European countries cancel Covid rules despite warnings that it is too early

LONDON – Several European countries are scrapping Covid regulations, despite WHO’s call for governments to “protect their people by using every tool in the toolkit.”

Sweden lifted much of its remaining Covid-19 restrictions on Wednesday, following the lead of other Nordic countries Denmark and Norway.

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson this week announced plans to end self-isolation rules for people who test positive for Covid sooner than expected.

In Sweden, social distancing requirements, the use of vaccine passports and limits on the number of people gathered in one place were lifted this week. Free testing in the country also ended on Wednesday, and the government is seeking to reclassify Covid as a disease “not a danger to society or a threat to public health.” from April 1st.

In a press release last week, the Swedish government said it believed the situation was “stable enough to begin the gradual phase-out of infection control measures.”

It added: “Vaccination is the most important weapon in the fight against Covid-19.

In Sweden, 73% of the population is fully vaccinated, according to Johns Hopkins University.

However, Fredrik Elgh, professor of virology at Sweden’s Umea University, told Reuters The country needs “a little more patience” and waits at least a few more weeks before lifting restrictions.

“We are rich enough to keep experimenting,” he argues. “The disease remains a major strain on society.”

It came after Denmark Became the first country in the EU to lift all Covid restrictions on February 1, although cases increased. Infections in the country hit a record high just a day later.

The Danish government said in a statement in January that it had decided that “Covid-19 should no longer be classified as a serious social disease.”

JHU data shows that more than 80% of the Danish population is fully vaccinated against the virus.

But while Covid cases have separated from UK deaths since the vaccine was rolled out, other risk factors, such as The popularity of Covid is long, maintain. A recent English study found that one in seven children People infected with the virus have long developed Covid, the name given to the ongoing symptoms.

Official data shows that around 85% of the UK’s eligible population – those aged 12 and over – are fully vaccinated with two doses in the UK, while two-thirds have received a booster.

However, Devi Sridhar, professor and chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh Medical School, told Sky News on Thursday that the UK government’s decision on quarantine laws would not be a “welcome surprise” to most people.

“Isolation is to prevent someone from being contagious [the virus] to others,” she said. I think it’s too early right now… We have a system where if you test negative for that after Thursday. [and] Friday, you can get out of isolation. I don’t know why you would change that when we still have over 200 people dying every day. “

Johnson’s leadership is under pressure after a formal investigation found he and various government agencies breached Covid rules on a number of occasions. throw and attend parties during coronavirus lockdown. Johnson has rejected calls for his resignation, some of which have come from lawmakers in his own Conservative party.

Sridhar told Sky on Thursday that she felt the government’s plan to revoke isolation requests in the UK was politically motivated rather than based on scientific evidence.

“If you look at the timing, it’s clearly making headlines and distracting from the problems the prime minister is facing,” she said. “We are currently having a shift in dialogue to discussing the end of the pandemic because a diversion needs to be made.”

Christina Pagel, director of the Clinical Operations Research Unit at University College London, agrees the UK government’s plan to scrap quarantine rules is “not based on science”.

“The removal of isolation makes work and socialization riskier and the motivating factors are waning, Covid continues to evolve and it is harder to know about local case levels,” she said. said in a tweet on Wednesday. “Basically, [the government] The plan is that we will all get Covid several times – like a cold, but with a much more deadly disease. “

In a poll of 4,451 UK adults conducted by YouGov on Wednesday, 75% of participants said they believe isolation rules should be maintained for the time being. Nearly half of people said the law would forever require self-isolation after testing positive for Covid, while more than a quarter said the quarantine law would be in place in the next few months.

Only 17% of survey respondents said people in the UK were no longer required to self-isolate after testing positive for the virus.