The Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus continues to spread across the world, particularly in European countries, which have begun implementing a series of restrictions and preventive measures as Christmas and New Year approach.
Omicron is spreading amid growing social and political debate regarding the effectiveness and necessity of these measures, while protests against the re-imposition of public life restrictions and vaccination mandates persist. Health authorities in some European countries are signaling a return to restrictions to curb the virus's spread, leading to demonstrations involving thousands of protesters in Paris and Brussels last weekend.
In this context, the Netherlands announced a full lockdown, with all non-essential stores, restaurants, bars, cinemas, museums, and theaters to close from Sunday until January 14. Furthermore, the number of visitors allowed in a household will be reduced from four to two, except on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's.
In the UK, London's Mayor Sadiq Khan declared a state of alert known as "major incident" to address the rapid spread of the variant, believing this measure will help avoid disruptions to frontline services and activate the booster vaccination campaign. He noted that Omicron is spreading rapidly, with increased numbers of hospitalized patients.
In Ireland, bars and restaurants will close at 8 PM starting Sunday until the end of January. In France, the Paris municipality canceled planned fireworks and concerts on the Champs-Élysées for New Year’s Eve, with Prime Minister Jean Castex urging local councils to cancel musical celebrations and firework displays on December 31, alongside a ban on alcohol consumption in public places.
In Germany, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach raised the alarm about a potential new wave of infections, warning that Germany is witnessing a rise in cases and must prepare for a massive wave linked to the Omicron variant. The German authorities announced on Sunday that the UK would be placed on a high-risk list due to COVID-19, necessitating various travel restrictions.
Denmark has imposed a month-long lockdown starting Sunday on theaters, cinemas, concert halls, amusement parks, and museums. Switzerland will only permit entry for vaccinated individuals or those recovered from COVID-19 in restaurants, cultural institutions, sports and recreational facilities, and various events starting Monday.
Meanwhile, several European countries such as Austria, Ireland, Portugal, Italy, and Greece are requiring European travelers to present a negative COVID-19 test upon arrival, even if they are vaccinated. Various European countries are welcoming Christmas and New Year amid caution and concern, while observers urge against exaggerating and instilling panic among the public, advocating for balanced safety measures to prevent holiday gatherings from becoming a wider spread opportunity for the virus and its new variant.
In light of the epidemiological situation in Europe, on the eve of the Christmas and New Year holidays, which appear to be on the verge of being severely affected by Omicron, crisis analyst Safaa Khalaf, residing in Oslo, stated in an interview with "Sky News Arabia" that "it appears that the European preventive measures and protocols for dealing with coronavirus variants have become more complex than before."
He attributed the "complexity of procedures" to the extent of the virus’s spread across the EU, which has recorded around 89 million infections and 1.5 million deaths—an enormous human and economic toll, indicating the fragility of health systems despite being of higher quality compared to other regions in the world.
Khalaf added that "the European confusion in providing more effective solutions against COVID-19 and its variants stems from three main fears. The first is the fear of a full lockdown, which entails economic losses and unexpected disruptions, accompanied by a recession, industrial decline, and a near-total halt to service trade."
The second fear, according to the researcher, is that "the financial burden of lockdown means collecting less in taxes while having to pay larger compensations, impacting public budget policies and spending resources."
He explained that the third concern among European countries is "the erosion of trust in governing political systems and their ability to maintain health and preventive security, implying that the authorities resorting to lockdowns as a solution could confront fears of overreaching security powers and government dictatorship in using institutional force to control the public based on health concerns."
He noted, "The protests occurring in several European cities against mandatory vaccination or requiring COVID-19-free documentation as a condition for daily life activities or travel support this growing fear, especially since large segments of the European population still refuse vaccinations and label it a government conspiracy."
Khalaf further stated, "The new European lockdowns during the holiday period or expected in the first two weeks of the upcoming year, as is the case in the UK, can be termed 'Christmas Panic,' especially since international indicators suggest that the Omicron variant spreads much faster than the more dangerous Delta variant."
However, he added that Americans believe lockdowns will not be an effective measure against Omicron, stating that "the symptoms and effects of the new variant are less severe than previous variants, yet it cannot be ignored or underestimated."
Khalaf concluded, "The aim of current European lockdown policies is to ease pressure on healthcare institutions in case infection rates rise above expected capacity, as seen in London, where infection numbers suddenly surged from hundreds to thousands daily, putting the health sector under pressure that could lead to the collapse of large parts of the public health system."
The new variant is worrying the world just a month after it was first detected in South Africa, having been recorded in nearly 80 countries and spreading particularly rapidly across Europe, where it is expected to become the dominant strain by mid-January, according to the European Commission.
