As the new Omicron variant spreads throughout Europe, European leaders are reintroducing coronavirus restrictions.
Germany and Portugal have both announced post-Christmas restrictions and increased social distancing measures. Omicron is already the dominant strain in many European countries.
Spain has reported the most daily cases since the pandemic began, and France has warned that the number of daily cases may soon exceed 100,000.
According to French Health Minister Olivier Véran, the Omicron variant, which he believes will become the dominant variant by early January, will drive the increase in daily infections in the country, which is currently around 70,000.
According to the World Health Organization’s top official on the continent, the increase in cases will push health systems to the brink of collapse across Europe.
“Another storm,” according to Hans Kluge, is on its way, and governments should brace themselves for significant increases in cases.
On Wednesday, France began vaccinating children aged five to eleven but said boosters were not yet available for children aged 12 to 15.
On December 28, Germany announced that private gatherings would be limited to 10 people and that nightclubs would close.
Beginning on that date, football matches will also be played behind closed doors.
“Coronavirus does not take a vacation,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday.
“We cannot, and must not, close our eyes to the next wave that is looming over us,” he added.
Meanwhile, Portugal ordered the closure of bars and nightclubs on December 26th and made working from home mandatory from that date until January 9th.
Outdoor gatherings will be limited to a maximum of ten people.
Finland’s bars and restaurants will be forced to close at 22:00 on December 24 due to an outbreak of infections at an all-time high in the Nordic country.
Restaurants will be forced to close at 18:00 on December 28th for three weeks, with limited seating.
Also read: Omicron variant: UK announces temporary measure to prevent further spread
Visitors arriving from the EU’s border-free Schengen zone will be required to show a negative Covid test.
In the United Kingdom, Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced that people infected with Covid in England will be able to leave quarantine after seven days rather than ten if they test negative on days six and seven. Although Prime Minister Boris Johnson had previously ruled out any new restrictions for England before Christmas, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have all announced restrictions on social mixing.
From Wednesday, bars, cafes, and restaurants in Sweden will only be able to serve seated guests, and people are being encouraged to work from home if possible.
Health Minister Lena Hallengren predicted an increase in Omicron cases and warned that “the burden on the health care system is increasing.”
The Netherlands has already implemented tighter restrictions, announcing a strict lockdown on Monday, but other European leaders, want to postpone tighter controls until after the holiday season if possible.
Spain reported a record 49,823 new daily infections on Tuesday, breaking the previous record of 44,357 set in January.
Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Chile, is meeting with regional leaders to discuss the implementation of new restrictions.
According to the most recent EU figures, Europe has already seen over 89 million cases and 1.5 million Covid-related deaths.
Omicron was discovered in southern Africa last month and has since spread throughout the world.
Omicron may be more infectious, according to data from around the world, but there is no evidence that it causes more serious illness.
According to the WHO, it has been detected in at least 38 of the 53 countries in the WHO’s European region, which includes Russia and Turkey, and is dominant in several.
Within weeks, Omicron will have a stranglehold on more countries in the region, straining already overburdened healthcare systems even further “According to Reuters, Dr. Kluge stated.
“The sheer number of new Covid-19 infections could result in more hospitalizations and widespread disruption of health-care systems and other critical services.”
Governments and authorities must prepare our response systems for a large increase.”
