More Countries Ease COVID Restrictions
2022-02-03
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1Many countries hard-hit by the coronavirus are easing their strict and often unpopular measures to fight COVID-19.
2Night clubs and movie theaters are reopening.
3People are no longer wearing face coverings, or masks, in public, especially in Europe and North America.
4Slowly, many countries are easing their COVID-19 restrictions, as officials hope the Omicron wave has passed its peak.
5The highly contagious Omicron variant has resulted in at least 90 million cases worldwide over the past 10 weeks.
6That is more than all cases in 2020, the pandemic's first year.
7But the World Health Organization (WHO) this week said some countries can now consider easing the rules.
8They can do so if they have high vaccination rates, their health care systems are strong and cases are not trending in the wrong direction.
9Restrictions are being lifted in many European countries, for many months the world's center of the pandemic.
10Restrictions are being lifted in South Africa - where Omicron was first announced publicly - and the United States.
11In Britain and the U.S., like South Africa before them, Omicron cases greatly increased at first but are now coming down quickly.
12In the U.S., local leaders have had many different responses.
13The city of Denver announced plans to end its mask rules for businesses and public spaces, while keeping them for schools and public transportation.
14A move to ease a mask mandate in New York state, where cases have fallen, is in the courts.
15England, France, Ireland, the Netherlands and several Nordic countries have taken steps to end or ease their restrictions.
16In some places, like Norway and Denmark, the easing comes even though case counts are still near their highs.
17Some governments are simply hoping that the pandemic is slowing.
18Last week, England ended almost all restrictions.
19Masks are not required in public and vaccines are no longer needed to get into public spaces.
20The work-from-home order has also been lifted.
21However, those who test positive still have to isolate.
22On Tuesday, Norway lifted its ban on serving alcohol after 11 p.m. and the limit on private gatherings of no more than 10 people.
23"Now it's time for us to take back our everyday life," Norway's Health Minister said Tuesday.
24More than 370 million cases and over 5.6 million deaths linked to COVID-19 have been reported worldwide.
25But the spread of the Omicron variant is beginning to slow in many places.
26It is giving rise to the hope that the pandemic is about the enter a new stage in which the virus, like the flu, is endemic but manageable.
27Omicron has shown to be less likely to cause severe illness than the Delta variant.
28But experts are still warning about the possibility of a new, more dangerous variant.
29Tedros Adhanom Gheybreysus is the head of WHO.
30He said Tuesday that he is concerned that people think preventing the spread is no longer possible or necessary.
31"Nothing could be further from the truth," he said.
32WHO official, Michael Ryan, warned that political pressure could lead some countries to open back up too soon.
33Other continents are continuing to be very careful.
34Some of the world's highest vaccination rates are in Asia.
35And its leaders are keeping their strict lockdown measures or making them even more restrictive.
36Just days ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics, China is holding on to its zero-COVID policy.
37It imposes strict lockdowns and quarantines quickly when any cases are found.
38There are also mask mandates for public transportation, and people must prove they are COVID-free to enter most restaurants and stores.
39South Africa this week announced that it has moved past the Omicron wave.
40Studies show immunity in the country is between 60 and 80 percent.
41Masks are still required, but schools will reopen fully for the first time since March 2020.
42Atiya Mosam is with the Public Health Association of South Africa.
43She said such steps are part of recognizing "how transmission occurs, while basically balancing people's need to live their lives."
44I'm Dan Novak.
1Many countries hard-hit by the coronavirus are easing their strict and often unpopular measures to fight COVID-19. 2Night clubs and movie theaters are reopening. People are no longer wearing face coverings, or masks, in public, especially in Europe and North America. 3Slowly, many countries are easing their COVID-19 restrictions, as officials hope the Omicron wave has passed its peak. 4The highly contagious Omicron variant has resulted in at least 90 million cases worldwide over the past 10 weeks. That is more than all cases in 2020, the pandemic's first year. 5But the World Health Organization (WHO) this week said some countries can now consider easing the rules. They can do so if they have high vaccination rates, their health care systems are strong and cases are not trending in the wrong direction. 6Restrictions are being lifted in many European countries, for many months the world's center of the pandemic. Restrictions are being lifted in South Africa - where Omicron was first announced publicly - and the United States. In Britain and the U.S., like South Africa before them, Omicron cases greatly increased at first but are now coming down quickly. 7In the U.S., local leaders have had many different responses. The city of Denver announced plans to end its mask rules for businesses and public spaces, while keeping them for schools and public transportation. A move to ease a mask mandate in New York state, where cases have fallen, is in the courts. 8England, France, Ireland, the Netherlands and several Nordic countries have taken steps to end or ease their restrictions. In some places, like Norway and Denmark, the easing comes even though case counts are still near their highs. Some governments are simply hoping that the pandemic is slowing. 9Last week, England ended almost all restrictions. Masks are not required in public and vaccines are no longer needed to get into public spaces. The work-from-home order has also been lifted. However, those who test positive still have to isolate. 10On Tuesday, Norway lifted its ban on serving alcohol after 11 p.m. and the limit on private gatherings of no more than 10 people. 11"Now it's time for us to take back our everyday life," Norway's Health Minister said Tuesday. 12More than 370 million cases and over 5.6 million deaths linked to COVID-19 have been reported worldwide. But the spread of the Omicron variant is beginning to slow in many places. It is giving rise to the hope that the pandemic is about the enter a new stage in which the virus, like the flu, is endemic but manageable. 13Omicron has shown to be less likely to cause severe illness than the Delta variant. But experts are still warning about the possibility of a new, more dangerous variant. 14Tedros Adhanom Gheybreysus is the head of WHO. He said Tuesday that he is concerned that people think preventing the spread is no longer possible or necessary. 15"Nothing could be further from the truth," he said. 16WHO official, Michael Ryan, warned that political pressure could lead some countries to open back up too soon. 17Other continents are continuing to be very careful. Some of the world's highest vaccination rates are in Asia. And its leaders are keeping their strict lockdown measures or making them even more restrictive. 18Just days ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics, China is holding on to its zero-COVID policy. It imposes strict lockdowns and quarantines quickly when any cases are found. There are also mask mandates for public transportation, and people must prove they are COVID-free to enter most restaurants and stores. 19South Africa this week announced that it has moved past the Omicron wave. Studies show immunity in the country is between 60 and 80 percent. Masks are still required, but schools will reopen fully for the first time since March 2020. 20Atiya Mosam is with the Public Health Association of South Africa. She said such steps are part of recognizing "how transmission occurs, while basically balancing people's need to live their lives." 21I'm Dan Novak. 22Dan Novak adapted this for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press. 23_______________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25strict - adj. used to describe a command, rule, etc., that must be obeyed 26variant - adj. different in some way from others of the same kind 27trend -n. a general direction of change : a way of behaving, proceeding, etc., that is developing and becoming more common 28mandate - n. an official order to do something 29isolate - v. to put or keep in a place or situation that is separate from others 30endemic - adj. growing or existing in a certain place or region 31quarantine - n. the period of time during which a person or animal that has a disease or that might have a disease is kept away from others to prevent the disease from spreading 32transmission - n. the act or process of sending electrical signals to a radio, television, computer, etc.