German And U.K. Officials Warn Of A Possible New COVID-19 Wave In Europe

German And U.K. Officials Warn Of A Possible New COVID-19 Wave In Europe "I'm afraid you are starting to see, in some places, the signs of a second wave of the pandemic" in Europe, says British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. NPR.org

The European Union successfully flattened the curve of COVID-19 cases in the spring – but a second wave could be building in parts of the EU, according to both British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the head of Germany's disease agency.

"I'm afraid you are starting to see, in some places, the signs of a second wave of the pandemic" in Europe, Johnson said Tuesday.

"We don't know yet if this is the beginning of a second wave, but of course it could be," said Lothar Wieler, head of Germany's infectious disease agency, the Robert Koch Institute. His remarks were reported by Deutsche Welle.

Wieler said he is "very worried" about a higher incidence of COVID-19 in many parts of Germany, blaming the rise on negligence. In its most recent situation report, the Robert Koch Institute said many cases are connected to people returning to work, having family celebrations and engaging in leisure activities.

"In the past two weeks there were more than 500 new cases a day, a slight uptick from the previous month, and local outbreaks have contributed to the rise," NPR's Rob Schmitz reported from Berlin.

Both Johnson and Wieler said a second wave can be avoided if people take precautions such as wearing face masks, washing hands and maintaining physical distance....lp ourselves."

After being on a near-total lockdown in the spring, Europe has increasingly opened itself to travel this summer. Many internal border restrictions were lifted in June. As of July 1, the bloc is also allowing international tourists to visit from certain countries, depending on their epidemiological status....