Science: Europe is locking down a second time. But what is its long-term plan?
“…With COVID-19 cases mounting and threatening to overwhelm health care capacity, much of Europe has taken similar [lockdown] measures to curb human contacts. Two months ago, as numbers began to creep up after a blissful summer lull, countries still held out hope that more limited, targeted measures could prevent a second wave. Now, that wave is here, with the force of a tsunami. Europe has surpassed the United States in cases per capita; last week, it accounted for half of the more than 3 million cases reported to the World Health Organization (WHO). … Most countries are reacting without a long-term plan, simply trying to avoid the worst. Officials differ about the best way to bring the numbers down again, and how low a level they should strive for. And no one knows what comes next…” (Kupferschmidt, 11/2).

Coverage of Britain’s and Italy’s efforts to mitigate new cases is available from NPR and Reuters.