Belgian doctors have been told to carry on working even if they have coronavirus despite the risk of passing the infection onto patients.
At least 10 hospitals in the city of Liege have asked Covid-positive staff who are not displaying any symptoms to keep showing up for work.
Europe is running out of options to halt the surge in cases as governments desperately try to avoid national lockdowns.
In Italy, hundreds of protesters turned violent last night as a 6pm curfew came into effect.
Clashes were reported in several major cities - including Turin, where petrol bombs were thrown at officers.
The protest demonstrates the tough choice faced by European leaders - impose tough measures and risk community anger, or do nothing and potentially overwhelm the health system.
Belgian authorities warned the hospital network was two weeks away from being overwhelmed by coronavirus patients.
Dr Philippe Devos, head of the Belgian Association of Medical Unions, told the BBC doctors had no choice but to keep working if they were to avoid the collapse of the health system within days.
Dr Devos acknowledged that infectious doctors risked passing the disease onto patients.
He told the Washington Post: "The situation is catastrophic. Liege is probably the most affected region in the world."
An average of 467 people are being admitted to hospital with coronavirus each day in Belgium.
The country’s Covid-19 crisis centre spokesman Yves Van Laethem said it faced a pivotal week.
He said: “What we do now, what we will do in the next two weeks, will be decisive.
“[If the figures don’t change] we are likely to reach 2,000 patients in intensive care in two weeks. That is our maximum capacity.”
New measures announced by Belgium’s federal government were implemented on Monday, but the tightening of restrictions until November 19, mainly in the cultural and sports sectors, were considered inadequate by two of Belgium’s three regions.
'Europe becoming the epicentre of Covid'
World Health Organisation (WHO) director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Europe faced a grave winter if immediate action wasn’t taken.
“This is a dangerous moment for many countries in the northern hemisphere,” he said.
“But again and again, we have seen that taking the right actions quickly means the outbreak can be managed.”
Dr Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO’s health emergencies programme, said: “There’s no question that the European region is an epicentre for disease right now.
“We are well behind this virus in Europe so getting ahead of it is going to take some serious acceleration in what we do and maybe a much more comprehensive nature of measures are going to be needed.”
Despite the warnings, fears about a return to full lockdown are rife.
In the Italian city of Milan - hit hard by the virus in March - crowds chanted "freedom, freedom, freedom" as they clashed with police.
It was a backlash against Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte’s night-time curfew, which took effect at 6pm last night.
In Germany - which is mulling a "lockdown light" that would close restaurants and bars - thousands of protesters shouted "Nazis out" while demonstrating against lockdown measures in Berlin at the weekend.
Shops could remain open with certain restrictions under Chancellor Angela Merkel's plan, which she will discuss with Germany's 16 state premiers on Wednesday, it was reported.
As details of the proposals were emerging, the city of Nuremberg cancelled its famous Christmas market.
In France, interior minister Gerald Darmanin said the country should prepare for "difficult decisions" as the government considers new measures to cope with the resurgence.
In Slovakia, the government plans to test the entire country of 5.4 million for coronavirus next weekend.
A pilot testing programme in Covid hospots last weekend attracted tens of thousands of people, showing an infection rate of 3.87 per cent, data showed.
Over the border in the Czech Republic, which has the highest infection rate in Europe, the government was planning to draw up to 300 military health personnel from NATO and EU countries to help treat the influx of patients.
A field hospital for 500 patients was completed over the weekend at an exhibition ground in the capital Prague.
Cases have averaged more than 12,000 a day and the death toll has doubled to 2,337 since October 13.
In the UK, which recorded 20,890 new infections on Monday, further areas were brought under the toughest lockdown measures as Tory MPs piled pressure on Boris Johnson to produce a “clear road map” out of the pandemic’s resurgence.
