A day after announcing a lifting of most restrictions against the pandemic for the month of February, the nation recorded 400,851 new infections, in part due to the expansion of the Omicron and Delta variants. On the other hand, Ireland is getting ready for a lifting of restrictions as of January 22 and in Brazil the samba schools of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo postponed their renowned parades to April.
In France, health authorities reported 400,851 new Covid-19 infections. Also, in the last 24 hours, 235 deaths associated with the disease have been recorded.
The report issued on January 21 also indicates that 65.6% of the cases sequenced, since the week of December 27, 2021, belong to the Omicron variant. As for the hospitalizations registered in the last seven days, the report details that 14,963 have been carried out in that period.
In the midst of the situation, the French Constitutional Council approved on January 21, with some conditions, the pass of vaccines that will come into force on January 24 and that requires all people over 16 years of age to have proof of vaccination for the entrance to public places such as cinemas, restaurants or bars.
Currently, citizens in France must present a Covid-19 immunity passport, proof of vaccination, or a negative PCR test, to enter public places. With this new measure, it is expected that unvaccinated people will not be able to enter many places.
Despite this, and taking into consideration that 2022 will be an election year in France, the court ruled that this vaccination pass should not be required at political rallies and meetings on the grounds that “freedom of expression and communication (…) it is all the more valuable because its exercise is one of the conditions of democracy”.
The representatives of the French Constitutional Court, while making it clear that the pass “violated the right of people to come and go freely”, made it clear that the measure was designed for the protection of people.
Ireland may end the longest and harshest restrictions in Europe
Under the argument that “humans are social and we Irish more than most”, the head of the Government of the Republic of Ireland, Micheál Martin, announced the end of more than 20 months of restrictions.
During a television address, Martin announced to the country that most of the restrictions imposed would be removed as of 6:00 am on January 22, this after his cabinet concluded that the measures were no longer justifiable.
“Our journey through the pandemic has brought many twists and turns and I stood here and spoke to you on some very dark days. But today is a good day (…) Spring is coming, and I don’t know if I’ve ever waited as long for one as this one, ”Martin said in his speech.
From January 22, there will be no more curfew from 8:00 p.m. in bars and restaurants and limits on the number of people who can gather at homes, weddings, funerals and sporting events will be removed.
Likewise, the vaccination certificate will not be required, although the measure will be maintained for international travel.
Regarding the return to work, this measure will be implemented gradually to give employers time to prepare. The use of masks in public transport will continue to be applied for a month.
According to the country’s Department of Health, on January 21, 6,597 cases were registered. However, the authorities trust in the lifting of restrictions.
“We have weathered the Omicron storm but the lifting of the measures will probably cause an increase in infections in the short term (…) I am confident that the impact will be limited,” said the head of government.
Brazil: Covid-19 cases force parades to be postponed in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo
The mayors of the Brazilian cities of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, the country’s two largest cities, have announced that the planned samba school parades will take place in April and not in February as planned.
The reason for the change in the date of the celebration responds to the progress that the Covid-19 pandemic has shown in recent days, where the nation has registered new peaks in infections.
“It will take place in April depending on the evolution of the pandemic. Obviously, if there is any change in what was planned, we will not take any irresponsible attitude, we will not put people’s lives at risk,” said the mayor of Sao Paulo, Ricardo Nunes, who added that the decision is based on information from the authorities. of health.
At the moment, the new date for the parades would be centered on the weekend of April 21. Traditionally, the parades in the city of Rio de Janeiro take place on Saturdays and Sundays, while in Sao Paulo the activity is carried out on Mondays and Tuesdays.
It is worth remembering that in January, the authorities of both cities announced the cancellation of the Street Carnival due to Covid-19 infections. “In the Carnival of the samba schools you have the conditions to establish a sanitary control and be able to carry out the event. It is different from the street Carnival, on the block, where it is practically impossible”, Edson Aparecido, Secretary of Health of Sao Paulo, told the newspaper ‘Folha de Sao Paulo’.
According to the National Council of Health Secretaries (Conass), Brazil registered 166,539 infections by Covid-19 and 358 deaths associated with the disease on January 21. The South American nation is the third in the world (after the United States and India) with the highest number of infections, accumulating 23,751,782 cases, and the second with the highest number of deaths, with a record of 622,563 deaths.
With Reuters, AFP, international media
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