Several European countries tightened health measures as the New Year holidays approach or are about to do so.
The coronavirus pandemic continues and a sample of this are the precautions that are being taken to prevent the spread of the new omicron variant.
One week before Christmas, restrictions multiply again, the cancellation of festivities or the closure of cultural sites, while the pressure on the unvaccinated grows.
The variant, identified a month ago in South Africa, has been detected in about 80 countries and is advancing rapidly in Europe, where it could become dominant by mid-January, according to the European Commission.
Several European countries tightened health measures as the New Year holidays approach or are about to do so.
In France, the government asked mayors to cancel concerts and fireworks scheduled for New Year’s Eve. The city of Paris reacted immediately and announced this Saturday the cancellation of the celebrations on the Champs Elysees.
In Ireland, bars and restaurants must close at 8:00 p.m. from Sunday, and the measure will continue until the end of January.
Meanwhile, Denmark, which registered a record 11,000 infections on Friday, of which 2,500 were from omicron, is going to close for a month, starting Sunday, theaters, cinemas and concert halls, as well as amusement parks and museums.
In the Netherlands, this Saturday an emergency meeting is held after experts advising the government proposed a strict confinement of the population.
In the American continent, Québec, Canada, is going to apply limits to the number of people in bars, restaurants and shops.
In Asia, South Korea reinstated mandatory closing hours for cafes, restaurants, cinemas and other public places on Saturday, and private gatherings must be limited to four people.
Travel restriction measures also came into effect at the weekend.
France reinstated as of Saturday the obligation to present “urgent reasons” for travelers coming from or going to the United Kingdom, which registered a new record of infections for the third consecutive day, with 93,045 cases.
Some European Union (EU) countries, such as Ireland, Portugal, Italy and Greece, require European travelers, including those vaccinated, to present a negative COVID-19 test.
Germany, which on Friday classified France and Denmark as “high risk” areas, will impose a quarantine period on unvaccinated visitors. Starting Sunday, the measure will also apply to visitors from Norway, Lebanon and Andorra.
Pressure on unvaccinated
The measures are accompanied by increasing pressures on people who are not vaccinated, which in some cases go beyond the obligation to inoculate.
In Los Angeles, all city employees, including police and firefighters, who have not received an exemption for medical or religious reasons, must be vaccinated as of Saturday under penalty of being placed on administrative leave.
According to the mayor’s office, just over 43,800 of the employees, or 79% of the total, were up-to-date with their vaccinations this week.
The obligation to be vaccinated was strongly disputed by some police and firefighters who went to court to try to suspend the measure.
According to television NBC, about 80% of Los Angeles police officers are vaccinated against COVID-19 and more than 2,500 requested exemptions.
On Friday, a US federal court reinstated mandatory vaccination for employees of large companies, as requested by the government, after it was suspended in November by a Texas appeals court.
In Switzerland, as of Monday, only people vaccinated or recovered from the virus will have access to restaurants, cultural sites and sports and entertainment facilities, in addition to any indoor events.
A similar requirement will come into force in France at the beginning of next year, and a simple negative test will no longer suffice, as unvaccinated people have done until now.
Vaccination of children
Meanwhile, the vaccination for children was approved in Brazil, after starting to be applied in other countries such as Chile, Canada, the United States, Israel, Italy and Greece.
Portugal, one of the countries with the highest vaccination levels in the world, began its campaign this Saturday to immunize children between 5 and 11 years old.
About 60,000 minors, of the 640,000 in this age group, were registered to receive as of this weekend a first dose of Pfizer’s pediatric immunizer.
In France, the vaccination of children should begin on Wednesday, “if all goes well,” said the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran this Saturday.
Pharmaceutical Pfizer announced on Friday that it intends to test the third dose of the vaccine in children under five years of age, which could lead the company to submit a request for authorization to apply three doses in that age group. (I)
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