Authorities in central Europe are warning that they are seeing a surge in coronavirus cases across their region amid the discovery of new variantsPRAGUE -- Authorities in central Europe warned on Friday that they are seeing a surge in coronavirus cases across their region amid the discovery of new variants. The government said the worsening situation has forced it to abandon its plans to reopen all stores as early as next week. The central European region saw very few infections when the virus first arrived in Europe a year ago, only to see a huge spike in infections and deaths in the fall of 2020. In the Czech Republic, the three hardest-hit counties, on the border with Germany and Poland, are under a complete lockdown. Some Czech hospitals have been in a critical situation and have to transport COVID-19 patients to other clinics across the country.

Source: ABC News February 19, 2021 13:36 UTC