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**France's death toll has passed 60,000 **after it announced a further 610 new fatalities in the past 24 hours, pushing the total to 60,229.
Austria is to enter its third COVID-19 lockdown from December 26 , with people who test negative able to leave the measures sooner, the government said.
**Sweden's government has introduced its toughest measures yet **to curb the spread of the virus, including a recommendation to wear a face mask at peak hours on public transport.
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine has beenauthorisedfor use in Switzerland following a two-month rolling review, with thecountry's regulator calling the jab "safe and that its benefit outweighs the risks."
The UK's medicines regulator has said its reviews of theOxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine is"ongoing" despitea claim in a national newspaperthat it is poised to approve the jab developed at Oxford university.
Bars, Restaurants and non-essential shops in Italy are to close nationwide between December 24 to December 27, December 31 to January 3 and January 5 to January 6 as the government attempts to prevent afurther spread of infections during the holiday period.
**Millions of people in England will be waking up to tougher measures **on Saturday as part of the south-east entered into Tier 3, meaning over 50 percent of the population are now under the strictest restrictions.
A fire has broken outin a private hospital's intensive care unit in thesoutheastern Turkish province of Gaziantep, killing eight people and injuring a further 11 . The fire was caused by the explosion of an oxygen ventilator, the governor's officesaid.
Former UK healthsecretary Jeremy Hunt, said the likelihood that the country needed a third national lockdown after Christmas is currently "on a knife-edge."

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WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE CHRISTMAS ADVERT?

ACROSS EUROPE

Guy Henderson in London

Millions of people in England woke up to tighter coronavirus restrictions on Saturday morning. And are now waiting to hear if the government could be about to announce further emergency measures.

According to both the

Times

and Telegraph

newspapers, Prime Minister Boris Johnson hosted a last-minute cabinet meeting on Friday night after scientists confirmed a new variant of coronavirus believed to have originated in southern England spreads faster than a previous strain. That would explain the spike in cases in recent days.

The country is just days away from an easing of restrictions that would allow up to three households to mix between December 23 and December 28.

Johnson will reportedly hold a press conference later on Saturday with speculation mounting that tougher restrictions could be on the way, possibly including travel restrictions.

Austria

Austria is to enter its third COVID-19 lockdown after Christmas, the government said.

The new lockdown will start on December 26 - just 11 days after its second lockdown ended.

All shops, restaurants, theatres, museums and schools will be able to reopen onJanuary 18.

Nationwide mass testing will begin onJanuary 15, with those who test negative able to end their lockdown sooner. Forthose who do not get tested,lockdown will last until January 24.

"The prognosis for all of Europe is a very, very dramatic one and we are now already seeing exploding infection numbers in many other countries," Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said.

The country will however let ski resorts open their lifts despite thelockdown, although people will be required to wear a FFP2 face mask at all times while in them.

Austria is to enter its third COVID-19 lockdown from December 26, with people who test negative able to leave the measures sooner, the government said. /AP

Natalie Carney in Munich

The number of new COVID-19 infections in Germany remains high, with the Robert Koch Institute announcing 31,300 new cases in the past 24 hours and 702 new virus-related deaths.

Eighty eight percent of all COVID-19 related deaths in the country have been of those over 70 years old.

With the Christmas holidays brought forward in Germany to December 19 many working parents have been struggling to find care for their children.

On Friday, the federal government approved compensation for parents who cannot go to work because daycare centers and schools are closed.

The entitlement is valid for 20 weeks - ten weeks for mothers and ten for fathers or 20 for single parents. The regulation will apply retrospectively from December 16 and through the rest of the current lockdown, which ends on January 10, but can be extended.

It has also been announced that neighboring Austria will go into a strict lockdown on December 26, It's the country's third lockdown this year.

Italy

Italy will be placed under a national lockdown for much of the Christmas and New Year holidays, the country's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said, as the government try to prevent a surge of new infections.

Under the new rules, non-essential shops will be shut between December 24 and December 27, December 31 to January 3 and January 5 to January 6. People will only be allowed to travel for work, health or emergency reasons during those days.

Shops will be able to open from December 28 to December 30 and on January 4, with people free to leave their houses at that time.

However, throughout the holiday period, all bars and restaurants must remain closed.

Bars, Restaurants and non-essential shops in Italy are to close nationwide between December 24 to December 27, December 31 to January 3 and January 5 to January 6. /AP

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