In Europe, has the time come to return to life before? Two years after the start of the Covid-19 epidemic, the Omicron wave continues to sweep across the Old Continent with incidence rates not seen for 24 months. But many countries have started, or are preparing this winter, the easing of restrictions imposed on citizens to fight against contamination, hospitalizations and deaths.
From the optimistic decisions of the United Kingdom or Denmark to the caution of the Netherlands, franceinfo reviews the progressive easing of the various restrictions, while the virus could become “endemic”as recently claimed by the Spanish authorities.
The abandonment of containment
This is perhaps the most important sign of the improvement of the situation on the continent: there is no longer any national confinement of the population on the continent. The Netherlands, which had introduced it in mid-December to avoid an explosion of contamination during the end-of-year holidays, repealed it in mid-January. In Austria, the confinement of unvaccinated people decided in mid-November ended on Monday January 31. The next day, however, the vaccination obligation entered into force in this country of nine million inhabitants.
The disappearance of the vaccination or health pass
The vaccination or health pass, set up in many countries to encourage or compel vaccination, is in the hot seat almost everywhere in Europe. If France plans, through the voice of its “Mister Vaccine” Alain Fischer, to separate “by the end of March-beginning of April”, several of its neighbors have already taken the plunge. This is the case of Denmark, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Croatia or the Spanish region of Catalonia, where “a significant part of the population is again likely to be infected with the virus regardless of their vaccination status or the fact of having already contracted the disease”according to the regional government.
In Switzerland, the majority of the cantons opted for the end of the control of the “Covid certificate” Thursday February 17 in the restaurants and cultural establishments of the country, according to the evolution of the figures of contaminations.
Reopenings of public places
Denmark has not only abandoned its “Coronapas”, the local health pass. The Scandinavian country also saw its nightclubs reopen on Tuesday February 1, a fortnight before French nightclubs, Wednesday February 16. In Italy and Catalonia, these establishments, among the most conducive to contamination, reopened on Friday, a day after the nightclubs in Sweden.
The Netherlands are not there yet: the measures imposed against Covid-19 had been drastic there for two years and the kingdom has so far limited reopenings to bars, restaurants and theaters on January 26. They must, however, close their doors at 10 p.m., with a reduced capacity.
The lifting of the gauges
Still present in the Netherlands or Poland, the gauges have been lifted in many countries. The latest to have abolished these attendance limits is Sweden, Wednesday February 9, while Finland puts an end to the gauges for cultural and sporting events on Monday February 14.
The end of wearing the mask
Faced with Omicron, very contagious but causing less serious forms of the disease than the previous variants, should we drop the mask indoors? This is the choice made by the United Kingdom and Denmark, at the forefront of the lifting of restrictions on the Old Continent. The vast majority of Swiss cantons have decided to limit, from Thursday February 17, the wearing of masks to transport and public and health establishments.
Other countries are more cautious and prefer to proceed in stages. Spain and Italy respectively dropped the obligation to wear a mask outdoors on Thursday and Friday, a week after France. On the transalpine side, where distance learning has been abandoned for primary and secondary school students vaccinated or cured of Covid-19, it will nevertheless be necessary to be able to wear a mask in the event of a crowd in the street.
The easing of traffic conditions
Travel conditions are gradually easing between countries after two years of multiple constraints for populations. Italy, precisely, has put an end to the compulsory quarantine for visitors coming from other countries of the European Union: they will now only have to present a health pass. In Cyprus, the conditions for entry to the island will be lifted on March 1 for those who have received three doses of the vaccine.
Since Friday, fully vaccinated travelers arriving in the UK will be exempt from any screening. Travelers who are not fully vaccinated will no longer need to self-isolate and be tested eight days after arrival. However, they must still have tested negative two days before their entry and do a PCR test after their arrival.