The outlook: Although most European countries are facing new COVID-19 spikes, the number of deaths hasn’t been rising in similar proportions. Heading into the winter season, that seems to give governments some leeway to tailor their responses to the pandemic, and, notably, experiment with local restrictions. Still, governments such as France’s or the U.K.’s are warning that they may not be left with much choice other than returning to economically devastating general lockdowns if the virus keeps spreading.