Lockdowns return or are extended as third wave of Covid sweeps Europe

Plans to ease restrictions have been rolled back in several countries owing to new variants taking hold

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Several European countries are extending or reintroducing lockdown measures as a third wave of the pandemic sweeps the continent fuelled by more contagious new variants of coronavirus such as the B117 mutation first detected in the UK.

Critics say the further restrictions have come too late, with politicians eager to start easing measures for pandemic-weary populations after a second series of lockdowns late last year leading to a surge in infections and health services stretched to breaking point.