The omicron virus variant is spreading rapidly in Europe. The first countries are imposing drastic restrictions in some cases before Christmas – also for those who have been vaccinated. The variant has long since arrived in Germany. Are stricter rules also threatening in this country?
The highly contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus is spreading breathtakingly quickly in Europe. The EU Commission expects that Omikron will be the dominant variant across the continent as early as January.
While, in order to slow down the wave of infections, the neighboring countries Denmark and the Netherlands hurriedly imposed a strict lockdown shortly before Christmas. The debate about stricter corona rules is also coming to a head in Great Britain, where Omikron is already dominating in England and Scotland. The situation in detail.
Netherlands: lockdown before Christmas
The government in The Hague imposed a new strict lockdown a few days before Christmas. Almost all shops, restaurants, cultural and sports facilities, schools and hairdressers have had to close since Sunday. The only exceptions are shops such as supermarkets and pharmacies, which are important for the supply. The extremely rapid spread of the Omikron variant enforces the tough measures, said Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
As a rule, each household is now only allowed to receive two guests. Up to four visitors are only allowed over Christmas and at the turn of the year. The lockdown should initially apply until January 14th. There shouldn’t be a curfew for the time being.
According to experts, the Omikron variant is spreading much faster than expected. In Amsterdam, the number of infections doubles every two to three days. It was said that this variant would be dominant in the capital even before Christmas. The number of new infections is currently falling. But the hospitals are under great pressure, so experts fear that they will not be able to cope with a further influx of patients.
Denmark: Closures in large parts of public life
Denmark is also shutting down large parts of public life: theaters, cinemas, zoos, amusement parks and sports facilities must now be closed again. Restaurants are only allowed to open until 11 p.m. In the neighboring country with almost six million inhabitants, the corona numbers have been rising sharply for a few weeks. On Friday, the number of new infections every day reached a record high of more than 11,000. In more than a fifth of the cases it is the omicron variant. The stricter rules initially apply until mid-January.
UK: breakwater after the holidays?
The omicron mutant is already dominant in England: It now accounts for 60 percent of all cases, said British Health Minister Sajid Javid in an interview with Sky News. On Sunday alone, 12,133 new Omicron cases were reported in the United Kingdom – on Friday there were still a good 3,200.
In order to slow the spread of Omikron in Germany, the federal government has declared Great Britain a virus variant area. This means that travelers have to be in corona quarantine for 14 days – including those who have been vaccinated or who have survived an illness. This period cannot be shortened by taking a test. In addition, only German citizens and people with German residence are allowed into the country. So far, no European countries have been virus variant areas.
At the same time, the debate about stricter corona measures is coming to a head in Great Britain, where far-reaching freedoms still apply. London has already declared a disaster. According to media reports, discussions are ongoing about a kind of breakwater lockdown after the Christmas days.
Scientific advisors are calling for restrictions to be tightened as soon as possible in order to avoid overloading the health system. It is “almost certain that there are currently hundreds of thousands of new Omicron infections per day” in England – so a high number of unreported cases. According to the Guardian, some modelers warned that without stricter measures there could be up to two million new infections a day by the turn of the year.
France: vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate
The government in Paris is using stricter vaccination rules in the fight against the fifth wave. In January, a booster vaccination can be given after four months instead of five. Health Minister Olivier Véran announced that a third injection will be mandatory for nurses and firefighters. The vaccinations for children between the ages of five and eleven began a few days ago. The fireworks and concert on the Champs-Élysées planned for New Year’s Eve is canceled because of the many new infections.
In addition, the neighboring countries Denmark and France have been considered high-risk areas since midnight due to the increasing number of cases and Omikron in Germany. The RKI announced this on Friday. With the exception of Luxembourg, all of Germany’s neighboring countries are now high-risk areas. Anyone entering from such an area and not fully vaccinated or recovered must be quarantined for ten days. You can get rid of it with a test five days after entering the country at the earliest.
Germany: deliberations on restrictions
In order to contain the predicted massive fifth corona wave, the federal and state governments are advising to tighten restrictions on private meetings. The topic of deliberations by the federal and state governments at the top level should also include the closure of clubs and discos. Politicians want to respond with their measures to an urgent call to action by the government’s new Corona Expert Council. According to the experts, Germany is threatening a “new dimension” in the pandemic with Omikron.
In its first statement, the Council of Experts warned against infection of people who had been twice vaccinated and those who had recovered from Omikron. “This can lead to an explosive spread.” A considerable overload of the hospitals is to be expected. “If the spread of the Omikron variant in Germany continues, a relevant part of the population would be ill and / or in quarantine at the same time.” Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) ruled out a lockdown before Christmas on Sunday.
The prime ministerial conference will focus on private meetings and leisure activities. “On the subject of which further restrictions are conceivable, the federal and state governments will now exchange views,” said the deputy government spokesman Wolfgang Büchner. It is particularly about private get-togethers, for which an upper limit of 50 people indoors and 200 people outdoors still applies in many places, large events and clubs. Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens) said on Deutschlandfunk: “I am sure that clubs and discos will close, that we will also reduce contacts for vaccinated people indoors.” That would be agreed for January.
Source From: Stern
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