Inflection point? More countries relax measures against COVID-19

Nightclub parties late at night. Audiences sitting side by side in movie theaters. Mask-free faces, especially in Europe and North America. Little by little, many countries hit by the coronavirus opened and lifted their harsh and often unpopular restrictions to combat COVID-19, despite the fact that the omicron variant – considered less serious – skyrocketed the number of infections.

The trend seemed like a new turning point in a nearly two-year-old pandemic replete with defining moments.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), omicron has caused more cases -90 million- in the world in the last ten weeks than during all of 2020, the first full year of the pandemic.

The Geneva-based WHO admits that some countries may judiciously consider lifting standards if they have high immunity rates, strong health systems and favorable epidemiological curves.

Omicron is less likely to cause severe illness than the older delta variant, according to studies. The new version of the virus spreads more easily and has become dominant in many countries. It also more easily infects people who have been vaccinated or who have already been infected by earlier versions of the virus.

But the United Nations health agency, always suspicious of how a virus that continues to spread widely might evolve, warned against underestimating omicron.

“We are concerned that in some countries a message has taken root that due to vaccines -and due to the high transmissibility and low severity of omicron-, preventing infections is no longer possible and is no longer necessary”, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Gheybreysus said at a regular news conference on the pandemic on Tuesday. “Nothing could be further from the truth.”.

Its emergency manager, Dr. Michael Ryan, noted that some countries could justifiably begin to lift restrictions, but warned against rushing and recommended each country to assess its situation. “Political pressure will cause people to open up prematurely in some countries, and that will lead to unnecessary infections, unnecessary serious illness, and unnecessary deaths.”.

The most pronounced openings are taking place in Europe, which was for months the global epicenter of the pandemic, as well as in South Africa, the first place where the presence of omicron was publicly identified, and in the United States, which is the country with the most cases. and more deaths from COVID-19.

Britain, France, Ireland, the Netherlands and several Nordic countries have taken steps to end or ease their COVID-19 restrictions.

England ended almost all national restrictions last week: masks are no longer required in public spaces, vaccination passes are no longer required to access events or other public venues, and the order to work from home has been withdrawn. There is only one condition left: people who test positive must isolate themselves.

Norway on Tuesday lifted its ban on serving alcohol after 11 p.m. and the limit on private gatherings of no more than 10 people. Travelers arriving at the border will no longer need to take a COVID-19 test before entering. People can once again sit side by side at events with fixed seats and sporting events can be organized as before the pandemic.

“Now it’s time for us to take back our daily life”, said the Norwegian Minister of Health, Ingvild Kjerkol, on Tuesday. “Tonight we withdraw most of the measures so that we can be closer to living a normal life.”

As during the pandemic, many countries go it alone: ​​Italy has tightened its health pass requirements during the omicron outbreak. As of Monday, the government requires at least one negative test in the previous 48 hours to enter banks and post offices, and anyone over 50 who is not vaccinated faces a fine of 100 euros.

Other continents are even more cautious. Some of the highest vaccination rates in the world are in Asia, which has experienced previous viral outbreaks like SARS and MERS, and its leaders are maintaining strict quarantine measures or even tightening them for the time being.

The peaceful nation of Tonga went into lockdown Wednesday night after two cases of coronavirus were detected in port workers helping distribute aid after a volcanic eruption and tsunami. It is feared that the effects of the natural disaster could trigger a second disaster by bringing the pandemic to a country that had previously remained free of the virus.

On the eve of the Olympics, China was sticking to its zero-tolerance policy against COVID-19 despite 85% of its population being fully vaccinated, according to figures from Our World in Data.

Beijing quickly imposes strict quarantines and lockdowns as soon as a case is detected and continues to require people to wear masks on public transport and show the health app that certifies their status to enter most shops and restaurants.

Thailand, where 69% of the population have completed their vaccination, according to Our World in Data, still requires the use of masks in public spaces and social distancing measures, as well as other restrictions.

Singapore, which has Asia’s highest vaccination rate of 87% with at least two doses, maintains its restrictions, although it announced a “transition journey to a more resilient nation in the face of COVID-19″ in August, with measures to relax or tighten measures depending on the situation.

Japan, which has almost 80% of its population fully vaccinated, has resisted imposing restrictions, but continues to urge its population to wear masks and adhere to social distancing recommendations, as well as asking restaurants to reduce their opening hours. .

Cambodia, with 81% of people vaccinated, has eased restrictions on restaurants and other businesses but still requires masks in public spaces and recommends social distancing.