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2021-12-19
COVID in Europe: Records broken as UK and Denmark see Omicron surge

A government digital poster encouraging people to wear face masks to curb the spread of coronavirus, is displayed in a bus stop in London
 

Europe is once again seeing a surge of COVID-19 cases — here is our summary of the measures being taken across the continent.

In some parts, the increase has been compounded by the emergence of the new Omicron variant, first detected in South Africa.

Some countries have taken steps targeting the unvaccinated, while programmes are also being rolled out in several nations to vaccinate young children.

 

United Kingdom

The UK set another record for the third day in a row with a further 93,045 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported on Friday (December 17) driven by the more transmissible Omicron variant.

On Saturday (December 18), London mayor Sadiq Khan declared a "major incident" after a "huge surge" of Omicron cases in the capital.

Major incident acts as a warning that hospitals and emergency services are unable to respond as they normally would due to extenuating circumstances.

“The Omicron variant has quickly become dominant, with cases increasing rapidly and the number of patients in our hospitals with Covid-19 on the rise again," Khan said.

“While we are still learning about this variant, it’s right that London’s key agencies work closely together to minimise the impact on our city, including helping to protect the vital vaccination programme.”

In England, the chief medical officer urged people to limit who they see in the festive period.

People now need certificates to get into nightclubs and sports stadiums, to prove they have been fully vaccinated or have had a recent negative test. Similar schemes are also in place in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson had warned that the country faced a "tidal wave" of infections from the Omicron variant, announcing a huge increase in booster vaccinations for all adults by the end of December. The previous target was the end of January.

Denmark

Denmark will seek to close theatres, cinemas, concert halls, amusement parks, museums and art galleries amid a record surge in COVID-19 infections driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

Stores and restaurants will have to limit their number of customers, and restaurants will have to close by 23:00.

The government earlier recommended that people work from home, banned concerts with more than 50 people standing and ordered people to wear face masks in eateries when not seated.


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