France has entered its third strict national lockdown with tough restrictions as it faces a surge in new cases of Covid-19 that threatens to flood the country's hospitals, BBC reported. All schools and non-essential shops will shut for four weeks, and a curfew will be in place from 19:00 to 06:00. However, President Emmanuel Macron has promised more hospital beds for Covid patients.

Belgium will close schools, non-food stores and hairdressers for four weeks from Saturday, in a sharp renewed lockdown designed to contain a rising third wave of COVID-19 infections.