Omicron variant scares EuropeCountries run for cover with rules, measures and restrictions. Words like curfew and closure are back. Infection is spreading practically everywhere, and Great Britain leads the way every day With 93 thousand new cases. Nevertheless, we in London view with satisfaction the acceleration of the vaccination campaign: 26.3 million adults have received the third dose, that is, one in two over the age of 18.
On the Old Continent, the wave does not stop: the numbers are impressive, the hospitalization shortage is alarming, and governments are taking action to stem the wave. The results of studies and analyzes present elements that raise the level of alert: Omicron can partially bypass vaccines and can restore healing injury.
In the Netherlands, we are back to talking about closuresAs reported by RTL Nieuws: Experts and scientific advisors who are pressing the government to adopt strict measures are seen as the only way to try to contain Omicron.
the France – It will not impose tampons on travelers from other EU countries – Take action against the lightning-like variant of Prime Minister Jean Castix. Intensive care units in the country host about 3,000 patients and the situation looks set to deteriorate. The government is working on a bill Which will be presented to Parliament at the beginning of January and will serve to convert the current health card into a certificate of vaccination. “Only the vaccine will count in the track, not the swabs anymore,” Castix says. There are about six million French people still not immune to the coronavirus, and the picture is at risk of becoming unsustainable.
Beyond the channel, the fileIreland dusts off curfew. From midnight on Sunday, at 8 pm, bars, restaurants and clubs inside hotels are closed. The same procedure is also for cultural and sporting events.
the Denmark, after 11,194 cases in the last 24 hours (20% related to Omicron), is preparing to press: Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s plan states Closure of museums, cinemas, theatres, lively parks, amusement parks and event venues. The measures, which provide for the acceleration of tracking programs and the vaccination campaign, come into effect after approval by the House of Representatives. New rules are also emerging for restaurants: they will have to close at 11pm, but from 10pm they will not be able to serve alcoholic beverages. The decision was announced last week to introduce a one-week end-of-year holiday for schools.
the GermanyIn the meantime, he took a look at the releases and decided to classify France and Denmark as high-risk areas from Sunday due to the high number of infections, the same is true for Norway, Lebanon and Andorra, the Robert Koch Institute announced. Anyone coming from a high-risk area who has not been vaccinated or fully recovered must be subject to a 10-day quarantine: the process is suspended with a negative test 5 days after entry.
Individual national positions are drawn up, within the European Union, within the framework established by ECDC, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control.
In the new bulletin, Italy was among the six countries ranked on the “moderate concern” level, along with Austria, Bulgaria, Iceland, Malta and Slovenia. While the level of interest for the entire region drops from “very high” (8.3 out of 10 in the previous report) to “high” (6.8 out of 10). The report relates to week 49, which ended on Sunday 12th December, and the forecast it contains is for the next 14 days, thus weeks 50 (ending December 19th) and 51 (ending December 26th). For Italy, and other countries in the same “group”, cases will increase again, but the number of hospitalizations and deaths may stabilize, while the number of admissions to the intensive care unit will decrease.