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1 [1] (December 29, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/govebic0001 and id is 1 raw text is: I Research Service g th 4 laWs debate ~ t~ Europe, COVID-19, and U.S. Re COVID-19 in Europe Like most of the rest of the world, European governments and the European Union (EU) have struggled to manage the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. European leaders have characterized thepandemic as Europe's biggest challenge sincethe Second World War, with potentially far-reaching political, social, and economic consequences beyond the public healthimpact. COVID-19 also has added tensions to a strained U.S.-European partnership. Members of Congress may be interestedin COVID-19's implications for U.S. relations with Europe, including in NATO and with the EU, and in how the pandemic might alter certain U.S.-European dynamics, especially vis-a-vis China. Statistics The first wave of the pandemic in Europe occurredin spring 2020 but subsided in the summer. A second wave began in early fall 2020. As oflate December 2020, about 17.7 million confirmed COVID-19 infections and roughly 433,000 deaths had been reported across the 27-member EU, the United Kingdom(UK), Norway, and Switzerland (out of a combined population ofroughly 527 million). Table I. COVID-I9 Cases and Deaths in Europe: Top I 0 Affected Countries (by number of cases, as of end of December 2020) Deaths Case Country Cases Deaths per Fatality 100,000 Rates France 2,619,616 63,235 94.40 2.4% UK 2,336,688 71,217 107.11 3.0% Italy 2,056,277 72,370 119.76 3.5% Spain 1,879,41 3 50,122 107.27 2.7% Germany 1,672,643 31,145 37.56 1.9% Poland 1,261,010 27,147 71.48 2.2% Netherlands 781,467 11,135 64.62 1.4% Czech Rep. 674,340 11,152 104.95 1.7% Belgium 639,734 19,234 168.39 3.0% Romania 618,429 15,334 78.74 2.5% Source: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Coronavirus Resource Center, December 29,2020, updated daily at https://coronavirus.jh u.edu/. As seen in Table 1, France, the UK, and Italy have experienced the largestnumber ofinfections. The second wave has hit several Central and Eastern European countries-including Poland and the Czech Republic- Updated December 29,2020 lations harder than the first wave. Although the rise in new infections may be due partly to more testing, the second surge followed a relaxation ofrestrictions on social and economic activityin many European countries overthe summer and the onsetof colder weather. Hospitalizations and deaths continue to increase throughout Europe. European Responses In March 2020, in response to the first wave of the pandemic,nearly allEuropean governments imposed nationallockdown restrictions and social-distancing measures-including banning large gatherings, closing schools and nonessential businesses, and restricting movement-although these measures varied by country in strictness and other aspects. Most European governments also enacted nationalbordercontrols. Swedentooka notably different approach that trusted citizens to practice s ocial dis tancing and imposed few mandatory restrictions; some public health experts contendthis policy failed to protect themost vulnerable or to build immunity among the generalpublic. European governments began implementing phased reopening plans in mid-April and early May 2020. Most European leaders stressed the need for continued socialdistancing, andmany governments required the use of facemasks, especially indoors. The pandemic has spurred serious economic difficulties throughout Europe. For 2020, the EU forecasts its total economy will contract by 7.4% and average unemployment across the bloc will rise to 7.7%. Projections suggest the UK economy will contract by roughly 11% in 2020. Measures enactedby European governments to mitigate the economic downturn include loanprograms and credit guarantees for companies, income subsidies for affected workers, tax deferrals, and debt repayment deferments. As COVID-19 cases began to increase again in early fall 2020, European governments initially attempted to avoid a second roundofnationallockdowns, opting insteadfor targeted restrictions on regional or localvirus hotspots to preserve economic recovery andin light of growing pandemic fatigue and public protests. By late October, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, and others had reimposed nationalres trictions, although most countries kept schools open and measures in some were less stringent than during the first wave. By December, amid mounting infections and growing concerns about a faster-spreading variant of the virus first detectedin the UK, some European governments had imposed more severe lockdowns-including closing schools and nonessential shops. Most EU countries alsohaverestricted travel from the UK. EU member states and the UKhave begun vaccinationprograms, but social-distancing measuires and limits on economic activities are expected to remain in place throughout Europe for severalmonths at least. 9

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