Brussels, Dec. 28 (BUS): With Omicron spreading more than ever across the globe ahead of New Year’s Eve, governments are moving at different speeds to contain the scourge, with some restrictions immediately reimposed while others are reluctant to spoil the party again.
In Britain, where the highly contagious type of coronavirus has driven case numbers to record levels, Health Minister Sajid Javid said on Monday that no further restrictions would be imposed in England before the new year. New daily infections in England are hovering around 100,000, and hospital admissions are up more than 70% at Christmas compared to the previous week.
“When we go into the new year, of course, we’ll see then if we need to take any further action, but nothing more until then, at least,” Javid said.
Elsewhere in the UK, though, nightclubs have been ordered to close and restrictions imposed on gatherings in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, leaving the country divided in its approach to the crisis.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands has already closed all non-essential shops, restaurants and bars and extended school holidays in what largely amounts to a new closure. In Belgium, new measures came into effect on Monday and over the weekend: shopping in large groups was banned, cinemas and concert halls closed in the middle of the holiday season.
In France, Prime Minister Jean Castex announced a set of restrictions that are due to start next week, after the New Year. Among them: large events will be limited to 2,000 people indoors and 5,000 outdoors; Eating and drinking will be prohibited in theaters, sports venues and on public transport; And working from home will be mandatory at least three days a week for employees whose jobs make it possible, according to the Press Agency (AP).
Also, a bill will be voted on in France next month to create a vaccine card that would only allow vaccinated people to enter public places, including restaurants, bars and cinemas.
These measures come after France recorded more than 100,000 cases of Covid-19 in one day for the first time in the shadow of the epidemic.
In the United States, the Biden administration has put a heavy emphasis on the importance of vaccines, boosters and rapid testing, while New York City’s blanket mandate requiring nearly all businesses, large and small, to ban unvaccinated employees from the workplace went into effect Monday. It was announced three weeks ago, shortly after Omicron gained a foothold in the United States
The chief US infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, warned that with Omicron, “it’s going to get worse before it gets better,” and said authorities should seriously consider asking domestic airline passengers to get vaccinated.
“When you make vaccination a requirement, that’s another incentive to vaccinate more people,” Fauci told MSNBC.
On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cut isolation restrictions for people with the virus, saying they are in line with the science when people are most contagious and can help industries continue to operate as cases increase.
“We want to make sure there’s a mechanism in which we can continue to keep the community functioning safely while following the science,” Rochelle Wallinsky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told The Associated Press.
Omicron has forced thousands of flight cancellations and delays around the world due to staff shortages linked to the virus, exacerbating travelers’ vacation plans.
FlightAware, a flight-tracking website, counted more than 2,700 cancellations worldwide by Monday evening in Europe — about 1,100 of them in, within, or outside the United States.
Despite the variant’s exceptional ability to infect people, early indications are that it may cause milder disease than previous versions. This uncertainty keeps governments guessing and leads to widely varied strategies to beat the surge.
In Greece, authorities announced additional restrictions – also in effect after New Year’s Day – after they recorded the highest single-day total of new infections, nearly 9,300.
Health Minister Thanos Bleviris said that from January 3, high-protection masks or double masks will be mandatory in supermarkets and on public transport; Entertainment venues will be closed at midnight, and capacity will be reduced to 10% at football stadiums, among other measures.
Likewise, other parts of Europe have been reluctant to impose more restrictions on their citizens.
In Poland, a country of 38 million where the daily death toll now exceeds 500, now-closed nightclubs will be allowed to reopen on New Year’s Eve, with the government unwilling to go against the will of many voters opposing the restrictive and mandatory restrictions. vaccinations.
And despite the high death toll from COVID-19 in Europe, Russia will continue into the new year with few, if any, restrictions. Several precautions will be lifted during the 10-day holiday period starting on New Year’s Eve. Russia will not impose any additional travel restrictions.
The official statistics agency Rosstat estimated that between April 2020 and October 2021, Russia recorded 537,000 virus-related deaths.
In Belgium, the move to close theaters and arts centers has been particularly harshly criticized.
We also need it for our mental health. It is the only way for people to live experiences and tell stories. “It is vital that we are open in these complex and complex times,” said Michael de Kock, artistic director of the Flemish Royal Theatre.
Some movie theaters remained open in an act of civil disobedience.
A staple of British holiday celebrations, the broadcast of English Premier League football matches, is also under threat. The league has canceled 15 games in the past two and a half weeks, and more could follow.
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