during a protest against measures to battle the coronavirus pandemic in Vienna on Saturday

AUSTRIA: A demonstrator lets off a blue smoke bomb during a Vienna rally against new Covid-19 restrictions announced by Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg

AUSTRIA: Demonstrators shout slogans and light flares during a demonstration against measures to battle the coronavirus pandemic in Vienna

AUSTRIA: Saturday's demonstration in Vienna is the latest  in rising anger at the re-introduction of restrictions amid soaring cases on the continent 

AUSTRIA: Demonstrators on top of a building near Maria Theresien Platz square in Vienna light flares as they protest new Covid-19 restrictions announced by Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg yesterday

AUSTRIA: demonstrator in Vienna holds a placard asking 'European friends' to 'help us' after the Austria government yesterday announced the country would go back into lockdown from Monday

AUSTRIA: People take part in a demonstration against the country's coronavirus restrictions in Vienna, Austria, on Saturday afternoon

AUSTRIA: People carrying the flag of the far-right Freedom party walk past the parliament as they take part in a demonstration against the country's coronavirus restrictions in Vienna

AUSTRIA: Demonstrators light flares during a rally held by Austria's far-right Freedom Party against Covid restrictions after Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg announced the country would go back into lockdown from Monday

AUSTRIA: Thousands of people turned out to protest in the Austrian capital, Vienna, today after the government announced vaccinations would be mandatory from February 1

AUSTRIA: A man wearing a hazmat suit and carrying a cucumber with the slogan 'Mobile PCR tester' attends a protest against new Covid-19 measures in Vienna today

AUSTRIA: Police walk in front of a demonstration march through the capital, Vienna, today as thousands gather to protest against new Covid-19 restrictions

AUSTRIA: Demonstrators climb on a fence in central Vienna, Austria, to gain a better vantage point over protests over new restrictions today

AUSTRIA: Police officers detain a man during a demonstration on Vienna's Heldenplatz in which thousands of protesters gathered on the massive square. They used loudspeakers to tell protesters masks were required, but most did not wear them

AUSTRIA: Demonstrators hold up banners and placards during a rally held by Austria's far-right Freedom Party against the government's latest Covid-19 measures in Vienna today

AUSTRIA: Thousands of people today took part in a demonstration in Vienna against the country's Covid-19 restrictions after the government said yesterday Austria would go back into lockdown from Monday and make vaccinations mandatory

THE NETHERLANDS: Protesters light candles ahead of a moment of silence during an anti-lockdown protest in Amsterdam today

THE NETHERLANDS: A protester holds a sign reading 'the truth becomes clear when we unwire fear' during a protest against Covid-19 restrictions in Amsterdam on Saturday

THE NETHERLANDS: Protesters dance during a rally in Amsterdam against new Covid-19 restrictions amid soaring cases in Europe

THE NETHERLANDS: Several hundred flag-waving protesters still gathered in central Dam Square in Amsterdam, watched over by police vans, according to Dutch media and images on social media

THE NETHERLANDS: Protesters pass the window of a sex worker (right) during a demonstration against new Covid-19 restrictions in the Netherlands

THE NETHERLANDS: Demonstrators carrying signs reading 'taking things away from people until they say yes is not a choice' march through Amsterdam during an anti-lockdown protest today

THE NETHERLANDS: People march during a protest against the latest measures to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, despite the cancellation of the event after violence marred protests in Rotterdam last night

Footage from the Rotterdam violence showed burnt out police cars and rioters throwing fireworks and rocks at police, while photos in Dutch media showed at least one police car ablaze and another with a bicycle smashed through the windshield.

Local news outlet NL Times reported that a journalist was attacked of the street, while local broadcaster Rijnmond said the reporter was beaten and his camera was destroyed. Local media also reported gangs of soccer hooligans were involved in the rioting. 

One eyewitness - a press photographer – told local media they saw shell casings 'everywhere on the floor'. 

Cops also said it was 'unclear how or by whom' two people were shot during the chaos. Video from social media on Dutch broadcaster NOS appeared to show the person being hit in Rotterdam, but there was no explanation on what happened. 

Officers arrested 51 protesters last night and were expected to detain several more after studying video footage from security cameras.  

Late on Friday night, police said downtown Rotterdam remained restive and there was still a heavy police presence on the streets. 

Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb told reporters in the early hours of Saturday morning that 'on a number of occasions the police felt it necessary to draw their weapons to defend themselves' as rioters ran rampage through the port city's central shopping district, setting fires and throwing rocks and fireworks at officers.

'They shot at protesters, people were injured,' Aboutaleb said, adding that several officers were injured in the violence.

Police spokesperson Patricia Wessels confirmed that police fired shots, though it was not immediately clear what type of rounds were fired.

'We fired warning shots and there were also direct shots fired because the situation was life-threatening,' she said. 'We know that at least two people were wounded, probably as a result of the warning shots, but we need to investigate the exact causes further.' 

Police said that riot police later launched charges at the demonstrators, adding: 'The water launcher has been deployed.' 

The situation had largely calmed late on Friday but the smoking wreckage of a burned-out police car and dozens of smashed bicycles littered the scene, an AFP reporter said. 

Police tweeted that rioters started fires and threw fireworks during the rioting and authorities closed the city's main railway station and officers lined up on the streets of Rotterdam

Pictured: A scooter is seen set ablaze in Rotterdam on Friday night as people too to the streets against Covid restrictions

A scooter in Rotterdam city centre that was burnt out during anti-lockdown riots on Friday night after thousands of people took to the streets over the government's 2G policy that restricts unvaccinated people from certain venues

Hundreds of people gather during a protest against the 2G (Covid-pass) policy in Coolsingel, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 19 November 2021

Demonstrators take part in a protest against a partial coronavirus lockdown and against the government policy on Coolsingel street on November 19, 2021 in the port city of Rotterdam

Left: A grab from footage that appeared to show a person being shot in Rotterdam on Friday night (circled). Right: A grab showing the moment a police officer was kicked over in the riots, capture on video

Damaged police cars and bikes littered the streets after an anti-lockdown protest turned into the riots in Coolsingel street in Rotterdam on Friday night

A burned police car surrounded by warped bike frames seen on the streets of Rotterdam early on Saturday after an 'orgy of violence' during anti-lockdown protests 

Carnage lined the streets of Rotterdam on Saturday morning after a night of violent demonstrations in which one person was shot and at least six more injured

There appeared to be dried blood on the streets of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, early on Saturday following violent anti-lockdown protests in the city overnight 

Riot police carrying shields and batons were directing groups of people away from the area. Officers on horseback and in police vans patrolled the streets.

Police also cordoned off several scenes to comb for evidence, with a human finger visible on the ground at one of them, the AFP correspondent said.

'Most of the demonstrators are now gone. There only remain a few groups in a few places,' police spokesman Jesse Brobbel told AFP. 

Dutch justice minister Ferd Grapperhaus said in a statement that the 'extreme violence' against police and fire fighters in Rotterdam was 'repulsive'.

'The right to protest is very important in our society but what we saw last night was simply criminal behaviour,' Grapperhaus said.  

Dutch police said units from around the country were brought in to 'restore order' to Rotterdam.

'Dozens of arrests have now been made, it is expected that more arrests will follow. Around seven people have been injured, including on the side of the police,' a police statement said.  

At least one police car was set on fire during the protest, a police spokesman confirmed to AFP. The spokesperson could not confirm the number of people injured. 

Several electric scooters and other items were also torched, with several hundred protesters involved in the riots, images on Dutch media and social media showed. 

Local authorities issued an emergency order banning people from gathering in the area in a bid to prevent further violence, and the authorities also called on bystanders and people who recorded images of the riots to send the footage to police for further investigation.

Police tweeted that rioters started fires and threw fireworks during the rioting and authorities closed the city's main railway station.  

The several hundred people had gathered to voice opposition to government plans to restrict access to indoor venues to people who have a 'corona pass' showing they have been vaccinated or already recovered from an infection.

The pass is also available to people who have not been vaccinated, but have proof of a negative test. 

'This is a very serious situation which requires action with the highest priority,' said the emergency order by the Rotterdam municipality. 'It is therefore necessary to issue this emergency order so as to maintain public order and to protect the safety of persons.'  

Pictured: A burning car and bikes are seen on the streets of Rotterdam on Friday night

Pictured: A torched police car is shown in a still grab from a video on Friday night taken amid riots against Covid measures

Pictured: Still grabs from video shot from a nearby building show fires on the streets of Rotterdam on Friday night amid riots

Local political party Leefbaar Rotterdam condemned the violence in a tweet. 'The centre of our beautiful city has this evening transformed into a war zone,' it said. 'Rotterdam is a city where you can disagree with things that happen but violence is never, never, the solution.' 

Like much of the rest of Europe, the Netherlands has seen Covid cases soar to record levels in recent days, with more than 21,000 new infections reported on Friday. 

The latest restrictions were announced on November 12, and sparked clashes between demonstrators and police outside the justice ministry in The Hague. 

The restrictions came into force the following day, shuttering bars, restaurants, cafes and supermarkets at 8:00 pm daily, while non-essential shops must shut at 6:00 pm.

People are limited to having four visitors at home and have been advised to work at home unless absolutely necessary. Public events have been scrapped while football matches must be played behind closed doors. 

Schools however remain open, and people are allowed to leave their homes without restrictions. The Dutch government has said it will review the situation on December 3.

It is considering excluding the unvaccinated from bars and restaurants, limiting admittance to people who have been vaccinated or who have recovered from the disease, but there was significant opposition to the plan during a debate in parliament this week. 

The Netherlands suffered its worst riots in four decades in January after a night-time Covid curfew, the country's first since World War II, came into force. 

Earlier Friday, the government banned fireworks on Dec. 31 for the second straight year. The ban is intended 'to prevent, as much as possible, extra strain on health care, law enforcement and first responders,' the government said Friday. 

The riots in Rotterdam come after Austria said on Friday that it will become the first country in western Europe to reimpose a full Covid-19 lockdown, while neighbouring Germany warned it may follow suit, sending shivers through financial markets worried about the economic fallout. 

Restrictions have also been placed on the unvaccinated in Germany – where they have been banned from restaurants – as well as in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.    

Pictured: Riots in Rotterdam on Friday night as seen in a video captured from a nearby building

Pictured: A flare is seen on the streets of Rotterdam near a police car amid clashes between protesters demonstrating against new Covid measures and officers

Pictured: The aftermath of the riots in Rotterdam on Friday night that saw people take to the streets over Covid measures

The situation had largely calmed later but the smoking wreckage of a burned-out police car and dozens of smashed bicycles littered the scene, pictures from Rotterdam on Friday showed

Following the announcement, Freedom Party leader Herbert Kickl posted a picture on Facebook with the inscription: 'As of today Austria is a dictatorship.' 

The party is planning a protest on Saturday, but Kickl cannot attend because he has tested positive for Covid-19 and must self-isolate for 14 days.

Europe has again become the epicentre of the pandemic, accounting for half of global cases and deaths, the WHO said. 

A fourth wave of infections has plunged Germany, Europe's largest economy, into a national emergency, Health Minister Jens Spahn said, warning that vaccinations alone will not cut case numbers. 

Both decisions infuriated many in a country where scepticism about state mandates affecting individual freedoms runs high, encouraged by the far-right Freedom Party, the third biggest in parliament.  

Asked if Germany could rule out an Austrian-style full lockdown, Spahn said: 'We are now in a situation - even if this produces a news alert - where we can't rule anything out. 'We are in a national emergency,' he told a news conference.  

Looming lockdowns weighed on a range of financial market sectors on Friday, pushing stocks and oil down and boosting the dollar.

'We expect targeted measures (against COVID-19) across some countries mainly according to the health situation, but other factors, such as domestic political situations, will be relevant,' Oxford Economics analysts said in a note.

'And while it might take a while before a political consensus can be reached in other countries, it is clear that the tide has turned.' 

As cases rise again, a number of European governments have started to reimpose limits on activity, ranging from Austria's full lockdown to a partial lockdown in the Netherlands and restrictions on the unvaccinated in parts of Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Niels Van Regenmortel, the intensive care units coordinator at the ZNA Stuivenberg hospital in Antwerp, said there was an increasing risk hospitals in Belgium will have to resort to triage as ICUs fill up amid soaring COVID-19 numbers, calling on the government to restrict night life. 

Crowds in some places in Breda, The Netherlands with people going home after the closing of the catering industry in the city. The catering industry has to close at 8pm due to a coronavirus curfew

Pictured: People are seen walking through the streets of Breda in The Netherlands after restaurants and bars closed at 8pm

Pictured: Empty tables are seen in Breda in The Netherlands after restaurants and bars closed at 8pm due to the Covid curfew

This graph shows the number of daily Covid tests carried out per 1,000 people. It also shows that Sweden is carrying out the fewest number of tests. It has told double-vaccinated people not to get swabbed for the virus because they face very little risk from it, although this advice will be reversed from December 1

The above graph shows the proportion of the population that has received two doses of the Covid vaccine by nation. It reveals that Sweden is in the bottom half of countries for vaccine uptake, but ahead of nations including the UK and Germany

Europe has become the epicentre of the pandemic once again, with the World Health Organisation warning that the Continent was the only region in the world where deaths had increased - with Covid-related fatalities spiking by five per cent just this week

Whether or not countries opt to lock down again depends on a wide range of factors, including vaccination rates, mask mandates and the extent to which booster shots are being made available.

Germany has said further measures will be decided based on when hospitalisation rates hit certain thresholds, while Friday saw its first states - Saxony and Bavaria - cancel all their Christmas markets.

The Bavarian state capital of Munich on Tuesday had become the first major German city to cancel its Christmas market for the second year in a row. Saxony's cancellations means the famed Dresden Christmas market is also scrapped. 

Germany hosts some 2,500 Christmas markets each year, cherished by visitors who come to savour mulled wine and roasted chestnuts, and shop for seasonal trinkets among clusters of wooden chalets.

In pre-pandemic times, they drew about 160 million domestic and international visitors annually who brought in revenues of three to five billion euros ($3.4 billion to $5.6 billion), according to the BSM stallkeepers' industry association.

In France, President Emmanuel Macron has made it clear he thinks high levels of vaccinations should be enough to avoid future lockdowns.

Britain, with higher numbers of infections than most countries in Europe, is rolling out third shots - or boosters - to offset waning protection from the first two and help keep the economy open. 

While the new measures across Europe are not seen hitting the economy as much as the all-out lockdowns of last year, analysts say they could weigh on the recovery in the last quarter, especially if they hurt the retail and hospitality sectors over Christmas.

A full lockdown in Germany would be more serious, however.

'With Germany ... imposing new restrictions, any thoughts that the vaccines would offer a way to a more normal Christmas period appear to have gone up in smoke for now, in Europe at least,' said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK.

'Although there is a nagging fear this could ripple out across the region.' The pressure on intensive care units in Germany has not yet reached its peak, Spahn said, urging people to reduce contacts to help break the wave. 

'How Christmas will turn out, I dare not say. I can only say it's up to us,' he added.

Pictured: Police officers check the vaccination status of visitors during a patrol on a Christmas market in Vienna, Austria, Friday, Nov. 19, 2021

Pictured: A sigh that says 'Please wear a mask' at Christmas market at Potsdamer Platz on November 19, 2021 in Berlin, Germany

Although Sweden chose not to lock down completely early in the pandemic, it did introduce stricter legally-binding curbs last winter as cases and deaths rose. A couple hug and laugh as they have lunch in a restaurant in Stockholm, Sweden