The highly contagious Delta strain forced nations worldwide to put the brakes on a long-awaited return to normalcy.
The highly transmissible strain, first detected in India, is sweeping the globe as countries race to inoculate their populations to ward off fresh outbreaks that are increasingly affecting the unvaccinated young.
After an “exponential” rise in cases in recent days, officials in the autonomous region in the northeast of Spain said they had no choice but to reimpose restrictions.
Also set to reimpose controls Saturday is the Netherlands, where infections rose sevenfold in one week, a surge officials have blamed on the Delta variant.
Highest-level curbs
South Korea reported 1,378 new coronavirus cases Saturday, a record high for the third day in a row as the country prepared to impose its highest-level curbs in the greater capital area next week.
Prime minister Kim Boo-kyum said the record spike in new cases left authorities no choice but to implement the highest-level curbs.
Under the new restrictions, set to come into force on Monday and last for two weeks, gatherings of more than two people will be banned after 6 p.m. and schools will be closed.
Bars and clubs will be shut, while cafes and restaurants are allowed limited seating, and dine-in services are prohibited after 10 pm.
EU hits vaccine goal
The European Union has hit its target of delivering enough coronavirus vaccine to cover 70 percent of the adult population, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Saturday.
The 27 governments are responsible for administering the vaccines to citizens—and some are working much faster than others—but Von der Leyen stressed that: “The EU has kept its word.”
The EU joint vaccine purchasing scheme, run by Von der Leyen’s European Commission, has delivered 330 million BioNTech-Pfizer shots, 100 million AstraZeneca, 50 million from Moderna, and 20 million Johnson & Johnson.
All but the J&J jab require two doses to achieve full efficacy, and the EU is home to an estimated 366 million adults.
