COVID-19 in Europe: Germany maintains restrictions as Omicron infections keep rising
Several countries in Europe are still registering a record number of COVID-19 infections this week — here is our summary of the situation across the continent.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday that Europe was entering a new phase of the virus.
WHO regional director Dr Hans Kluge said the Omicron variant made up a third of cases across the continent.
But he added that the region is moving towards "a kind of pandemic endgame", adding that Omicron could infect 60 per cent of Europeans by March.
Some countries have taken steps targeting the unvaccinated, while others have recently lifted anti-COVID restrictions.
German authorities have decided to keep existing coronavirus restrictions in place as the highly contagious Omicron variant fuels a steep rise in infections.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Germany’s 16 state governors said they were also looking into how to use PCR test capacities, which have been strained in recent days.
The country has hit a series of daily infection records, with 840.3 new cases per 100,000 residents recorded over the past week. The health minister has said he expects the numbers to peak in mid-February.
Although infections are rising fast, that has not been accompanied by a big increase in hospital admissions so far.
But officials worry that Germany has a high number of unvaccinated older people in comparison with some other European countries.
German MPs are expected to hold the first debate on Wednesday on a possible universal vaccination mandate.
Meanwhile, in France, a new vaccine health passport was introduced Monday. Citizens aged 16 and above must prove they have been jabbed to access restaurants or bars, leisure activities, or use inter-regional public transport.
The measure comes
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