When will the Covid restrictions end?
Denmark took the plunge and lifted all infection control restrictions on Friday. Since 96 percent of people over 60 have been vaccinated, the virus no longer poses a threat to society, Health Minister Heunicke declared. Commentators in other countries now wonder when the time will come to follow suit.
Caution still called for
Eero Merilind, a general practitioner, warns in Eesti Päevaleht against following the same path as Denmark and other countries at this stage:
“The biggest mistake would be to drop our guard in the current virus phase and make decisions based on emotions rather than science. The prerequisite for a return to normal life is progress in vaccination, but even then we must not believe that the virus will disappear completely. Important decisions concerning the coronavirus crisis still lie ahead. ... Only when a certain vaccination rate is achieved can Estonia follow in Scandinavia's footsteps.”
Restrictions are becoming unreasonable
The taz says it's high time to discuss how long the remaining Covid restrictions should remain in place:
“It's becoming increasingly clear that we'll probably never be able to completely contain the pandemic, simply because not everyone wants to be vaccinated. If the German government's vaccination 'action week' which has just begun does not bring a significant boost in vaccination numbers, we must ask how long measures such as the mask requirement should be maintained. ... Certainly, the efforts to convince people to get vaccinated should continue. But imposing further restrictions on the rest of the country for an indefinite period of time is unreasonable.”