Mask mandatory again, confinement, return to telework … The delta variant is spreading and worries the whole world, including where vaccination is well advanced. To cope, some countries then chose to reinstate more or less strict health measures.
Several countries are re-defining
In Australia, the climate is not encouraging since the authorities have ordered the confinement of the entire city of Sydney and its suburbs for two weeks due to the progression of the highly contagious variant delta.
This confinement, which has already been in force since midnight Friday in four districts of the city, will apply from this Saturday (6 p.m. local) to the whole of the metropolis.
In Bangladesh, the health situation is also deteriorating. So much so that the country will impose a new severe containment from Monday, after a “dangerous and alarming” increase in cases of contamination with the delta variant.
In the country, all public administrations and private sector companies will be closed for a week and only medical travel will be allowed.
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Tunisia has also announced a tightening of restrictions to fight against an acceleration of the epidemic because its hospitals are “90% full”, according to the Ministry of Health. The Tunisian head of government has also tested positive for Covid-19, despite his vaccination at the end of April.
For a week now, four regions have been confined in the country (Béja, Siliana, Zaghouan and Kairouan). Restrictions that could well continue, or even intensify.
Some reinstate health restrictions
These do not re-define but have chosen to toughen their sanitary measures. Israel, which was yet the champion of vaccination and the first to emerge from the health crisis, decided on Friday to restore the wearing of masks in closed places. In Russia, also faced with the increase in cases of contamination with the delta variant, Moscow has announced the return of compulsory teleworking for at least 30% of employees.
As for Portugal, after this variant became the majority, the country decided to tighten the restrictions in the most affected municipalities, such as Lisbon where the hours and the capacity of restaurants and shops have again been reduced.
Several travel restrictions
Worrisome situations that prompted Germany to add Portugal and Russia to its list of “variant” countries. Thus, all arrivals from these two states are prohibited. From Tuesday, only German citizens or permanent residents in Germany will be allowed to enter the territory from Portugal and Russia.
This Saturday, it was New Zealand which in turn announced changes in its displacement measures. The Australian epidemic situation has pushed the country to suspend, at least for three days, its “air bubble” allowing flights without quarantine with Australia.
“Given the high level of transmissibility of what appears to be the delta variant, and the fact that there are now multiple clusters (in Australia), this is the right thing to do in order to keep Covid-19 out. of New Zealand “, justified Chris Hipkins, the New Zealand minister in charge of the fight against Covid-19.
The country had already suspended the “air bubble” five times with Australian states, but this is the first time it has interrupted non-quarantine travel from across the country. Launched in mid-April between the two countries, this “air bubble” was however hailed as a major step in restarting the global travel industry.
Finally, Uzbekistan has also reintroduced travel restrictions because it broke its record for new daily coronavirus infections on Friday since the start of the year.
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And in France ?
In France, all eyes are currently turned to the southwest after the death of two people (unvaccinated and with risk factors) when they had been infected with the delta variant.
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