Austria powered down public life on Monday as its fourth national COVID-19 lockdown began, making it the first western European country to reimpose the drastic and unpopular measure this autumn in the face of surging coronavirus infections.

Iran PressEurope:Austria will become the first country in western Europe to reimpose a full Covid-19 lockdown, it said on Friday as neighboring Germany warned it may follow suit, sending shivers through financial markets worried about the economic fallout.

Europe has again become the epicenter of the pandemic, accounting for half of global cases and deaths. The 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.

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. 219