Despite record infections, the omicron variant’s reduced hospitalisation and death rates encouraged Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to hint at the possibility of Europe moving beyond pandemic-style limitations on daily life.
“We have to examine Covid’s transition from pandemic to endemic illness,” Sanchez said in a radio interview Monday, adding that European governments may need to assess the disease using other measures than those used previously.
Spain, the first major European country to publicly recommend that people live with Covid-19, is advocating for it to be handled as an endemic condition, similar to the flu. The notion is slowly gaining support, and it could lead to a rethinking of government policies for combating the virus.
It may be a little early for such discourse in nations like France, Germany, Italy, and Romania, which are all registering the highest average daily case counts of the whole pandemic. In addition, the World Health Organization reported on Tuesday that, at this rate, more than half of Europeans will get the omicron variety in the next two months.
The Netherlands has sustained one of Europe’s tightest curfews, with restaurants and bars shut down. Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s cabinet in Italy has made vaccinations mandatory for people over the age of 50.
Ireland will keep a voluntary vaccination system, according to Prime Minister Micheal Martin.
Belgian government Prime Minister Alexander De Croo stated that the wants to provide individuals a “free choice.”
Last October, Denmark lifted all Covid limitations, while the Netherlands eliminated all masking rules. Both countries have reimposed limitations as a result of having some of Europe’s highest case rates.
In recent weeks, the Spanish government has been working on a new surveillance strategy, and Health Minister Carolina Darias has raised the issue with her European counterparts, Sanchez said.
Restriction on travel has also reached its limit. The United Kingdom was the first country to impose a ban on flights from southern Africa, where omicron was discovered for the first time.
In order to keep important services running, many governments are decreasing quarantine periods. The Czech Republic is the most recent, forcing Covid-positive patients to isolate for five days instead of two weeks as of Tuesday.
Source : bloombergquint.com
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