There have once again been drastic changes made to the Covid rules in many European countries. They are ready to relax pandemic restrictions and usher in a lifestyle almost similar to pre-covid days. But have we seen the last of masked people, social distancing and vaccine passports yet?

The UK: All restrictions dropped in the next few days

In England, the Prime Minister has stated that the ongoing Covid restrictions would end a month earlier. Previously, it was decided that the current rules imposed to curtail the virus would continue until the end of March but the steadily decreasing number of cases and hospitalizations should see the restrictions lifted as early as the end of February.

A new Covid game plan will then be formulated once parliament resumes after the 21st of February. All current restrictions in the UK will be revisited in light of the latest developments in the Covid crisis and generally expectations are that the rules will be markedly relaxed.

Already, from the 11 February, travellers to England and Scotland require no Covid tests if they are fully vaccinated with an approved vaccine. The list of approved vaccines has also been amended to include more vaccines.

Unvaccinated travellers can forgo the day 8 Covid test and self-isolation although all travellers regardless of vaccination status must still complete the revised passenger locator form (it has been simplified and is now much easier to use).

Wales and Northern Ireland are expected to follow suit soon.

Authorities are hoping to boost the tourism industry with these changes.  

Current restrictions that we expect to see abandonned in England:

• People who test positive for Covid-19 must be isolated for ten days.
• The NHS Covid pass is required to enter certain venues.
• Wearing masks in places like supermarkets, public transport, etc

Changes to the following rules are expected in Northern Ireland:

• Physical distancing rules in public places like healthcare facilities.
• A maximum of thirty persons at a gathering in a private home.
• Wearing face masks is mandatory in public places, like supermarkets.
• Certain crowded events and venues, like nightclubs, require proof of Covid status. 
• Older school children are required to wear masks

In Scotland, current rules expected to change are:

• Face masks mandatory for public spaces like supermarkets, public transport, secondary schools, etc
• Proof of Covid status to enter certain public spaces, like nightclubs.
• Physical distancing in hospitals, pharmacies, etc.

In Wales, rules in place include:

• Covid passes to enter places like cinemas and events where crowds of people are gathering.
• Mandatory face masks for school, shops, public transport, etc.
• Testing for older school children thrice weekly.

Finland, Sweden and Denmark: no "socially critical disease" any longer

Scandinavian countries have dropped most restrictions and life has almost returned to pre-pandemic days. Health officials in these countries believe the high vaccination rates will negate any burden on their healthcare systems in the weeks that follow.

In Norway, for example, over seventy percent of the population have received two vaccine doses while fifty percent of the total population has received the booster dose.

In Sweden, the government still proposes that people feeling ill should remain at home and those unvaccinated individuals should take extra precautions to guard against serious health complications should they contract the virus.

The health authorities in Norway, Finland and Denmark believe that their healthcare systems are robust and will not be overburdened by a rising number of new cases, and prefer to use the number of intensive care unit (ICU) patients as a more accurate parameter of the pandemic. They feel that the high rates of vaccinations drastically reduce any serious ICU Covid cases.

The Scandinavian countries view the latest data on Covid as promising and don't see the virus as a “socially critical disease” any longer.

Currently, these are some the changes made to guidelines in Norway, Finland and Sweden:

• No mandatory face masks in public transport or public areas except in healthcare settings like hospitals, healthcare or assisted living facilities.
• Indoor seating in restaurants, nightclubs and other events no longer require a Covid pass displaying vaccination or Covid status.
• Alcohol may now be served in establishments after 11pm.
• There is no limit to the number of visitors to private homes. Previously the limit was 10 people.
• Employees are welcome to get back in the office if this is required by the employer.

Although these changes have been implemented, health authorities do advise the wearing of masks in crowded places. They are clear that the relaxation of regulations is only in response to the relatively unburdened healthcare systems; if cases start increasing again, stricter regulations will be reimposed.

Abolish all travel restrictions to EU nationals within the EU

In late January this year, EU members agreed to coordinate efforts to allow freedom of movement for holders of the European health certificate within the EU. With the rapid spread of the omicron variant just weeks before, some EU members frantically imposed further restrictions on EU travellers, like requiring a PCR test upon entry – as was the case in Italy, or a mandatory self-isolation whencoming to France.

EU ministers believe the highly successful vaccination rate, which covers almost seventy percent of the EU population and the EU digital Covid certificate is adequate to prevent a future rapid spread of the virus.

The EU commissioners for Health Stella Kyriakides and Justice Didier Reynders had called upon member states to “abandon the additional measures that a number of European States have introduced for travel in recent weeks”.

However, the French Secretary of State for European Affairs stated that whilst this was merely a recommendation for EU members to comply with, all member states had agreed to abolish all travel restrictions to EU nationals within the EU. The change was enforced as of the 1st February.

Additionally, vaccination certificates are valid for a period of nine months if the individual has not yet received the booster shot. This validity period has been endorsed by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control to accommodate the various national vaccination campaigns and so that citizens can have access to booster doses.

The EU Digital COVID Certificate is a successful weapon in the fight against the coronavirus and has set a global standard. To date, 807 million certificates have been issued to facilitate safe travel. EU health authorities believe the framework is robust enough to protect against any large-scale, rapid transmission of the virus because it follows very stringent guidelines and the certificate checked scrupulously during travel.

Nevertheless, these guidelines only refer to intra-EU travel and does not include travel outside of the EU or for travellers coming into the EU member states. Each country is free to apply different rules for non-European nationals.

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