Evening roundupFriday's key coronavirus developments in Luxembourg and abroad

Starting with Luxembourg

• The latest figures from the Ministry of Health show that 215 new cases of coronavirus were discovered yesterday from 4,470 tests. There were three additional deaths.

• In voting for ‘Luxembourger of the Year’, our readers chose the heroes on the front lines during the pandemic: our healthcare workers!

• Luxembourg’s health minister Paulette Lenert has recorded a message for RTL Today, reaching out to the Grand Duchy’s English-speaking community. “I wish us the best for 2021,” Lenert says, “I hope that this will be the year that we get rid of Covid!” PM Xavier Bettel and his husband Gauthier Destenay also shared a brief message on social media. Corinne Cahen, meanwhile, impressed with a message to the hearing impaired.

• Motorists under the influence of alcohol, fireworks, late night noise: Luxembourg’s police officers were kept busy last night. The Grand Ducal Police were out in force on New Year’s eve and carried out checks between 9pm and 6am.

• [block type="summary”]With new measures in place for almost a week, the sale of non-essential products has been limited for large stores, shopping malls and small businesses alike. RTL’s Tim Morizet spoke to several shops situated in Luxembourg City to investigate how consumers’ behaviour has changed compared to the first lockdown in March.

  And around the world

  • The French government on Friday announced that it was bringing forward by two hours the nighttime curfew in 15 regions to help combat the coronavirus, as infections remain high. The 15 of France’s 101 departments affected by the switch to a curfew beginning at 6:00 pm rather than 8:00 pm include the Les Alpes-Maritimes department where the Mediterranean city of Nice is located.
  • Furthermore, also in France, some 2,500 partygoers attended an illegal New Year rave in the north west, violently clashing with police who failed to stop it and sparking concern the underground event could spread the virus further.
  • At least 26 residents of a Belgian retirement home have died since a visit by a volunteer dressed as Santa Claus who has since tested positive for Covid-19.
  • The World Health Organization on Thursday granted emergency validation to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, paving the way for countries worldwide to quickly approve its import and distribution.
  • Thousands of New Year revellers packed into the centre of Wuhan, the Chinese city where Covid-19 was first detected, cheering and releasing balloons to welcome in 2021. Police erected fences to try to prevent congestion around the city’s Customs House clock tower, but the measure was ineffective due to the large turnout of mainly young people.
  • Superstar footballer Neymar laughed off controversy Thursday over reports he was throwing a mega New Year’s party for 500 guests, posting a video online of preparations for what he called a “low-key dinner” with family and friends.
  • German firm BioNTech said Friday it was racing to ramp up production of its Covid-19 jab in Europe, to fill the “gap” left by the lack of other approved vaccines.
  • Chile‘s health authorities said on Tuesday they had detected a case of the new coronavirus strain initially found in Britain, the first such confirmed infection in Latin America.
  • Britain said Thursday that it had vaccinated almost 950,000 people, as a surge in coronavirus cases prompted the reopening of field hospitals and warnings not to party on New Year’s Eve. The country has prepared to reopen its Nightingale field hospitals as a surge in cases of the new strain of coronavirus has put pressure on hospital beds.
  • Meanwhile, Mexico televised the start of its mass immunisation programme after it received its first 3,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine from Belgium.
  • Austria allowed its more than 400 ski stations to open on Thursday, just two days before entering a third nationwide lockdown that will force shops and much of the service industry to close until mid-January.