Governments Ease Pandemic Restrictions as Omicron Starts To Subside

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced this week that countries with high immunity rates, strong health care systems, and right epidemiological trends could consider relaxing their COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, but carefully.

The announcement came after new cases worldwide for the week of Jan. 24-30 were similar to the level of the previous week, though the number of new deaths increased 9% to more than 59,000, reflecting the usual lag between infection and death, based on WHO data.

Several European countries, The United States, as well as South Africa, have announced the easing of restrictions. COVID-19 cases skyrocketed in these locations in the previous months, but now numbers are going down at a fast rate, according to a report by ABC News.

England, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, and some Nordic countries have taken moves to abolish or ease constraints. Even though case counts are still around all-time highs in some countries, such as Norway and Denmark, the easing will occur. Some governments are optimistic that the pandemic is winding down.

Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca declared that "the worst days are behind" the country. However, daily infections topped 100,000 on Tuesday.

In Copenhagen, Denmark, many people were still wearing masks on the streets and in stores. Denmark took the lead among European Union members by abolishing most restrictions on Tuesday.

Norway removed its restriction on serving alcohol after 11 p.m. on Tuesday, but there is a limit of no more than ten individuals for private events. While at functions with fixed seating, people can sit close to each other again. Sports competitions are allowed to resume in pre-pandemic conditions.

England lifted practically all domestic restrictions last week. Masks and vaccine passes are no longer required in public places, and the work-from-home scheme has been withdrawn. Though, those who test positive for the virus still must isolate themselves.

US COVID-19 Cases Drop

The US seems to be in an identical direction as infections go down significantly. Infections have been dropping from an average of over 800,000 a day 2 1/2 weeks ago to 430,000 this week.

Given the situation, some local governments have decided to relax some rules per AP News report. The city of Denver is eliminating vaccine mandates and mask laws from public places while retaining them for schools and public transportation.

In New York, the governor is reportedly keen on reviewing whether to keep the mask mandate since COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations have decreased. New York City averages 4,200 cases a day, significantly lower compared with 41,000 recorded in the first week of January.

US COVID-19 Figures Not Low Enough

When asked if the US government is already considering easing COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, White House top medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci previously pointed out that America is "not there now."

Per PBS, Dr. Fauci emphasized that the Biden administration wants to make cases "low enough so that it doesn't disrupt our capacity to function in society in a relatively normal way," which medical experts also apply with other respiratory illnesses. But he seems optimistic that sooner or later, the Americans will go back to their lives before the pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has infected 370 million people and caused 5.6 million deaths worldwide since it began in 2020.