The pandemic is over

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Denmark to lift Covid-19 curbs in return to 'life as we knew it'​

People at a cafe in Roskilde, Denmark, on April 21, 2021. PHOTO: REUTERS


JAN 27, 2022

COPENHAGEN (AFP) - Denmark will remove virtually all Covid-19 restrictions from next Tuesday (Feb 1) despite record infections, counting on a high vaccination rate to cope with the milder Omicron variant, the government said.
"We are saying farewell to the restrictions and welcome to life as we knew it before corona," Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told a press conference on Wednesday.
Denmark is set to become the first European Union country to lift domestic curbs despite the Omicron wave sweeping the continent, according to a survey of AFP bureaus.
The successful vaccine programme proved a "super weapon", Ms Frederiksen said. "It has given us a solid defence against infection that continues.
"That's why the government decided that the coronavirus should no longer be considered a threatening disease for society."
This means the de facto lifting of all domestic Covid-19 restrictions, including the use of a vaccine pass, mask-wearing and early closing for bars and restaurants.
Denmark intends, however, to keep some border measures in place for another four weeks, including tests and/or quarantine depending on travellers' immunity status.

The Scandinavian country had already lifted all restrictions on Sept 10, before reintroducing the use of a Covid-19 pass at the beginning of November and later bringing in new restrictions as cases soared again.
In neighbouring Sweden, the authorities announced that current restrictions would remain in place for at least another two weeks.
However, Health Minister Lena Hallengren said the "majority of restrictions" could be removed on Feb 9 if "the situation has stabilised then".

Faced with a lower level of hospitalisation than in previous waves, several European countries, including France, Ireland and Britain, have announced the lifting or a considerable reduction of their restrictions, despite record or very high cases.
In England, the only legal restriction in place from Thursday will be for people who test positive for Covid-19 to isolate.
In Denmark, the health authorities "recommend" that people who test positive isolate for four days.
The country of 5.8 million people registered 46,000 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, a very high level, but its "current assessment is that the epidemic will soon peak".

More than 60 per cent of Danes have received a third dose, one month ahead of the health authorities' schedule.
In the last week, the most vulnerable people have been able to have a fourth jab.
While the number of people hospitalised with Covid-19 continues to rise and has now exceeded 900, the health authorities said the situation was under control.
At the beginning of January, the number of hospitalisations was up 16 per cent even though cases climbed 35 per cent.
In addition, the number of people in intensive care has gone down, from 74 in early January to 44 on Wednesday.
The Danish Health Authority said 35 per cent of those in hospital with Covid-19 actually went to hospital for a different diagnosis.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Sweden declares Covid-19 pandemic over, despite warnings from scientists​

People queue outside a nightclub in Malmo, Sweden, as the country declared the coronavirus pandemic "over". PHOTO: EPA-EFE

Feb 10, 2022

STOCKHOLM (REUTERS) - Sweden scrapped almost all of its few pandemic restrictions on Wednesday (Feb 9) and stopped most testing for Covid-19, even as the pressure on the healthcare systems remained high and some scientists begged for more patience in fighting the disease.
Sweden's government, which throughout the pandemic has opted against lockdowns in favour of a voluntary approach, announced last week it would scrap the remaining restrictions - effectively declaring the pandemic over - as vaccines and the less severe Omicron variant have cushioned severe cases and deaths.
"As we know this pandemic, I would say it's over," Minister of Health Lena Hallengren told Dagens Nyheter.
"It's not over, but as we know it in terms of quick changes and restrictions it is," she said, adding that Covid would no longer be classified as a danger to society.
As of Wednesday, bars and restaurants will be allowed to stay open after 11pm again, and with no limits on the number of guests. Attendance limits for larger indoor venues were also lifted, as was the use of vaccine passes.

'More patience'​

Swedish hospitals were still feeling the strain, however, with around 2,200 people with Covid-19 requiring hospital care, about the same as during the third wave in the spring of 2021.
As free testing was reduced earlier this month and effectively stopped from Wednesday, no one knows the exact number of cases.

"We should have a little more patience, wait at least a couple of more weeks. And we are wealthy enough to keep testing," Fredrik Elgh, professor of virology at Umea University and one of the staunchest critics of Sweden's no-lockdown policy, told Reuters.
"The disease is still a huge strain on society," he said.

Sweden's Health Agency said this week that large-scale testing was too expensive in relation to the benefits. Sweden spent around 500 million Swedish crowns (S$70 million) a week on testing for the first five weeks of this year and around 24 billion crowns since the start of the pandemic.
On Wednesday, Sweden registered 114 new deaths where the deceased was infected with the virus.
In total, 16,182 people have died either of the virus or while infected by it. The number of deaths per capita is much higher than among Nordic neighbours but lower than in most European countries.

 

[tanwahtiu]

我们坐山观虎斗吧

 

[Patriotmissile]

Woes to those safe ass and entrant zbl.

 

[Leongsam]

I've been saying that Covid is no big deal since day 1.

Now the authorities are finally realising that I was right all along.

Had they consulted me a lot earlier I could have saved taxpayers around the world a shit load of money.

 

[tanwahtiu]

I've been saying that Covid is no big deal since day 1.

Now the authorities are finally realising that I was right all along.

Had they consulted me a lot earlier I could have saved taxpayers around the world a shit load of money.

U are porn peddlers how to trust you. Wait the minister dotters kennna conned become porn stars...

 

[glockman]

Vikings are still the bestest! Got so much balls, respect.

 

[saynotomsm]

There was no pandemic to begin with.

 

[Leongsam]

U are porn peddlers how to trust you. Wait the minister dotters kennna conned become porn stars...

I am an authority on a very diverse spectrum of specialties porn is just one of many.

I am also an expert in common sense which is what is needed in our day to day lives and what is sorely lacking at the moment.

 

[Majulah]

I am an authority on a very diverse spectrum of specialties porn is just one of many.

I am also an expert in common sense which is what is needed in our day to day lives and what is sorely lacking at the moment.

your posts would be more credible if you had not posted nonsense stuff about china.

 

[syed putra]

I've been saying that Covid is no big deal since day 1.

Now the authorities are finally realising that I was right all along.

Had they consulted me a lot earlier I could have saved taxpayers around the world a shit load of money.

Plus it caused a huge supply chain problem with sll the asymmetrical lockdowns.

 

[mahjongking]

I've been saying that Covid is no big deal since day 1.

Now the authorities are finally realising that I was right all along.

Had they consulted me a lot earlier I could have saved taxpayers around the world a shit load of money.

boss sam for prime minister!!!!!

 

[Majulah]

i fully supported that motion. would sam agree to be pm ?

 

[tanwahtiu]

I am an authority on a very diverse spectrum of specialties porn is just one of many.

I am also an expert in common sense which is what is needed in our day to day lives and what is sorely lacking at the moment.

Ehh... don't mind show and tell? Link please...

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Europe heads back to normal as Germany joins end of Covid-19 curbs​

Most of Germany's Covid-19 curbs will be rolled back in three stages by March 20, 2022. PHOTO: REUTERS

Feb 16, 2022

BERLIN (BLOOMBERG) - Europe looks to be leaving the pandemic behind with Germany poised to join other countries in unwinding restrictions that have disrupted life in the region for two years.
Most of Germany's Covid-19 curbs will be rolled back in three stages by March 20, according to a proposal prepared by Chancellor Olaf Scholz's office for a meeting with regional leaders on Wednesday (Feb 16) .
Austria and Switzerland are planning similar steps, and the Netherlands announced late on Tuesday that it will lift controls on people and businesses starting on Friday.
Once the global epicentre of the crisis, Europe is looking to return to something close to normal. The shift is being helped by relatively high vaccination rates and milder symptoms caused by the Omicron variant, even if infection rates remain near peak levels in some countries.
France, which moved faster on unwinding restrictions than stragglers like Germany, could go a step further by loosening requirements on masks and showing proof of vaccination starting in mid-March, Health Minister Olivier Veran said on Wednesday.
"If the trend continues, the wave could be over in about two weeks," he said on France Info radio. "We could get back to a quasi-normal situation."
Germany's outbreak has started to recede in recent days and the improving outlook prompted calls from across the political spectrum for Europe's largest economy to follow countries like Britain, Ireland and Denmark in easing restrictions.

German officials though remain cautious. The government's proposal calls for mask wearing and social distancing to remain mandatory in indoor public spaces and on public transport.
The chancellery draft warns of the danger of a fresh wave caused by new variants "at the latest by the fall".
Officials also repeat their urgent appeal to the millions of vaccine holdouts in Germany to get their Covid-19 shots and boosters.


"We have to remain vigilant," Mr Hendrik Wuest, premier of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, said on public broadcaster ARD ahead of the meeting. "We can't just throw everything overboard that has proved its worth in recent months."
In Switzerland, the government is widely expected as of Thursday to drop most public-health measures put in place to stem Covid-19's spread. However, masks may still be required on public transport.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer is discussing additional easing options with regional leaders on Wednesday.
The Dutch government on Tuesday presented a road map toward a full reopening as infections start to fall from record levels.
"Everything will open, not in one go, but in steps," Dutch Health Minister Ernst Kuipers said on Tuesday in the Hague.

Germany's plan​

In Germany, a requirement for people to be vaccinated or recovered to enter non-essential stores and limits on private gatherings will be lifted immediately, according to the chancellery proposal.
A second step would take effect March 4. Access to restaurants and hotels will be allowed for those who are vaccinated, recovered or have a valid negative test, and major events can be attended by more people. Nightclubs can reopen for people who have had a booster shot or provide a negative test.
In the third and final phase, "all of the more comprehensive protection measures can expire as long as the state of the health system allows", the paper says. Employers would no longer be required to allow employees to work from home.
Federal and regional officials will also reiterate their backing for a general vaccine mandate. Lawmakers in the Bundestag have yet to begin debating the measure due to a lack of consensus between political parties and legal complexities.

 

[Patriotmissile]

Pappies 虎头蛇尾。suddenly relax the rules. No integrity.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

The unvaxxed can travel to Israel!

Israel to admit unjabbed tourists as Covid-19 cases fall​

Tourists will need to take a PCR test before boarding a flight to Israel and a second one upon landing. PHOTO: AFP

Feb 21, 2022


JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israel will allow unvaccinated tourists entry for the first time since the pandemic began as infections and deaths caused by the coronavirus decline, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced on Sunday (Feb 20).
"We are seeing a consistent decline in morbidity data," Bennett said.
Israel shut its borders to travellers in early 2020 as the coronavirus spread worldwide. "It is time to gradually open what we were the first in the world to close," the prime minister said.
The Jewish state was also an early trailblazer of a national vaccine rollout and among the first countries to demand a vaccination certificate, which it called the green pass, to enter a range of facilities.
Under new rules taking effect on March 1, tourists will need to take a PCR test before boarding a flight to Israel and a second one upon landing.
Israeli citizens will only be required to take the test upon arrival.
On Thursday Bennett cited a decline in infections when he announced an end to the green pass.

More than 10,000 new cases of Covid-19 were reported Sunday in Israel, down from a high of more than 85,000 daily cases in late January. A total of 9,841 people have died from the illness, including seven reported Saturday.
An attempt to open the borders to vaccinated visitors last November foundered after just a few weeks because of the fast-spreading Omicron coronavirus variant.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Covid-19: Hugs, tears as 'Fortress New Zealand' relaxes border​

1 of 3

Passengers and loved ones reunite at the arrivals hall at the Auckland international airport on Feb 28, 2022. PHOTO: AFP

Passengers and loved ones reunite at the arrivals hall at the Auckland international airport on Feb 28, 2022. PHOTO: AFP

At Auckland airport, relatives scooped up loved ones allowed into the country without mandatory hotel quarantine for the first time in almost two years. PHOTO: AFP

Feb 28, 2022

AUCKLAND (AFP) - New Zealanders stranded overseas by the pandemic returned home to tears and hugs on Monday (Feb 28) as the country began dismantling some of the world's toughest Covid-related border restrictions.
At Auckland airport, relatives carrying signs such as "welcome home my dearest daughter" scooped up loved ones allowed into the country without mandatory hotel quarantine for the first time in almost two years.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the change was cause for celebration, particularly for the tens of thousands of New Zealanders overseas keen to return home.
"We can't wait to see you," Ms Ardern told reporters in Wellington. "It's also a huge milestone for our tourism sector and regional economies."
Until now, Kiwi expats entering the country needed to undergo 10 days of isolation in expensive and over-subscribed hotel accommodation.
The requirement was dropped for New Zealanders arriving from Australia on Monday and will be extended to all expatriates on Friday.
Ms Ardern said the arrivals will not have to self-isolate, as originally planned.

She also said the government was planning to speed up the staged reopening of the border to all travellers, although no timetable has yet been set.
Ms Ardern said the rapid spread of the Omicron variant in the community meant the impact of cases at the border was less pronounced, allowing restrictions to be removed earlier.
"Every time we have seen a significant change in the pandemic, we're moving very rapidly to safely adjust what we do," she said.
Strict border controls were a key part of New Zealand's success containing the coronavirus, with only 56 deaths recorded in a population of five million.
But the Omicron outbreak has surged in recent weeks, with 14,657 new cases reported on Monday, and Ms Ardern said the country's high vaccination rate of about 95 per cent "provides a strong blanket of protection".

 

[Leongsam]

Covid-19: Hugs, tears as 'Fortress New Zealand' relaxes border​

1 of 3

Passengers and loved ones reunite at the arrivals hall at the Auckland international airport on Feb 28, 2022. PHOTO: AFP

View attachment 135799
Passengers and loved ones reunite at the arrivals hall at the Auckland international airport on Feb 28, 2022. PHOTO: AFP

View attachment 135800
At Auckland airport, relatives scooped up loved ones allowed into the country without mandatory hotel quarantine for the first time in almost two years. PHOTO: AFP

Feb 28, 2022

AUCKLAND (AFP) - New Zealanders stranded overseas by the pandemic returned home to tears and hugs on Monday (Feb 28) as the country began dismantling some of the world's toughest Covid-related border restrictions.
At Auckland airport, relatives carrying signs such as "welcome home my dearest daughter" scooped up loved ones allowed into the country without mandatory hotel quarantine for the first time in almost two years.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the change was cause for celebration, particularly for the tens of thousands of New Zealanders overseas keen to return home.
"We can't wait to see you," Ms Ardern told reporters in Wellington. "It's also a huge milestone for our tourism sector and regional economies."
Until now, Kiwi expats entering the country needed to undergo 10 days of isolation in expensive and over-subscribed hotel accommodation.
The requirement was dropped for New Zealanders arriving from Australia on Monday and will be extended to all expatriates on Friday.
Ms Ardern said the arrivals will not have to self-isolate, as originally planned.

She also said the government was planning to speed up the staged reopening of the border to all travellers, although no timetable has yet been set.
Ms Ardern said the rapid spread of the Omicron variant in the community meant the impact of cases at the border was less pronounced, allowing restrictions to be removed earlier.
"Every time we have seen a significant change in the pandemic, we're moving very rapidly to safely adjust what we do," she said.
Strict border controls were a key part of New Zealand's success containing the coronavirus, with only 56 deaths recorded in a population of five million.
But the Omicron outbreak has surged in recent weeks, with 14,657 new cases reported on Monday, and Ms Ardern said the country's high vaccination rate of about 95 per cent "provides a strong blanket of protection".

Almost everyone has Covid and they're still wearing those stupid masks.

 

[laksaboy]

Almost everyone has Covid and they're still wearing those stupid masks.

It's just virtue signalling: I'm a responsible person, I'm pro-science etc.

Also prevents getting harassed, doxxed or fined, especially if you live in a totalitarian shithole which embraces medical tyranny.