'On the brink of disaster': Europe's Covid fight takes a turn for the worse

As France imposes curfews, even countries that previously managed well are struggling badly

• Coronavirus - latest updates
• See all our coronavirus coverage

It's not a word I've heard in a long, long time," an elderly Paris resident said, leaving her apartment in mask and gloves for an early expedition to the shops. A curfew. That's for wartime, isn't it? But in a way I suppose that's what this is."

Europe's second coronavirus wave took a dramatic turn for the worse this week, forcing governments across the continent to make tough choices as more than a dozen countries reported their highest ever number of new infections.