The speed and size of the rise in new coronavirus cases in parts of Central and Eastern Europe is now starting to challenge our optimism about the strength of the recovery. The Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia are experiencing among the worst outbreaks on a per-capita basis in Europe and this is now becoming accompanied by a rise in hospitalisations. Health care systems are better prepared than they were in April and there does not yet appear to be any appetite for tighter lockdown measures. But if the latest outbreaks continue to escalate, this could lead to a more severe public health crisis that forces a stricter government response.
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