Residents in England packed stores and pubs for some last-minute retail therapy ahead of an anticipated lockdown meant to slow the coronavirus' spread.
In England, nonessential venues including bars, restaurants, salons, golf courses, gyms and some stores have been ordered to close Thursday until at least Dec. 2.
Several other European countries have already reimplemented lockdowns in effort to protect their health care systems from being overwhelmed by a surge in cases.
But the U.K. decided not to impose a complete lockdown like the one it had earlier this year. This time, schools, construction sites and factories will remain open. Additionally, while nonessential stores and restaurants will have to close their doors, they can still offer curbside pickup and delivery services.
In recent days, Russia, Belgium, France, Italy and several other European countries have reported their highest daily virus death tolls in months. Europe has also recorded roughly a quarter of COVID-related deaths worldwide, despite having about 10% of the world's population.
