Spaniards react to the rule of stopping wearing masks outdoors 2:31
(CNN Spanish) -
Some European countries have lifted several of their health restrictions due to covid-19.
Also, some states in the United States are beginning to relax their measures on the use of masks.
How did they come to this decision?
And when will Latin America catch up?
Dr. Elmer Huerta explains in this episode the factors that governments consider to take these measures.
You can listen to this episode on Spotify or your favorite podcast
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, or read the transcript below.
Hello, I am Dr. Elmer Huerta and this is your dose of information about the new coronavirus, information that we hope will be useful to take care of your health and that of your family.
European countries that have lifted restrictions due to covid-19
The thing is that in recent weeks we have heard that some European countries have begun to lift certain health restrictions implemented for the prevention of covid-19.
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Today we will see what considerations must be taken into account to take these public health measures.
Denmark
This was the first country in the European Union to lift all restrictions, justifying their decision that covid-19 no longer represents a disease of critical social importance and that is why they had suspended the use of masks in public places —even closed— and the presentation of so-called "covid passes" to enter bars, restaurants and other places.
Denmark took the action despite the fact that at the time it was the country with the second highest rate of new infections, and that it is now the first in that ranking, according to data from Our World in Data.
Sweden
For its part, Sweden announced the lifting of most of its measures as of February 9, including the curfew at 11 pm in bars and restaurants and the capacity limit in parties and restaurants.
The government has proposed – if circumstances allow – to return to normality from April 1, the most important recommendation being that in the future all people over 12 years of age be vaccinated against covid-19.
Germany
Germany also announced a careful plan to gradually relax the restrictions that are in place at the moment, planning to open the country on March 20, maintaining some restrictions, such as the use of masks in public transport vehicles and in closed places.
France
France has also announced the soon relaxation of its restrictions, planning that by the end of March it would suspend the use of covid passes as long as there are 10 to 20 times fewer cases than today and that hospitals are not overwhelmed.
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, for example, from February 10, so-called "covid passes" will no longer need to be presented to enter dance halls or restaurants, and the compulsory vaccination mandate for health workers will be lifted. .
The requirement of covid passes for foreign visitors will be according to the country of origin of the travelers.
Holland
In the Netherlands, despite not having seen such a pronounced decrease in the number of cases as in the United Kingdom, permission has been given for the opening of practically the entire society, arguing the authorities that, in the balance between the operation of the society and public health, they take the risk of opening and monitoring.
America's response to COVID-19
In the United States, some states are already lifting certain restrictions as well.
The governor of Illinois, for example, announced on February 9 that as of February 28, he will suspend the state mandate for the use of masks indoors in most public places.
Similarly, the state of New York lifted restrictions on the use of masks in stores, bars and restaurants on February 10, recommending their use in government agencies and schools.
Likewise, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Oregon and California have announced plans to lift the obligation to wear masks in closed spaces in February and March, justifying the decision in the drastic drop in new daily cases of covid-19 as the coronavirus recedes. omicron increase.
The question is then, when will society begin to open up in our Latin American countries?
When will Latin America be able to relax restrictions?
The first thing we have to say is that public health decisions are always made based on local data, which helps to understand why European countries and some states in the United States have made such varied decisions on different dates.
In that sense, because the pandemic has different characteristics in different places, each country will have to determine its own public health guidelines based on its local data.
Some of this information includes the number of vaccinees in the population, especially booster doses, the number of new infections in the community, the percentage of hospitalization and intensive care bed occupancy, and most especially the number of deaths from covid-19.
Given the uncertainty of what will happen with the pandemic in the coming months, it is important that we try not to get infected, especially vulnerable people, that is, those with cancer, transplants, who are receiving kidney dialysis or who suffer from autoimmune diseases Or lower your defenses.
Let us remember that both the omicron variant and its sister variant BA.2, which is already found in almost 70 countries around the world, can infect both people who have already had the infection and those who have already been vaccinated.
Do you have questions about covid-19?
Send me your questions on Twitter, we'll try to answer them in our next episodes.
You can find me at @Drhuerta.
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Thanks for your attention.
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