This Wednesday, the federal cabinet wants to launch the new corona protection measures for the fall. The focus is on a nationwide mask requirement, for example in long-distance trains and public spaces. But hardly any other country is still arguing as bitterly about the right corona rules as Germany. In other EU countries, on the other hand, the pandemic has long ceased to be an issue. Seven examples:
From a German perspective, it looks like there is corona anarchy in neighboring Poland. In fact, restrictions were gradually withdrawn by the authorities: the quarantine and mask requirements were already lifted at the end of March; Anyone traveling in Poland can therefore easily believe that the pandemic is over. Masks are nowhere to be seen, and the pandemic no longer plays a role in public and in people’s everyday lives.
If you want, you can of course find out more about the course of the pandemic. The Ministry of Health continues to issue information. Anyone who is at least 60 years old has also been able to register for a fourth vaccination since July 22nd. Should another corona wave hit Poland in autumn, further measures are conceivable. Vice Minister of Health Waldemar Kraska has already indicated this.
However, the Poles do not have to adjust to restrictions. Observers expect that as the number of cases increases, only a mask requirement for risk groups and pensioners will be introduced in certain rooms. Philip Fritz
In France, the motto has long been that one has to live with the virus, even if an eighth wave in autumn is “highly likely”, as Brigitte Autran puts it, chairwoman of the “monitoring committee” that replaced the science council this month. At the same time, the statutory state of emergency expired, on the basis of which the pass sanitaire could be required (proof of vaccination or recovery, for example, when entering hospitals, d. Red).
“The French are determined to completely ignore the virus for the time being,” says France correspondent Peter Heusch on the lifted measures. Austria is also relaxing the rules. Correspondent Judith Lindebaum explains what these are.
The mask requirement on public transport fell in May. No measures are planned for the autumn. The government only calls for people to wear a mask in well-attended, closed rooms and to get booster vaccinations. So far, a fourth vaccination is only available to people over 60 or patients with previous illnesses.
“Living with the virus does not mean accepting many deaths or severe courses,” says Autran. The most important measure is still vaccination. Anyone who has tested positive or has symptoms will be asked to isolate themselves for a week. Martin Master
In Italy, the daily newspapers continue to publish the current corona numbers every day, but otherwise the population is no longer interested in the pandemic: most of the measures have been cancelled. Only the mask requirement in public transport, hospitals and old people’s homes continues to apply. The same applies to the quarantine for corona positives: It lasts seven days, then the Italians can test themselves free.
There is no longer a quarantine requirement for close contacts. The fourth dose vaccination campaign has started, currently targeting the elderly and vulnerable population. So far, the government has only announced one piece of news for the fall: a new safety protocol for schools, which differs from the old one only in that there is no longer any quarantine for contact persons. The government is monitoring the development of the pandemic and wants to take measures if the situation worsens. Which exactly, she has not announced. Virginia Kirst
Covid is no longer a hot topic in Spain: forest fires and the Ukraine war have pushed it out of the news and the population has learned to live with Corona. Almost nothing is left of the measures: there is only a mask requirement in public transport and health facilities. Corona positives only have to be quarantined if they have symptoms. Those who are asymptomatic continue to live normally.
The government is currently preparing the vaccination campaign for the fourth dose in the fall: when exactly it will start is just as unclear as the question of whether vaccination will be mandatory. There are no other official precautions. If the situation worsens, the government will then react appropriately, the Ministry of Health has announced. Virginia Kirst
The Swiss government is now treating Corona like the flu: those who are positive continue their lives without restrictions. Neither isolation nor a mask is mandatory – even if the government recommends both. The mask requirement has also been abolished. Healthcare facilities can waive these if they wish.
The fourth dose of the new vaccine should come in the fall for those who want it. If you want to be vaccinated earlier and are not at risk, you have to pay for the injection yourself. There is no special plan for the cold months in Switzerland. However, the Ministry of Health is monitoring the pandemic through hospital occupancy rates and deaths – and plans to intervene if the situation worsens. Virginia Kirst
According to estimates by the state research institute SSI, almost two thirds of adult Danes contracted Corona last winter. Immunity in the population is still considered to be high. This is one of the reasons why the virus has hardly played a role in political discourse and in private conversations since the beginning of summer.
The mask requirement was already lifted at the beginning of February, and since July there has been no primary vaccination for children and young people under the age of 18. From September 1st, the second vaccination will also be omitted. “Behind this is the assessment that the risk of becoming seriously ill in this age group is very low,” said health expert Ole F. Olesen WELT. Nevertheless, the Danish government is not going into autumn without a strategy.
Authorities are offering a new booster vaccination to all residents over the age of 50 in October. And if the number of infections increases sharply, the government wants to react quickly and effectively. Copenhagen has prepared various plans for this. For example, the number of daily PCR tests should be able to be increased quickly to 200,000. Marc Pfitzenmaier
England is preparing for the Corona autumn with a single measure: another vaccination, which will be offered to all over 50-year-olds from September 5. Moderna’s vaccine is effective against both the original coronavirus and the omicron variant. Because Corona is hardly an issue in public and in the media, health experts recently warned that there was little public interest in further vaccination.
Meanwhile, there is no talk of other measures such as wearing masks or distance rules. Although the British went through several waves of infection this year, the obligation to quarantine at home after a positive test in England has only been a recommendation since the end of February. School children should stay at home for three days after a positive test. The government in London is not planning to change anything in this generally risk-taking position in the foreseeable future. Stephanie Bolt
“Aha! Ten minutes of everyday knowledge” is WELT’s knowledge podcast. Every Tuesday and Thursday we answer everyday questions from the field of science. Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Deezer, Amazon Music, among others, or directly via RSS feed.
