Covid: back to normality?
After Denmark and Sweden, several other European countries including the Czech Republic and Slovakia are planning to lift practically all major coronavirus restrictions as quickly as possible, leaving only the mask requirement in place, at most. Commentators have mixed feelings about this.
Lifting of restrictions stokes fears
Pravda is worried about the rules being eased prematurely:
“Although Omicron is not as dangerous a variant as its predecessors, people are still dying in hospitals. Although vaccines did not bring the expected collective immunity even in states with high vaccination rates, at least not as many people die there as in our country. If the vast majority of the population were vaccinated with a third dose, easing the restrictions would be the logical next step. But when half the nation has ignored vaccination, fears arise.”
Masks as an act of solidarity
Just because people are no longer required to wear face masks it doesn't mean they should stop using them, The Irish Times points out:
“Across the country, the medically vulnerable and immuno-compromised will today be worrying that little bit more about the risks they face when venturing outside to do their shopping or to see friends and family. Their fears and concerns should not be underestimated. In fact, they should be uppermost in people's minds when they decide whether to mask up or not. Wearing a mask means we are less likely to catch Covid, and less likely to pass it on. Wearing a mask in enclosed spaces, in other words, is an act of generosity and solidarity with others.”
Cautious hope
E-vestnik looks to the future:
“1. We hope that the epidemic will take the same course as the Spanish flu, which raged for about two and a half years. 2. We hope that in addition to vaccines, effective antiviral drugs will come onto the market. 3. It's possible that the coronavirus will mutate into different strains, as was the case with the Spanish flu, the influenza A H1N1 virus. 4. It's possible that new strains will not be less deadly and that mass vaccination will be required every year. In any case, the virus is not about to disappear from the face of the earth.”