[ad_1]
Rome, December 19, 2020 – The Pandemic christmas of Covid we will not forget it. Not only theItaly was forced to enact new anti-contagion rules for the holidays (here the text of decree in the Official Gazette): the Coronavirus has disrupted economies, habits, relationships, jobs, affections but also hobbies, tastes, nutrition, sleep (and dreams) around the world. And each nation reacts differently to the virus attack. Here is a compilation of foreign countries that have changed the rules of the holidays in an anti-contagion function. Country where you go, you find it, we can say.
Covid: the December 19 newsletter
Germany: tough blockade and lots of ‘tips’
“An unacceptable price”: that’s right Angela Merkel defined the 590 deaths in 24 hours a week ago. Since then, Germany has decided to accelerate restrictive measures against Covid. Meanwhile, the record of victims has reached almost a thousand (last Thursday), while the epidemic curve has risen to 30 thousand infections per day. “The measures that we have put in place so far are not enough,” admitted the foreign minister last Sunday. Hence the decision to move to the ‘hard’ confinement, in force since this Wednesday: shops closed and mainly schools and kindergartens as well, companies are called to favor intelligent work at the highest level, for private meetings it has been established a ‘ceiling’ of five people from two families, excluding children under 14 years of age. Only on the days of the Christmas holidays will it be possible to meet four people in addition to your own close family unit.
Austria: third hard block
Austria returns to blockade from December 26 to January 18. Schools, restaurants, and stores closed, except for grocery stores and pharmacies. Mass test on January 16 and 17, those who fail will be able to leave on the 18th. As of January 7, distance learning will be taught in schools.
Belgium: anti-dinner police
In Belgium, one of the countries in the world where the virus circulates the most, the partial confinement implemented for 6 weeks is complemented by a curfew in Brussels and Wallonia, from 10 pm to 6 am Each family will have the right to have only one guest in the house or two for those who live alone. A limitation that will cost dearly to those who do not respect it: 250 euros for guests and 750 for those who host them at home. The police will be authorized to carry out controls inside the houses and to use drones. Instead, schools reopened on Monday, November 16.
Finland ok for groups of saunas
In Finland, with only 3,000 infections in seven days, during the Christmas season it will still be possible to organize real parties, since there are no restrictions on meetings during the holidays and it is even allowed to meet in the sauna (not exactly recommended in times of Covid) .
Denmark, closed shops and smart work
Denmark has closed all shopping centers and has put in place a lockdown plan that provides for the closure of restaurants and all stores, except pharmacies, grocery stores and supermarkets, from December 25 to January 3.
The new measures were decided before a pandemic curve that was rising again: the number of new daily infections again reached a peak with 3692 confirmed cases in 24 hours, with more than 22 thousand infections in seven days and a little less than 100 deaths in total.
France: free travel
Since Wednesday the France It is officially unconfined, but next Christmas will be marked by prudence: the government has asked citizens to “lock themselves in” to avoid a spike in infections. During the end of the year festivities, the French will be able to go shopping (all commercial activities are open), but until January 7 they will not be able to go to museums, theaters, cinemas and theater halls. Nothing to do for bars and restaurants, considered high risk to health, closed at least until January 20. It will not be possible to go skiing, as all the lifts will be closed, but mountain walks are authorized.
Great freedom to travel: the French can move from one region to another and exiting self-certification is no longer required. Anyone who wants can also travel abroad, although the authorities have recommended being cautious.
The new curfew is from 6 to 20: non-compliance will be sanctioned with a fine of 135 euros. For the night of December 24, movements are exceptionally authorized, thanks to the suspension of the curfew, which is maintained on December 31, and during New Year’s Eve street gatherings are prohibited.
Family gatherings should be limited: it is forbidden to gather more than 6 adults, precisely to limit the contacts responsible for the spread of the virus.
Britain: the “human” Christmas bubble
Since Wednesday London, l ‘Essex andHertfordshire They are red zones, in which level 3 of the restrictions is in force, the hardest, while most of the others are in level 2. It will be forbidden to meet people other than your cohabitants even abroad. However, as the Boris Johnson administration promised, there will be five days of easing restrictions from December 23 to 27 so families can celebrate Christmas. The ‘Christmas bubble’ authorizes bubble meetings of up to three households both inside private homes, where they can spend the entire night, and outdoors, in spaces such as parks and gardens. However, together they will not be able to go to a restaurant or pub. During those 5 days there will be no travel restrictions within the national territory, precisely to allow families to get together for the holidays. The bubble must respect a social distance of 2 meters with other people gathered outside.
The ‘Christmas bubble’ has fueled much criticism and fears, mainly from doctors and scientists, who consider it “very risky”, especially for the most vulnerable people, and a possible cause of a new spike in infections.
Holland: German model
New Year’s Eve celebrations on behalf of total closure in the Netherlands, one of the least interventionist countries during the first wave of Covid-19. From Wednesday to January 19, the Dutch are locked in, a very strict five-week lockdown, much more severe than last spring, with a three-day Christmas ‘truce’. In practice, only essential business activities remain in service. Both travel and interpersonal contacts should be very limited: no more than two visitors over the age of 13 can enter a home. During the three-day Christmas period, December 24-26, three people ‘outside’ the family will be able to visit the house and existing restrictions will be eased somewhat.
Russia: no national blockade
Fourth country in the world by number of infections, Russia has never introduced a complete national blockade, but has imposed a kind of system with ‘compulsory paid holidays’ for workers. The management of the pandemic has been delegated to local administrations, giving general directions to the Kremlin. In Moscow, which remains the epicenter of the epidemic in the country, bars and restaurants are closed from 11:00 pm to 6:00 am, but can offer unlimited delivery services; Also in the capital, the mayor has imposed distance education for two months since October and has returned cultural and sporting events; Companies must keep 30% of the workforce in smart work and those over 65 must remain in self-isolation.
Spain: light closures
“This Christmas it will be decided if we can avoid a third wave,” says the first Pedro Sanchez, according to which Spain “has achieved a lot so far”, having registered a marked decrease in infections in recent weeks, after the new peak reached between October and November. But to date, we have more than 60,000 new infections in seven days and more than 48,000 deaths overall. Therefore, the government is considering a further tightening of anti-Covid measures during the holiday period, of course.
Spain in the second wave managed to lower the epidemic curve through relatively mild measures: movement restrictions at night, travel bans from one region to another and in certain areas of the country, temporary closures of taverns and restaurants, while shops and schools they remained open almost everywhere. Currently in Madrid and Barcelona the shops and bars are full, the Christmas markets are open. ‘Ceilings’ have been set on the number of customers in restaurants and shops and visitors to museums, theaters and cinemas.
Japan does not give up freedom
the Japan is fighting with him third wave of infections, which shows no signs of respite, but does not think of extreme measures. Meanwhile, the consensus around Prime Minister Suga is in sharp decline: Shinzo Abe’s successor approval rate has dropped to 42%. Suga, pressured by experts and the fall of the consensus, announced the temporary suspension of the “Go To” campaign, launched last October, to encourage domestic tourism, and which covers 50% of travel expenses, during the last vacation. year, from December 28 to January 11, with the aim of curbing the wave of infections in the country and reducing the impact on hospitals, although the prime minister himself does not say he is convinced of a close link between travel and increased infections.
Sweden: third way failed
Sweden’s “third way” runs the risk of being definitively destroyed. The combination of light measures and appeals to citizen responsibility is coming under heavy attack. The numbers are ruthless: In November, the country recorded more than 8,000 deaths in total, the highest number in a month in 100 years, when the Spanish flu raged, when 16,600 people died in Sweden in a month.
Out of 10 million inhabitants, Sweden has already scored more than 348 thousand total cases of Covid-19 and 7,800 victims, with a constant growth of the curve in the second wave of the pandemic: we are currently at 43,792 new infections in one week. In comparison, the death rate is significantly higher than in Denmark, Finland, and Norway. “I think we have failed”, is the harsh verdict of the King of Sweden, Carlos XVI Gustavo.
Faced with the increase in new infections from October, some repressions occurred only last month: among these limitations to public meetings if eight people are exceeded, a ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages, while there are no restrictions. to private meetings. But now the government is back to reinforce its appeals: one of the tools used is the 22 million SMS messages sent to Swedish residents signed by the Swedish Public Health Authority and the Emergency Protection Authority, with the aim of remembering meeting the reduction of contacts, choosing the Santa Claus among your family, avoiding diving into the shopping crowd. For now, the results of the campaign have not been seen: the alarm comes from the hospitals: intensive therapy has reached its limit.
USA: state-to-state differences
Obligation of masks, shops and commercial activities closed or with capacity reduced to 25%, to stay at home: these are the three main categories through which the management of the confinement passes in the United States, with differences between one State and another. An example? In New York possible total block of all activities in the coming days. The entire state has been divided into microzones that are continuously monitored and updated to decide whether to classify as yellow, orange, or red. The strictest measures are in California, which has categorized risk status into four bands, adding “purple” for areas where the contagion rate exceeds 8%.
© All rights reserved
