‘Lockdown Lite’: nations test new strategy to fight coronavirus outbreaks

Fresh off a summer of relative freedom after harsh lockdowns at the beginning of the pandemic, Europe is trying a new strategy to halt next coronavirus surge: Lockdown Lite. This comes as the European Union’s disease control agency warned that seven EU countries are of “high concern” because of rising virus death rates. Unlike the blanket stay-at-home orders that characterised responses to Covid-19’s first wave, a partial lockdown isn’t designed to stop transmission completely. Instead, the idea is to home in on hotspots – certain neighbourhoods, nightclubs or private parties, for example – while leaving large parts of the economy open for business.