Covid, the new measures against Omicron in the world

• Covid.

  Iss, the diffusion of Omicron in Italy is 28.2%.

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December 23, 2021 Against the new wave of Covid cases pushed by the Omicron variant, several countries in Europe and around the world are re-establishing a series of restrictive measures.

In Europe "we can see another storm coming", said the WHO through the mouth of the regional director Hans Kluge who highlighted the danger of excessive pressure on health systems, already under great pressure, which risk "reaching the edge of the abyss ".

Austria, despite having lower figures than many EU countries given the recent lockdown, has decided to cut the New Year holidays: from December 27th there will be a curfew at 10pm for catering services. "Celebrate in a small group" and "preferably outside": this was the advice of the Austrian public health manager Katharina Reich. Only those who have already received the third dose of the anti-Covid vaccine will be able to enter the country freely. For those who have not yet undergone the booster, a negative swab is required, while the unvaccinated will have to undergo ten days of quarantine.

France fears over 100,000 cases a day from the end of the month onwards. The government has asked mayors to cancel concerts and fireworks shows scheduled for New Year's Eve, Paris has already announced the cancellation of events on the Champs-Elysee. The requirement of urgent reasons for travel to and from the UK has been re-established, while Macron recommends: "Test yourself before Christmas as a family." Paris is currently considering a new tightening that could be announced on Monday.

The masks will also be mandatory outdoors. Spain recorded a record 49,823 cases yesterday and the Omicron variant is believed to account for nearly half of the infections. Sanchez told regional leaders that the mask requirement must be made into law before Christmas. In Catalonia there is a curfew from 1 to 6 in the morning for 15 days. 

Mandatory quarantine has been introduced for unvaccinated travelers from France and Denmark, in addition to Norway, Lebanon and Andorra. Restrictions on social contacts also for vaccinated and recovered from 28 December with the limit of private meetings to a maximum of ten people, excluding children under 14. The measures also include the closure of clubs and discos. A new crackdown after Christmas is likely.

The British government has reduced the period of isolation for people who have contracted Covid to seven days from the previous ten. Two antigen tests will be required to exit the quarantine, one on the sixth day and one on the seventh day. Other restrictions before Christmas are not ruled out given that in the country there have been more than 100,000 daily contacts. 

From 26 December cinemas, theaters and concert halls will be closed and indoor activities will be prohibited, while bars and restaurants will remain open until 11 pm during the holiday season. Museums are not affected by the new measures. 

The government has ordered the closure of bars and nightclubs and urged people to work from home from December 26 at least until January 9. Among the new measures, there is also the obligation of a buffer to stay in the hotel and the limit of 10 people for outdoor events for New Year's Eve. 

Only people who have been vaccinated or cured will have access to restaurants, cultural sites and sports and leisure facilities, as well as indoor events. 

Until the end of January, bars, pubs and restaurants will close at 8pm

Shutters lowered for one month for theaters, cinemas and concert halls, along with amusement parks and museums. 

Omicron is classified as a dominant variant: it is present in over 70% of cases. In Los Angeles, all municipal employees - including policemen and firefighters - who have not obtained exemption for medical or religious reasons, will need to be vaccinated, otherwise they will be placed on administrative leave. Over 2,500 officers remain reluctant and have asked for an exemption which will be examined. 

Israel has recorded in the last 24 hours the highest number of new daily infections in 2 months: 1,400. In the meantime, the final decision on the start of the administration of the fourth dose in the country is awaited, which if approved after the verifications by the ministry of health, could start next Sunday. Ban on travel to and from the country for 50 countries on the red list, including Italy. 

In Quebec, the authorities have asked to limit guests to Christmas dinners to ten; secondary schools and universities will resume distance learning for at least one week once the holiday period has ended. Shops, bars, restaurants and theaters as well as gyms will have to reduce reception capacity by 50%. 

Mandatory closing times have been restored for cafes, restaurants, cinemas and other public places while private meetings must be limited to four people.

Lockdown for 13 million inhabitants in Xian. There is currently an area at high risk of contagion and another 40 at medium risk in the city of Inner China, at the center of an outbreak marked by the presence of the Delta variant of the virus.

In the country where the Omicron variant was detected for the first time, some experts argue that the peak may have passed: after 27,000 new cases nationwide on Thursday, the figure dropped to 15,424 yesterday, and in the province of Gauteng, that is most populous in South Africa with its 16 million inhabitants and in which Johannesburg and the capital Pretoria are located.

"The drop in new cases nationwide, combined with the sustained drop in new cases here in Gauteng province, which has been the center of this wave for weeks, indicates that we have passed the peak," Marta Nunes told The Associated Press. , researcher in the Infectious Disease Analysis Department of the University of Witwatersrand.