Covid-19: Fresh protests in Europe against new restrictions

THE HAGUE: Fresh unrest has erupted in the Netherlands against new lockdown rules amid rising Covid-19 cases in Europe, BBC has reported.

People hurled fireworks at police and set fire to bicycles in The Hague, one night after protests in Rotterdam turned violent and police opened fire, it said.

Thousands of demonstrators also took to the streets in Austria, Croatia and Italy as anger mounted over new curbs.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said it was “worried” about rising coronavirus cases on the continent.

Its regional director Dr Hans Kluge said that unless measures were tightened across Europe, half a million more deaths could be recorded by next spring, BBC reported.

“Covid-19 has become once again the number one cause of mortality in our region,” he told the BBC, adding “we know what needs to be done” in order to fight the virus – such as getting vaccinated, wearing masks, and using Covid passes.

Many governments across the continent are bringing in new restrictions in a bid to tackle rising infections. A number of countries have recently reported record-high daily case numbers.

Tens of thousands of people protested in Austria’s capital Vienna after the government announced a new national lockdown and plans to make jabs compulsory in February 2022.

(Witn inputs from BBC)