reopening of the Netherlands, debate around the vaccination obligation in Germany

In the Netherlands, restrictions are easing. After a month and a half of strict confinement, the country is reopening its cafes, restaurants and performance halls. “There’s still a little work to do, but it’s the beginning of the end“, rejoices a resident of Amsterdam. Faced with the fed up of the population, the government gave in despite a record number of contaminations. The objective is that of a return to normal for February 26, date when carnival begins in the country.

In Germany, as the debate around the obligation to vaccinate opened in the Reichstag, anti-vaccines gathered in the streets of Berlin, demanding freedom of choice and invoking the Constitution. While the vaccination rate is capping at 75%, the coalition wants a law. “The virus has no regard for indecision, skepticism or stubbornness. This is why I plead for compulsory vaccination of adults, limited to three doses“, thundered SPD MP Heike Bahrens. The other option considered is that of compulsory vaccination for those over 50. Nothing has been decided for the moment, as the divisions between parliamentarians remain significant.

In Switzerland, exit the collaboration with European scientists. At the school of Zurich, which studies earthquakes in particular, the news is hard to welcome. “Europe has a gigantic project, Destination Earth, which will identify all possible data. We no longer have the right to participate. We do it here, all alone“, regrets Professor Domenico Giardini who teaches there. Some see it as a retaliatory measure from Paris after Bern preferred to buy an American plane rather than a French Rafale: “It’s never nice to have an upset neighbor. There is still work to be done by our diplomats“, analyzes the journalist corresponding to Bern, Pierre Nebel.