Austria launches lockdown, Merkel says Germany needs tighter restrictions

Austria on Monday became the first Western European country to impose a new coronavirus lockdown since vaccines came out. The country ordered non-essential stores, bars, and restaurants to close to curb a surge of infections. Outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her country, Europe's largest economy, would need to tighten restrictions to counter a record-setting rise of COVID-19 cases. "We are in a highly dramatic situation. What is in place now is not sufficient," Merkel told leaders of her conservative CDU party in a meeting, according to two participants cited in news reports. Several European governments are exploring or imposing new restrictions, and anti-lockdown protests have erupted in Austria, the Netherlands, and Belgium