NETHERLANDS "CLOSED", GERMANY AND ITALY RESTRICTED TRAVEL WITH QUARANTINE REQUIREMENTS
The first of a series of moves to tighten Christmas travel restrictions was the ban that France, followed by Germany, imposed on British tourists last weekend. The ban led to serious traffic congestion at the UK-France border gates on the night of December 17, as thousands of British tourists tried to push ahead with their Christmas plans in France before the ban took effect. Brits who had already planned to travel to Germany were even more rushed in the hope of avoiding the mandatory 14-day quarantine after arriving in Germany, which took effect after midnight on December 19.
Many people come to the Feira Internacional de Lisboa vaccination center in the Portuguese capital Lisbon to get vaccinated on December 18.
Germany also considers France and Denmark to be “high risk”, forcing people from these two countries who have not been vaccinated or even recovered from Covid-19 to quarantine for 10 days. Dozens of other countries, including almost all of Germany’s direct neighbors, are also classified as “high risk”.
France:With about 76.8% of residents fully vaccinated, the French Health Authority approved and began implementing a vaccination plan for children aged 5 to 11 last week. The Paris Mayor's Office announced on December 18 that it had canceled plans for fireworks and concerts on New Year's Eve on the Champs Elysees Avenue - one of the world's most famous tourist destinations...
French Prime Minister Jean Castex “shows” his Health Card when he visits Nouvel Hopital Civil - one of France's oldest medical facilities - in Strasbourg on December 10.
IDEA: While Italy still welcomes and allows free travel for vaccinated European Union (EU) travelers, they require a negative test result within 24 hours before arrival. Unvaccinated travelers must quarantine for five days upon arrival in Italy, as part of measures to prevent the spread of Omicron.
Italy recorded 84 Omicron infections with a total of 7,576 Covid-19 cases reported on December 19 - the highest level since March.
Netherlands:Although the Omicron variant is still a small “rival” compared to the Delta variant in this country, Dutch authorities note that Omicron is spreading twice as fast in the Netherlands as Delta spread in the summer of 2020. Therefore, the Netherlands has re-imposed a nationwide “lockdown” order since December 19. Accordingly, restaurants and non-essential services such as hotels, cinemas, gyms, museums must close; food can only be sold takeaway…
OMICRON THREAT WITH "LIGHTNING-FAST" SPREAD
Belgium: As a neighbor of the Netherlands, Belgium is currently recording around 10,000 new Covid-19 cases per day, with the number of Omicron variant infections rising from 6% on December 16 to nearly 10% of new Covid-19 infections on December 17. Despite some protests against the return of the “lockdown”, the Belgian government is reportedly planning to consider new measures from December 22, which is expected to be a big disappointment for tourists hoping to escape the Dutch “lockdown” to go to Belgium for one last shopping trip before Christmas.
A quiet scene in the historic center of Antwerp, Belgium on the evening of December 20.
Older brother: The UK is now considered the world's "epicenter" of Omicron, with more than 12,000 new infections reported on December 19. Health experts are predicting an even bleaker future with the possibility of hundreds of thousands of new Omicron infections, so they have called for stricter measures to "save" the health system, which is overloaded with more than 3,000 new admissions every day.
But the British government is still reluctant to impose restrictions before the end-of-year holiday season. Although London Mayor Sadiq Khan announced on December 20 that traditional New Year's Eve festivities in London would be canceled, the British government is planning to ban indoor gatherings for two weeks after Christmas, according to the Times of London.
Westminster's bar-filled Soho area on the west edge of London has seen few Brits enjoying Christmas drinks this holiday season.
Ireland: The country is dealing with a situation where Omicron has become the most common variant, with estimates over the weekend accounting for around 52% of new cases. “It has taken less than two weeks for Omicron to become the dominant strain of Covid-19 in Ireland,” said Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan.
The number of new Covid-19 cases in Norway: has increased from nearly 500 in early October, to more than 4,000 in early December, with a peak of more than 6,000 cases on December 6. Pictured is a vaccination activity for students at a high school in the capital Oslo.
Denmark has recorded an average of 8,600 new Covid-19 cases over the past week. Epidemiologists predict January 2022 will be the hardest month yet, as the country recorded more than 2,500 Omicron infections in a single day last weekend.
Other countries have also been implementing more stringent measures against the Omicron threat, including: Austria, Portugal, Poland, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Greece, Latvia, Norway, Russia, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine.
