Summer is no time to relax, but to prepare for second wave – European Commission
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The European Commission warned European citizens and countries two weeks before August holidays that now isn’t the time to let your guard down against the coronavirus.
Through large-scale lockdowns, European countries contained the coronavirus just in time for the summer, allowing people to plan vacations while they watch coronavirus spread in other regions — most notably the Americas But member countries need to get their acts together now, the Commission warned, advising countries to build up stockpiles of medical gear and boost health care capacity and testing, especially among vulnerable groups.
“We do not have the right to say this is too much, I’m too tired, this is enough,” Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said when presenting the Commission’s guidance on a second wave. “This would mean giving up all the sacrifices that have been made.”
In its communication, the EU said “the virus still circulates in the across the world. Regional outbreaks across the EU and a growing number of daily new cases across the globe reinforce the fact that the pandemic will only end once under control everywhere. Infectious diseases such as COVID-19 often come in waves and new, localised outbreaks are appearing across Europe and other continents.”
It also pointed to some worrying signs, such as localized outbreaks in countries like Spain, Portugal and Romania. And flu season is coming up, which already overloads health systems every year without any help from the coronavirus.
“One cannot say that a second wave is inevitable,” Kyriakides said. “We need to have joint actions, and we need to be vigilant” to avoid returning to general lockdowns.
