Europe Alarmed By Looming Fifth Wave, Lockdowns

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to make an announcement on whether or not England will go into a circuit breaker lockdown or not within the next 48 hours, according to The Sun newspaper.

The UK government has so far resisted imposing new restrictions ahead of the holidays even as it continues to battle a major rise in COVID-19 cases, driven by the more transmissible Omicron variant.

Prime minister Boris Johnson said the government could take “further action” to protect public health, adding that they were following the situation “hour by hour” as the country registered more than 90,000 new cases. In England, the chief medical officer urged people to limit who they see in the festive period.

Europe is once again seeing a surge of COVID-19 cases. In some parts, the increase has been compounded by the emergence of the new Omicron variant, first detected in South Africa.

Some countries have taken steps targeting the unvaccinated, while programmes are also being rolled out in several nations to vaccinate young children.

On Tuesday, German leaders discussed bringing in new restrictions as the country faces “a massive fifth wave”, due to Omicron, according to Health Minister Karl Lauterbach.

While a lockdown before Christmas has been ruled out, Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Germany’s 16 state governors will talk after the government’s new panel of experts said that nationwide measures are needed.

Nightclubs are likely to close, and there are likely to be further restrictions on crowds at major events, while new contact restrictions are expected to be introduced for vaccinated people — with gatherings reportedly to be capped at 10 people.

France’s health authority has approved COVID-19 jabs for children five to 11 years old. Vaccinations for kids who are at risk for severe COVID-19 began last week.
It comes as the government urged people to get tested and keep holiday gatherings small amid high infections due to COVID-19.
Prime Minister Jean Castex said that in the new year the “health pass” will turn into a “vaccine pass” with more restrictions on people who are unvaccinated.

The Netherlands is back to a nationwide lockdown since Sunday (December 19) to curb the Omicron variant, caretaker prime minister Mark Rutte said after a meeting with his government to discuss new restrictions.

Denmark will seek to close theatres, cinemas, concert halls, amusement parks, museums and art galleries amid a record surge in COVID-19 infections driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

Ireland issued an 8 pm curfew on pubs and restaurants in order to curb rising COVID-19 cases from Sunday (December 19). Indoor events will also be restricted with limits on capacity for all events.

Switzerland is restricting public life for those who are unvaccinated. Only people who are vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19 will be able to access restaurants, cultural venues, or other indoor events. Private family gatherings should be limited to 10 people.

Swiss voters approved by a clear margin the so-called ‘COVID-19 law’ in a referendum on November 28. The legislation, which is already in force, includes a pandemic recovery package and the application of a controversial COVID certificate.