While cases of the coronavirus go straight up in the U.S., some European countries appear to be flattening the curve.
Countries like Spain, Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic all imposed new lockdown measures in the past few weeks to stop COVID-19 outbreaks and to prevent ICU units from filling up.
The new rules include among other things: closures of bars, restaurants and gyms and restrictions on travel and social gatherings.
Despite "pandemic fatigue" among people running out of patience with stringent restrictions, the lockdown measures are yielding results, according to daily COVID-19 data.
Data in France also shows that the lockdown is substantially reducing public mobility — although not as much as in late March during the first lockdown.
In the U.S. where COVID hospitalizations are at a record high and the virus is surging across the country, some states and cities are also starting to tighten restrictions in the absence of a federal response.
But it remains to be seen whether the new rules will be as comprehensive and efficient as in some parts of Europe.
