A wind of freedom across the Channel. England leaves behind almost all the measures in force to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, Thursday January 27. A change announced on January 19 by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. “As the Covid becomes endemic, we must replace legal obligations with advice and recommendations”, had pleaded the leader before the British deputies. But the English are not the only ones in Europe to make this choice of a significant reduction in health restrictions. Franceinfo goes around the countries that are already loosening the screw.
In England, the end of the health pass and the wearing of a mask indoors is recorded
Across the Channel, the British government is therefore betting that the population will live normally with the Sars-CoV-2 virus, as it already does with the flu virus. After the end of the telework recommendation for employees who could, a week ago, new measures were lifted on Thursday morning.
Wearing a mask indoors is no longer mandatory in public places, “including in the common areas of schools”, but it remains recommended for spaces bringing together people, “where you might be in contact with people you don’t know”, says the British government*. The health pass is also no longer mandatory for events hosting a large audience.
Other travel measures will be lifted on February 11 on the territory of the United Kingdom. From this date, people with a complete vaccination schedule will no longer need to present a negative Covid-19 screening test, before or after their arrival on British soil. Boris Johnson also hopes to lift the isolation requirement in the event of a positive test in March, according to The Guardian*, “just as there is no legal obligation for people who have the flu to isolate themselves”.
What are the hospital data? The health situation is improving across the Channel: the number of patients with Covid-19 in hospital – 16,594 people, according to data from Ourworldindata* – has been declining since January 11. The United Kingdom has 243 patients hospitalized after a Covid-19 infection per million inhabitants, compared to 448 in France. New weekly hospital admissions are also down, as is the number of intensive care patients (575 according to the latest data).
In Denmark, measures in closed places are lifted
“We say goodbye to restrictions and welcome to life as we knew it before corona.” Here is how Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced the total lifting of indoor health restrictions on Wednesday, in front of the press. “The strong adherence to the vaccine program has proven to be a ‘super-weapon’ and it has given us a solid defense against remaining infection. This is why the government has decided that the coronavirus should no longer be considered a a societal threat”, justified the leader.
From February 1, the health pass will no longer be compulsory, as will the wearing of a mask or the early closing of bars and restaurants. These establishments must currently close between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., and the discotheques are closed, specifies the Danish government *. It is also recommended, to date, to favor teleworking as much as possible, and the number of spectators remains limited to 1,500 people in places with a large audience. These rules will be lifted on February 1.
The only exception: restrictions on entering Danish territory, which will be maintained for four weeks after this deadline. These are screening and isolation tests, depending on the vaccination status of travelers and their place of departure, recall the Danish authorities *. Isolation for four days in the event of a positive test will remain “recommended”, just like wearing a mask and presenting the health pass to the hospital.
What are the hospital data? While the number of patients with Covid-19 is increasing, the number of patients in intensive care units is stagnating. Denmark has 158 patients with Covid-19 and hospitalized for one million inhabitants.
In Ireland, most restrictions have ended
Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin announced on Friday the lifting of the majority of restrictions against Covid-19, as of Saturday, in the face of the improvement in the health situation. “We overcame the Omicron storm”, greeted the leader, addressing the Irish. It is therefore “no longer warranted to keep most of our restrictions in place”.
Since January 22, pubs and restaurants can remain open normally, without having to close earlier due to the epidemic. These establishments, along with cinemas and theaters, had until then to close at 8 p.m., recalls the BBC*.
Discotheques were also able to reopen and the health pass is no longer required to enter places of leisure. Restrictions on home visits have also been lifted, as have gauges for both indoor and outdoor events, details the Irish authorities*. The gradual return to face-to-face work has also been possible since Monday.
Some measures remain in force until February 28, such as the obligation to wear a mask in public transport or shops, as well as protective measures in schools and places of reception of young children.
What are the hospital data? The number of patients there has recently fallen slightly. Ireland recorded, on January 15, 189 patients with Covid-19 in hospital for a million inhabitants. The number of patients in intensive care is stable.
In the Netherlands, cultural venues, bars and restaurants have reopened
Dutch authorities announced on Tuesday the reopening under conditions of bars, restaurants and cultural venues, in a country where restrictions on the Omicron variant were among the strictest in Europe. This announcement follows “great tensions” in the catering and cultural sectors, said Prime Minister Mark Rutte. Shops and hairdressers were allowed to reopen on January 15, while bars, restaurants, museums and theaters were to remain closed, angering part of the population.
“We do today (Tuesday) a big step to further deconfine the Netherlands”, said Mark Rutte, adding that the government was taking a “risk” faced with a record number of new cases of contamination. “We are consciously searching for the limits of what is possible, given the great tensions and calls for help in recent days.”
Since Wednesday, cafes, bars and restaurants can thus remain open until 10 p.m. and with a reduced capacity. The health pass remains compulsory at the entrance, as does wearing a mask when customers are not seated. Cinemas, theaters and museums can also reopen, but nightclubs remain closed. Events are possible again, gathering a maximum of 1,250 people indoors. At school, classes are no longer systematically closed in the event of contamination. Only children with symptoms or who have tested positive should stay home.
What are the hospital data? If the contamination curve continues to climb, the situation is improving, with now 51 patients with Covid-19 per million inhabitants. The number of intensive care patients also continues to decline.
In Spain, Catalonia renounces the health pass
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez opened an international debate on the management of Covid-19 on January 17, explaining that his country was working with scientists to “to move from managing a pandemic to managing a disease that we hope will be made endemic by science”. If he has not gone further than this reflection for the time being, the Spanish regions have a certain autonomy in the management of the pandemic, and Catalonia has abandoned most of its restrictions.
On Friday January 21, it abolished the curfew which had been in force in part of the region since the end of December, between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. Then on Tuesday it scrapped restaurant gauges and a ban on private gatherings of more than ten people. Finally, on Thursday, she announced the disappearance of the health pass the next day, Friday January 28. It had been requested at the entrance to bars, restaurants and sports halls since the end of November. Only one restriction remains in place: the closing of nightclubs.
The Catalan government justified the abandonment of the health pass by the spread of the Omicron variant and its ability to evade immunity. “A significant part of the population is again susceptible to infection with the virus regardless of their vaccination status or whether they have already contracted the disease”, he said in a press release. “As a result, the effectiveness of the compulsory use of the Covid certificate decreases”.
What are the hospital data? According to data from the Spanish authorities (link in Spanish), the four provinces that make up Catalonia have the highest one-week incidence rates in the country. But the number of cases is falling according to figures from the Catalan government (link in Catalan), as well as the number of deaths (link in Catalan) (147 the last seven days against 281 the previous seven days, for a population of around 7.5 million).
* All of these links refer to pages in English.