Europe between Green Pass and Delta variant
What happens in Europe between the Green Pass and the Delta variant
The Delta variant is spreading inexorably throughout Europe. The latest indications indicate that the Indian strain is feeding 20% of new cases diagnosed in France and now 99% of those in the UK where, in the last week, infections in schools have increased by 70% in a single week . At the same time, the EU is trying to revive tourism through the Green Pass which comes into force on 1 July. The need to restore breath to a sector in difficulty is jeopardized by the friction between the Member States who want to protect themselves from the spread of the new variant.
The cordon sanitary of the European countries
European leaders, Draghi, Merkel and Macron , are calling for coordination to counter the spread of the new variant. Yet the European “ security cordon ” appears to be lacking in at least two points: entry rules from third countries and recognition of vaccines . Differences between states that, with tourism recovering in the first summer from vaccinated against Covid-19, could have serious effects on the spread of the virus.
Germany closes to Portugal
Germany has decided to completely ban entry to people from Portugal , considered a country in which the Delta variant is rampant. According to estimates by the Robert Koch Institut, cases of this mutation have more than doubled in Germany within a week and it is almost certain that they will continue to gain ground. According to the latest genome sequencing analysis it showed that the Delta variant accounted for 36% of infections from 14 to 20 June, the previous week it was 15%.
The quarantine for those arriving from the UK
Germany, together with Italy, has also imposed quarantine on those arriving from the United Kingdom, in Italy for five days, in Germany for two weeks . There will be no isolation for British tourists in Portugal, Spain, Cyprus and Greece. All these countries are not on the " green list " drawn up by the United Kingdom with the precautions on travel from abroad: when they return home, the citizens of the United Kingdom will have to respect a precautionary home isolation of ten days and undergo two tampons.
The letter from the EU Commissioners
The German decision to close Portugal and to impose quarantine on those arriving from the United Kingdom did not like it in Brussels , as it does not respect what was established together with the Member States themselves in recent months. Commissioners Didier Reynders, Thierry Breton and Stella Kyriakides sent a letter to Berlin in which they put on paper their disappointment and ask to coordinate all the measures for travel on European territory by 1 July : from the classifications of the areas for which quarantine is foreseen, with the obligation of testing for minors. The goal is to guarantee the freedom to travel without obstacles and limitations to those who have recovered from Covid or have completed the vaccination cycle.
Use the green pass also to access concerts and events
The commissioners ask to use the green pass also to gradually reopen the doors of concerts, festivals, exhibitions and theaters to audiences at least for now "limited", giving a breath of fresh air to the cultural sector. Twenty Member States have already set up the digital system by connecting to the EU platform and starting to distribute passes. Cyprus, Hungary, Malta, Ireland, the Netherlands, Romania and Sweden are missing. The EU Commission is certain that the certificate will give "citizens the necessary confidence to organize a trip abroad".
The Re-Open EU platform
Tourists will be able to check all the updated information on the various national measures and the levels of contagion in the various regions on the Re-Open Eu platform.
The vaccine embankment and the new treatments
For now the vaccines seem to hold , even in front of the new variant. Vaccination with Moderna has been shown to be effective against all variants tested, including the Delta variant. "As we try to defeat the pandemic, it is imperative to be proactive as the virus evolves – said Stéphane Bancel , CEO of Moderna -. We remain committed to studying emerging variants, generating data and sharing it as it becomes available. These new data are encouraging ”. Brussels also trusts in the first cures of the virus. So far, four of the five treatments identified are monoclonal antibodies under review by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), while another is an immunosuppressant already authorized for non-Covid patients. The therapies should be ready for commercialization by October.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/europa-fra-green-pass-e-variante-delta/ on Sat, 03 Jul 2021 06:24:04 +0000.