Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Sep 01, 2025

COVID-19: What are Europe's Christmas coronavirus rules?

COVID-19: What are Europe's Christmas coronavirus rules?

Nations across the continent are implementing special rules for the festive season.

Some European countries are tightening restrictions over the coming weeks - while others are relaxing them for Christmas.

In many nations, coronavirus cases are rising again after dipping at the end of November.

These are the COVID-19 restrictions and Christmas rules around the continent:

The Netherlands


A second lockdown starts on Tuesday for at least five weeks.

Dutch households will not be allowed to have more than two visitors over the age of 13, and all public places, including hairdressers and day care centres, will close until 19 January.

Schools will close until 18 January and people have been advised to stay at home, not travel to work and avoid contact with others as much as possible.

From 24 until 26 December, households will be allowed three visitors.


People got in their Christmas shopping in Eindhoven ahead of new restrictions in the Netherlands


Czech Republic


Restaurants, hotels and indoor sports venues, which reopened barely two weeks before, will close again from Friday.

Public gatherings will be limited to six people indoors and out, instead of the current 10 indoors and 50 outdoors, with a nationwide curfew from 11pm to 5am.

Schools will also close early for Christmas, although shops will remain open.

Germany


A hard lockdown in Germany begins on Wednesday, with schools and non-essential shops to be closed throughout Christmas and the new year.

Germany has been under a light lockdown since the beginning of November, with bars, restaurants and tourist attractions closed, but shopping and education allowed.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has blamed Christmas shopping for a "considerable" rise in social contacts.

The new restrictions will last until 10 January but will be relaxed slightly from 24 to 26 December, with a five-person limit - but Ms Merkel recommended a week of self-isolation before.

Drinking will be banned in public and firework sales will be prohibited before New Year's Eve, while religious gatherings will be allowed but only if people remain 1.5m apart and do not sing.


Dresden went into a hard lockdown ahead of the rest of Germany


France


A six-week ban on movement was lifted on Tuesday but President Emmanuel Macron imposed an 8pm-6am curfew until mid-January, apart from Christmas Eve, as France suffered Europe's highest number of cases.

Museums, theatres and cinemas will be closed until January at least, as will restaurants, bars and cafes.

A maximum of six adults and any number of children are allowed in homes.

French ski resorts will remain closed and be allowed to reopen in January "under favourable conditions".

Spain


From 23 December to 6 January travel between Spain's regions will be allowed, but only to visit friends and family.

Social gatherings on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day will be limited to 10 people - including children.


Ski resorts in Spain have reopened ahead of Christmas


Curfews, which currently range from 10pm to midnight depending on the region, will be pushed back to 1.30am on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.

Regional governments will have the power to toughen these rules, while some will have to open their borders after having closed them.

The Canary and Balearic Islands will allow free movement.

Italy


A ban on travelling between different regions is in place from 21 December to 6 January and people will not be allowed to leave their hometowns on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

The current 10pm-5am curfew will remain, meaning traditional midnight mass will not be able to happen, although churches can remain open.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte told Italians to expect a "more sober Christmas, without Christmas Eve gatherings, hugs and kisses".


The streets of Bologna were packed ahead of a ban on travelling between Italy's regions


Rome is expected to impose a "red zone" lockdown from Christmas Eve until at least 2 January, with night curfews extended, bans on non-essential movement and non-essential shops to close.

Italy is experiencing its highest number of deaths since the end of March, bringing the total to 65,000.

Austria


Restrictions have been eased ahead of Christmas after Austria came out of its second national lockdown on 7 December.

A curfew has been introduced between 8pm and 6am and non-essential shops and other businesses have reopened.

Restaurants and bars will remain closed over the Christmas period for everything but takeaways.

Hotels are only open to business travellers and people visiting from countries with more than 100 cases per 100,000 people will have to quarantine for 10 days.

Portugal


Rules will be eased over the Christmas season to allow people to visit their friends and family but measures will be reimposed ahead of New Year's Eve.

A 10-person gathering limit will be lifted entirely for Christmas and the curfew will be pushed from 11pm to 2am on 24 and 25 December.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
×