Schengen Lockdown: Belgium, Switzerland and Denmark Easing COVID | IaM (Immigration and Migration)

Schengen Lockdown: Belgium, Switzerland and Denmark Easing COVID Restrictions

More than a year into the pandemic, countries have continued to impose restrictions to mitigate the spread of the virus. Finally, some nations have announced restrictions will be relaxed.

The decision comes as COVID-19 cases continue to decrease. Hopefully, this would be a start of slowly going back to how things are pre-pandemic and more nations will be able to control the health situation.

Here is a list of countries who announced that restrictions will be lifted.

Belgium

Belgian prime minister Alexander De Croo made the announcement at a news conference in Brussels following a seven-hour meeting with regional leaders who struggled to find a compromise.

We saw that the number of infections has clearly decreased during the last weeks, we saw that the reproduction rate is under one, and we see that the hospitalization rate starts to decrease too.
Alexander De Croo, Belgian Prime Minister

Bars and restaurants have been shut down since mid-October because of the pandemic but their owners have been lobbying to reopen and protesting in recent weeks.

Barring a new surge in cases, De Croo said they will be authorised to reopen their terraces from 8 May, but customers won't be served indoors.

De Croo said ministers would launch, along with local authorities, “the possibility to start scientific experiments and test projects, in order to find the best and the safest way to organise events”.

“One cannot be blind in front of the situation that is facing health care services, but one cannot be deaf when people are asking for prospects,” De Croo said.

De Croo also said he hopes on 8 May, two people from the same household will be able to socialise inside.

The number of new coronavirus infections has dropped 19% over the past 7 days and De Croo said a peak might have been reached. But the situation in hospitals remains critical.

Belgium will also lift a ban on non-essential travel abroad from 18 April, but the government continues to advise against such trips.

After a three-week shutdown that covered the Easter holidays, schools will open again on 19 April, but some classes will be organised remotely.

Non-essential shop owners will be allowed to welcome customers without appointments from 26 April, when hair salons and tattoo shops can reopen.

Tests will also be conducted in order to find possible solutions to organize outdoor events over the summer.

A further easing of lockdown is expected in June when a large majority of people aged over 65 will have been vaccinated.

Switzerland

Switzerland also announced it was easing measures despite the fact the pandemic is getting worse in the country.

From 19 April, “it will again be possible to organise events open to the public”, indoor sports and cultural activities will be permitted and restaurants will be able to reopen their terraces, the Federal Council said in a statement, following a broad campaign by the sectors most affected by the pandemic to reopen the economy.

The daily infection rate is roughly equivalent to that in Italy and Germany, but is below the EU average and three times lower than in France.

The epidemiological situation remains fragile and has even deteriorated in recent weeks,” notes the Council, which also acknowledges that it is still too early to measure the exact impact of the Easter holidays on the dynamics of the pandemic in the Alpine country.
Despite this situation, the Federal Council believes that the conditions allow for a moderate relaxation.

Alain Berset, the Health Minister, said that it was the responsible attitude of the vast majority of Swiss people that allowed the gradual reopening of the market.

“We have been able to keep the pandemic under control,” said the federal councillor, who noted that the very partial reopenings decided in March “have not caused a massive increase in infections”, allowing the movement to continue.

The government believes that the vaccination campaign is progressing well – almost half of the over-80s and around 30% of the 70-79s are fully vaccinated – and moreover the increase in hospital admissions “remains relatively low” and the occupancy rate of intensive care units stable.

Switzerland has one of the highest rates of complete vaccination in Europe.

Denmark

Denmark will gradually relax rules on travelling abroad, aiming to allow European travellers to move around without quarantine from the end of June.

Adopted by a near-majority of the parties in parliament, the plan provides for four stages between 21 April and the end of June, with the gradual lifting of compulsory quarantine depending on the destination. However, a negative test remains a prerequisite for entry into the country.

The plan only applies to travel to and from countries in the EU and Schengen zone. That means restrictions for “third countries” outside of the EU and Schengen area will follow the common approach adopted by the EU, which is expected to be renegotiated prior to the summer.

As such, people who live in the United Kingdom, as well as the United States, will continue to be subject to tight travel rules as Denmark lifts restrictions on European travel, despite the relatively advanced stage of vaccination programmes in both the UK and the US.

The agreement provides for travel restrictions to be updated weekly based on local situations with the virus in individual countries and regions in the EU and Schengen area.

It depends in part on the progress of the vaccination campaign, currently slowed down by the halting of the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, and on the introduction of the European health passport, scheduled for around 26 June.

“The introduction of corona passports in the EU will make it possible to organise summer holidays in Europe and to receive summer tourists in Denmark, provided that you can present documents proving that you have either tested negative, been vaccinated or have already been ill,” the agreement said.

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