Covid News: New Zealand Plans to Fully Reopen – The New York Times

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We are now starting to see a very worrying increase in disease in most regions of the world. We are concerned that a narrative has taken hold in some countries that because of vaccines and because of Omicrons high transmissibility and lower severity, preventing transmission is no longer possible and no longer necessary. Nothing could be further from the truth. More transmission means more disease. We are not calling for any country to return to so-called lockdown. But we are calling on all countries to protect their people using every tool in the toolkit not vaccines alone. Its premature for any country, either to surrender or to declare victory. This virus is dangerous, and it continues to evolve before our very eyes.

Nightclubs in Denmark are reopening, and the government no longer considers Covid a socially critical disease. Norway is dropping its coronavirus test requirements for fully vaccinated travelers. France is ending its outdoor mask mandate. Unvaccinated Austrians are no longer confined to their homes.

In several European nations, pandemic protocols are being eased as public support for them has waned and the approach shifts instead to treating the virus as endemic, or a manageable part of life. Now some parts of the United States, where the Omicron wave has crested, are heading in that direction, with several state leaders saying it is time to be realistic about pandemic fatigue.

Were not going to manage this to zero, Gov. Philip D. Murphy of New Jersey, a Democrat, said on Sunday on the NBC News program Meet the Press. We have to learn how to live with this, he said.

Norways easing of restrictions may be the most drastic. There is no longer a limit there on how many people can gather at events, either indoors or outdoors. At movie theaters, churches and elementary schools, social distancing rules are gone. Restaurants can once again serve drinks past 11 p.m. Colleges and universities are being urged to strive for full in-person instruction. And working from home is no longer required.

As of Tuesday, fully vaccinated travelers entering Norway are exempted from testing requirements, easing a rule that has been integral to international travel since the pandemic began. (Travelers who are not fully vaccinated still face testing requirements.) Norway also shortened its minimum isolation period to four days for people who test positive but show no symptoms.

Also on Wednesday:

France eased outdoor mask rules and capacity limits for concert halls, stadiums and other events.

Switzerland said it would relax its remote work and quarantine edicts, effective Thursday.

The prime minister of the Czech Republic said the country would end its testing requirements for schools and workplaces on Feb. 18.

Finland said earlier in the week that it intended to lift all its restrictions this month, and England is expected to roll back restrictions soon as well.

Several Asian governments are moving to ease rules for arriving international travelers:

On Tuesday, Thailand resumed allowing fully vaccinated travelers into the country without quarantine, after a five-week suspension.

The Philippines said it would reopen to tourists from most countries on Feb. 10, and no longer require fully vaccinated travelers to quarantine in a government facility.

Hong Kong is reducing its quarantine period for international travelers to 14 days, down from 21, effective Saturday.

Indonesia will open the tourist island of Bali to all international travelers on Friday.

But public health leaders at the World Health Organization have urged caution about relaxing restrictions too hastily. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the W.H.O.s director general, said at a Tuesday news conference that it was premature for any country either to surrender, or to declare victory over the virus.

Were concerned that a narrative has taken hold in some countries that because of vaccines, and because of Omicrons high transmissibility and lower severity, preventing transmission is no longer possible, and no longer necessary, Dr. Tedros said. Nothing could be further from the truth.

In the United States, indoor mask mandates have recently expired in several cities, including Denver, Hartford and San Francisco. New York States mask requirement is effective through Feb. 10, and it is unclear whether it will be extended; Gov. Kathy Hochul has said no decision has been made.

Before Omicrons arrival, Seema Lakdawala, a respiratory virus expert at the University of Pittsburgh, estimated that masks could come off by February. Now, she said, she is surprised that more states havent put new mask mandates in place.

Im not sure anywhere at the moment is in a place that there is sufficient decrease in cases, at least in the U.S., to warrant taking off mask mandates, Dr. Lakdawala said, adding that she was hopeful weve turned a corner, but wanted to see more weeks of the virus trending down.

The U.S. has recently been averaging about 424,000 new cases a day, a figure that is falling but remains far higher than in any earlier surge in the pandemic, according to a New York Times database. Nationwide, about 140,000 patients are hospitalized with the virus, another figure that remains higher than in any previous surge. The nation is averaging more than 2,600 deaths a day, fewer than the peak last winter but still rising.

An earlier version of this report incorrectly included Baltimore in a group of cities where indoor mask mandates have ended. A mask mandate ended in Baltimore County, not the city of Baltimore.

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Covid News: New Zealand Plans to Fully Reopen - The New York Times