The governments there report new infection records every day. Denmark and Great Britain have some of the highest values. Both countries celebrated Freedom Day last summer and lifted all restrictions. Now the seven-day incidence here is around 2000, according to Our World in Data.
However, the number of infections is similarly high in countries such as France, Italy and Spain, which had relatively strict corona measures. So Freedom Day doesn’t seem to have made the crucial difference.
In the second year of the pandemic, a number of “best practices” became established in Europe. Most governments currently have two priorities: First, they are trying to keep the economy and public life going by reducing the quarantine requirement. The role models are France and the USA, where you can test yourself free after just five days.
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On the other hand, all countries are increasing the vaccination pressure. Austria goes the furthest here, where a general compulsory vaccination will apply from February 1st.
Other countries have decided to make vaccinations compulsory for certain professions or age groups, for example in nursing and in the health system or, as in Italy, for people over the age of 50.
The overview shows which governments are more cautious and which are more risk-taking.
Austria and the Netherlands rely on lockdowns
So far, only Austria and the Netherlands have opted for a lockdown against Omikron. In the Netherlands, non-essential shops, restaurants and cinemas have been closed since Christmas. A maximum of two people are allowed to meet outdoors. The measures are initially valid until January 14th.
A stricter FFP2 mask requirement is to apply in Austria.
(Photo: imago images / photonews.at)
In Austria, the lockdown was lifted shortly before Christmas. Given the rapidly increasing incidence, the government is now considering new measures. Chancellor Karl Nehammer announced on Thursday that in future people will have to wear an FFP2 mask outdoors if a two-meter distance cannot be maintained.
The focus is currently on shortening quarantine periods. Omikron is also having an impact on the discussions about the general vaccination requirement, which is due to come into effect on February 1st. Because of the mild course of the disease, experts and social partners are showing increasing skepticism as to whether this measure is still justified. Nehammer sticks to the compulsory vaccination.
France, Greece and Switzerland are putting pressure on 2G
Several countries are increasing the pressure on the unvaccinated by introducing the 2G rule for restaurants and leisure facilities. In France, from next week, large areas of public life will only be open to those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered.
On Wednesday, President Emmanuel Macron formulated a declaration of war on those who refused to vaccinate: “I really want to get on their nerves.” About 45 percent of the French are boosted.
The French President formulated a declaration of war on those who refused to be vaccinated on Wednesday.
(Photo: dpa)
In Greece, the government is categorically ruling out a new lockdown. But there are further restrictions: All restaurants, cafes and bars must close at midnight. No music may be played or danced.
2G applies in the interior of the restaurant, 3G outside. The government relies primarily on vaccinations. The vaccination certificates issued after the second vaccination are now only valid for seven months. Anyone who cannot be boosted is considered unvaccinated.
The Swiss government assumes that the Omikron wave will be milder. However, it tightened the measures at the end of December: the 2G rule applies in public facilities such as restaurants, museums and cinemas. Private meetings are limited to ten people.
Mild measures in the UK, Sweden, Denmark and Spain
In Great Britain, which recorded the first Omicron cases in Europe, the wave seems to have partially reached its peak. The number of infections among the under-50s in the particularly hard hit capital, London, is falling.
However, the number of hospital admissions continues to rise, and several clinics have declared an emergency. Nevertheless, the impression prevails that Omikron does less damage than previous variants.
The number of hospital admissions is increasing in the UK.
(Photo: dpa)
The government congratulates itself for not overreacting. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced only light measures at the beginning of December, including the return of mask requirements and home office. Since the death rate has hardly risen, he now sees himself confirmed.
Like Great Britain, Denmark had abolished all restrictions in late summer. Given the incidence of 2248, the 3G rule has now been reintroduced for restaurants and recreational facilities. In Sweden the incidence is even lower at 694, but is also rising rapidly. “We haven’t reached the top yet,” fears Jan Albert, virologist at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm. The government has so far left it with minimal regulations: In shops and restaurants, distance rules and the limitation of the number of visitors apply.
Spain, too, has so far refrained from major restrictions, although the incidence here has skyrocketed to 1674. The government does not want to harm the economy. Only a few regional governments have imposed restrictions: Catalonia, for example, closes clubs and discos. The only thing new across the country is that it is now again mandatory to wear a mask outdoors, although many experts consider this to be unnecessary.
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