Europe advances in its lack of refinement and greater permits for social and economic life

Europe advance towards him configuration, with the lifting of the state of alert in Spain or the easing of restrictions in Germany, while other countries in the region are preparing measures in this regard while increasing the number of people vaccinated against COVID-19 .

Spain was celebrating the measure on the streets, which also meant the fall in many areas of the curfew that had prevailed for months, in a country known for its hectic nightlife and late hours. The government has decided not to prolong the state of health emergency.

Screams, applause, music and even firecrackers exploded in the maritime district of Barcelona when the clocks struck at midnight and hundreds of young people made their way to the beach, where a party was improvised with little precaution against covid. “It looks like the end of the year,” said astonished Oriol Corbella, 28, who had gone out for a walk with his partner in the evening.

Except for Christmas, where restrictions were relaxed for a few days to allow family reunification, the Spaniards had not been able to leave their regions since the start of the state of alert at the end of October. With nearly 79,000 deaths and 3.5 million infections, Spain has been one of the countries hardest hit by the virus in Europe, a continent that continues to progress in deconfinement.

De-escalation takes different forms in different countries, as the limitations of social, economic and educational life have also been different in each country, with its particular timetables.

And in Germany, more than seven million vaccinated people (vaccinated or recently infected) began to benefit from the easing of restrictions on Sunday and can now visit stores, hairdressers or museums without testing negative or meet privately, among others.

There will also be no limitation on the number of people vaccinated with regard to private meetings, nor will they have to adhere to the nighttime curfew – between 10 and 5, implemented in areas with high incidence of infections. For these groups, the limitations for private meetings and the nighttime curfew, implemented in areas with a high incidence of infections.

They should also not be quarantined if they have been in contact with an infected person or if they return from a trip abroad, unless the stay took place, for example, in a region considered. as an area at risk of mutations.

At BelgiumAfter nearly seven months, they reopened the terraces of cafes and bars, even though the police had to intervene in Brussels at dawn to disperse hundreds of people partying in the streets.

The limit is four people per table and up to ten in the evening. From now on, it is the cultural sector which is on the warpath: this Thursday it filed a legal appeal against the State to obtain the resumption of indoor and outdoor activities with the public, since only the latter are authorized and with a maximum of 50 people.

At FranceAfter more than six months of a succession of severe restrictions, the de-escalation began last Monday with the end of the containment perimeter, established nationally on April 3, which prohibited travel outside a radius of ten kilometers around their own address, unless they have valid justification.

The next date is May 19, when the start of the curfew is delayed by two hours, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Shops deemed not essential will be able to reopen and especially the terraces of bars, restaurants and cafes, as well as cinemas, theaters or museums, which have been closed since the end of October. On June 30, the curfew will be completely lifted and it is expected that the capacity allowed in bars and restaurants will increase.

If the Government and the experts who advise it did not want to commit to specific dates, various voices expressed the hope that the obligation to wear a mask in the street will end during the summer.

April 26 Italy has begun the gradual reopening of some of its activities, according to the program envisaged by the government. The curfew is still at 22, but it should be revised in the middle of the month and may be delayed depending on epidemiological data.

In areas classified as yellow zone – or with low restrictions – bars and restaurants have been reopened for lunch and dinner, but only outdoors, as well as cinemas and theaters, with distancing measures and a limited capacity, as they returned to face-to-face classes – facing almost all high school and college students. Museums have also been reopened and outdoor sports are allowed, including group sports, while gymnasiums will reopen on June 1 and swimming pools will reopen on May 15, with distancing measures. It is only from July 1 that you will be able to go to the spas and theme parks.

the UK, with one of the lowest COVID spread rates in Europe (30.33 infections per day per million people), continues to move forward in a de-escalation plan that began on March 8 with the reopening of schools and that will peak on June 21, when most restrictions are expected to be lifted.

The UK government’s roadmap, which allowed non-essential businesses to resume operations in April after more than three months of shutdown, provides for May 17 which the English can consume in bars and restaurants, return to museums, cinemas and theaters and travel abroad on vacation. Hotels will also reopen, large events with capacity restrictions will be allowed and the limit for meetings in closed spaces will be extended to six people, measures which, if they receive final approval from the executive, will pave the way for nightclubs to raise the bar. still blind at the end of June.

After a general confinement of two months, Portugal began its de-escalation on March 15 and is already in the last phase of the plan, started on May 1. The vast majority of the country’s municipalities have all shops open, as well as restaurants, but with limits on the number of diners per table and the obligation to close at 10:30 p.m. at the latest.

Cultural shows have also resumed, all sporting activities and the land border with Spain has been opened. For the moment, the government has not planned any additional measures and facing the summer, it only appeared that the limitations on the beaches that existed last year remain, mainly capacity.

(With information from AFP and EFE)

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