Curbs fall across Europe, Japan cases rise

| February 3, 2022

Authorities have announced moves to ease coronavirus restrictions in Germany, Finland, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Lithuania while Japan recorded a surge in infections.

Calls are building in Germany for an end to all COVID-19 curbs as a government minister said that many rules could fall away next month.

“I hope that in March many protective measures can be withdrawn,” Justice Minister Marco Buschmann said in an interview with the Rheinische Post newspaper.

This depends on whether “the number of cases falls again from mid-February,” Buschmann said, noting that the country’s institute for disease control expects this to happen.

Finland will begin lifting restrictions with the aim of removing all curbs at the beginning of March, Prime Minister Sanna Marin told reporters on Wednesday.

The government now plans to allow restaurants to remain open until midnight and remove curbs on public gatherings from Februay 14, Marin said, adding the aim is to remove all restrictions at the start of next month.

Marin said hospitalisation numbers have steadied and are even showing signs of decreasing.

She said restrictions need to remain in place for two more weeks so that the government can monitor how the epidemic develops in neighbouring Norway and Denmark.

The government also plans to officially retire the COVID-19 passport it used from mid-October to late December, which allowed public venues to only let in people with vaccinations or a recent negative test result.

Switzerland on Wednesday also began easing restrictions as fears waned that a spike in infections fuelled by Omicron would overwhelm the health care system.

Quarantine for people who come into contact with an infected person and a work-from home order will end from midnight, the government said, although it still recommended that people work from home if possible.

It proposed further easing measures in consultations with regional authorities to run until February 9, with a final decision on how to proceed due on February 16.

“Today is a beautiful day,” President Ignazio Cassis told a news conference in Bern. 

“We can see light at the end of the tunnel.”

He said the pandemic was not over but a new phase could start as people begin returning to a normal lives and learn to live with the virus.

More than 90 per cent of Switzerland’s population of 8.6 million people have gained protection from the virus, having either recovered from COVID-19 or been vaccinated, said Cassis, a physician.

Despite record high infection figures, there has been no overloading of patients in hospitals and the occupancy of intensive care units has declined, the government said.

It noted Omicron, although highly transmissible, usually causes less severe illness than earlier variants.

“There are increasing signs that the acute crisis will soon be over and the endemic phase could begin,” the statement said.

For people entering Switzerland without having been vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19, it proposed lifting a requirement for COVID-19 testing and contact data collection.

The Czech government agreed to end mandatory testing at schools and companies this month, the prime minister said.

The testing “undoubtedly” helped slow down the spread of infections and prevented the health system from being overwhelmed, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said.

“Given the development, we’ve decided to end the compulsory testing on February 18,” Fiala said.

Lithuania’s government on Wednesday scrapped a COVID-19 certificate requirement for indoor public spaces, saying it no longer offered protection due to the prevalence of Omicron.

“It would be really good if we never have to return to this measure,” Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte told a government meeting.

The decision takes effect on Saturday, when shops will have to limit visitor numbers instead.

But in Japan, new COVID-19 cases in Tokyo exceeded 20,000 for the first time on Wednesday.

The data dimmed hopes that a wave of infections fuelled by Omicron is peaking in Japan.

Cases across Japan reached a record 91,760 while 18 prefectures recorded all-time highs, according to a tally by online news service JX Press.

Tokyo reported 21,576 new cases, surpassing the previous record of 17,631 in the Japanese capital on Friday.

The closely watched usage rate of hospital beds reserved for COVID-19 patients edged up to 51.4 per cent. 

Officials previously said that a state of emergency would be needed if the rate reached 50 per cent but now say the decision will depend on the number of serious cases and other factors.

with reporting from DPA