With the holiday season setting in and the Omicron scare looms, many countries across the world have sought to reimpose Covid-19 restrictions to stem the possibility of a new wave of the virus. As the cases of Omicron variant doubling every 2-3 days, the UK was one of the first countries to reimpose curbs in England including a work from the home mandate. However, as the number of cases of the new variant witnessed a steep rise, other countries also followed suit.
Here is a list of countries that reimposed the coronavirus-induced curbs to contain the spread of the infection:
UK
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed tougher Covid-19 restrictions in England on December 8, ordering people to work from home, wear masks in public places and use vaccine passes to slow the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant. Johnson said Omicron was spreading rapidly and he had no choice but to move to ‘Plan B’ while a vaccine booster program rolls out. The restrictions before the festive season were imposed following last year’s debacle whereby the PM was accused that his staff partied at Downing Street during a Christmas lockdown last year. Though different in nature than the full-fledged lockdowns imposed in the country earlier this year, the new measures were described as a ‘hammer blow’ for city centre restaurants, cafes, and shops that are desperate for the Christmas trade to rebuild their finances.
Norway
After the United Kingdom, Norway also announced new Covid curbs amid the spread of the Omicron variant and soaring case numbers and hospital admissions. The move came after Norway’s health authority warned the country could record between 90,000 and 300,000 daily coronavirus cases and up to 200 hospital admissions per day in three weeks without more measures. As part of the new restrictions, Bars and restaurants will not be able to serve alcohol, remote working will be compulsory where possible, mask mandates will be extended and access to public swimming pools and gyms restricted. Canceling large sporting events was also recommended.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is likely to enter a nationwide lockdown in the face of soaring Omicron cases. All non-essential stores, bars, and restaurants in the Netherlands will be closed until 14 January starting Sunday, caretaker prime minister Mark Rutte said at a hastily arranged press conference Saturday night. Schools and universities will shut until 9 January, he said. The Dutch lockdown is also set to put limits on Christmas celebrations. Residents only will be permitted two visitors except for Christmas and New Year’s, when four will be allowed. The number of Omicron cases in Netherlands stands at 13.
Germany
Germany on Thursday imposed restrictions on the unvaccinated in a bid to break the unabated surge in daily coronavirus infections exacerbated by the discovery of the Omicron strain. Outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel and her successor Olaf Scholz agreed with leaders of Germany’s 16 states to bar the unvaccinated from access to all but the most essential businesses such as grocery stores, pharmacies, and bakeries. They also agreed to pass legislation in the national parliament to make vaccination mandatory. As per the new restrictions, businesses have been kept open to the almost 69% of the population that is fully vaccinated as well as those with proof of having recovered from Covid-19.
France
As part of the French Government’s new restrictions, the authorities have urged people to get vaccinated against Covid-19 before the holiday festivities to curb the virus spread and also to avoid imposing another lockdown. “The fifth wave is here and it is here in full force,” Prime Minister Jean Castex told a news conference on Friday, likening the spread of the highly mutated Omicron variant in Europe to “lightning”. To curb the spread of the virus during the holidays, the government banned public concerts and fireworks displays at New Year’s celebrations. It also called on people to avoid large gatherings and limit the number of family members congregating at Christmas.
Denmark
Denmark, which has some of the highest numbers of omicron cases on record, has gradually been imposing more and more restrictions for more than a month to curb the spread of the new variant. Earlier this week, the country’s schoolchildren, which as a group have been driving the rise in contamination, were sent home for Christmas a week ahead of schedule.
Ireland
Ireland imposed an 8 pm curfew for hospitality venues as part of a host of new measures aimed at slowing the spread of the Omicron variant. The new rules will come into force on Sunday 19 December and will last until 30 January. Restaurants and bars have also been instructed to close at 8 pm, with no indoor events after this time. Venues should run at reduced capacity, for indoor venues, it is 50% of capacity or 1,000 people and outdoor events should be limited to 50% or 5,000 people. All overseas arrivals are required to take an antigen or PCR test depending on their vaccination status and all passengers arriving should be advised to conduct antigen testing on a daily basis for five consecutive days. Wedding receptions can take place after 8 pm but with a capacity limit of 100 guests.
Australia
Australia shut its borders to nine southern African countries and suspended all flights from those countries amid growing concerns about the new Omicron variant of Covid-19. Any Australian citizens or dependents who have been been in those countries in the past 14 days must go into mandatory quarantine, the federal government announced on Saturday. This includes international students and temporary visa holders, including skilled migrants, who have traveled to any of the countries in southern Africa in the past fortnight.
To date, more than 10,000 new Omicron cases have been reported in the U.K. in the highest daily surge so far. The UK Health Security Agency has confirmed an additional 10,059 cases of the new variant on Saturday, more than three times as many as reported on Friday, taking the total number of cases to 24,968. Meanwhile, the death toll from the Omicron variant jumped from one to seven. Other parts of the United Kingdom have similar rules in place, but Scotland has gone further by asking people to limit social contact to three households at a time in the run-up to Christmas. Wales has also ordered nightclubs to close post-Christmas from December 27.
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