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From the first case confirmed with COVID-19 a year ago in a hospital in Italy to empty shops, restaurants and stadiums in European cities, but the lives of Europeans have changed forever, writes the BBC.
All countries and societies are forced to adhere to the measures and think about their social life. They had to face some painful truths and unexpected news in the year that changed Europe, Telegrafi reports.
Restrictions are difficult for societies that are accustomed to freedom
The harshest isolation in Europe has been in Spain, at least according to Nekane Baluerka Lasa, a scientist at a Brazilian university. Isolation has been more difficult for seniors and low-income families. And despite the fact that the number of new cases has decreased, the economic consequences have remained very large. Nearly half of Spain residents have felt the negative impacts on mental health, a survey has shown.
Italians from fear at first have become very obedient, says BBC correspondent Marl Lowen. They were the first to be hit by the virus, witnessing the collapse in hospitals. With the second wave of the coronavirus, discipline fell and so did the first opponents of isolation.
The Dutch did not surrender until December, but when curfew was declared in January – riots erupted, says BBC correspondent in The Hague Anna Holigan. Riots erupted as a result of disagreements between different age groups. Most, however, accepted the measures, but those who were already frustrated became even more nervous when they saw that the government was violating the measures themselves.
The initial strategy in Germany with mass testing worked until the autumn, when the number of infected people started to increase significantly, says the BBC correspondent from Berlin, Jenny Hill. Even there the majority accepted the restrictive measures, but there is a group that opposes them. There are many among them who “embrace” conspiracy theories – which are against vaccination.
Slovenia is one of the countries that has applied the strictest isolation measures in Europe, however it has registered a high percentage of deaths, said Guy Delande, BBC correspondent for the Balkans. Domestic travel has been banned for months, shops have been closed and schools have taught online. On the other hand, epidemiologists do not have any explanation for this spread of the infection, but residents consider that the rallies have contributed to this.
Sweden has avoided isolation and based its strategy on non-mandatory measures of social distance, says BBC correspondent Maddy Savage. The opinion initially adhered to the recommendations of the responsible institutions, but during the second wave it became unheard of. At the end of the year, ministers applied strict measures such as limiting the number of people in shops, trains and buses.
The EU has not been ready for a global crisis
The European Union has not been ready, although it has not been alone, says Kevin Conolly from the BBC. It has done what it could, but it has not been able to influence all countries to do the same as a prevention against COVID-19. Rich France has fared much better than Bulgaria, which is poorer.
What is the problem with vaccines?
The European Commission has launched a vaccine supply program for all EU member states. It is a region that has not had any experience so far, and as things stand now, it is not that it has done any good work. Failure to provide and distribute vaccines will create major political problems.
Different societies have reacted differently
In Hungary the number of births has dropped, says Nick Torpe, BBC correspondent in Budapest. The decline has been observed from November to January, and the government is consoling itself with the rise of new marriages and the decline in the number of abortion cases.
Sweden has seen an increase in atheism, says Professor Ingmar Skog. There are 1.5 million people in Sweden over the age of 70, and the authorities are worried that they will not be able to take care of themselves. However, it has been proven that such a thing is not true, only 10 percent of the dead did not care.
Europe without borders in theory is fine
Kevin Conelly from Brussels, says that the concept of open borders is built on the theology of the European Union. The idea of traveling from Paris to Gdanjsk should not be much different from that to Grenoble. The alarms went off when some EU members closed their borders, but jobs and travel have been hit – and that’s no longer important.
Guy Delaney says Slovenians own over 100,000 properties in Croatia, so the 200-euro voucher offer has had an impact on keeping Slovenians at home. There is also suspicion that students brought the virus during the summer holidays.
Europeans in different ways have accepted the change in lifestyle
The French have relied on the “work from home” method, says BBC correspondent Lucy Williamson. Two-thirds of small companies in France do not do business online, as do some large companies. But now everything has changed, from coffee orders to cafeterias to hotel room reservations – everything is being done, via the internet.
Spaniards are also working from home, at least that is what is currently happening in this country, says Professor Nekane Baluerka Lasa. The transition to such a style of work has greatly expanded, but it is believed that in the end there will be a balance between work from home and that in the office. Students spend one week at the faculty, the next they continue to study from home and great interest has already been expressed for returning to school facilities./Telegrafi/
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