A medical staff member assists a patient infected with COVID-19 at the intensive care unit of the Centre Hospitalier Regional de la Citadelle in Liege, Belgium on Dec 21, 2021. (JOHN THYS / AFP)
BERLIN / BRUSSELS / HAVANA / LONDON / MEXICO CITY / NEW YORK – COVID-19 measures such as wearing masks in public places will be dropped in Belgium from March 7, after the federal government agreed on Friday to move the country to code yellow. This means the epidemiological situation is under control, according to an official report published by the National Crisis Center.
The decision to lift coronavirus measures in the hospitality sector and most public places marks the end of the federal phase of the "national emergency plan to fight COVID-19", launched two years ago in Belgium
The decision to lift coronavirus measures in the hospitality sector and most public places marks the end of the federal phase of the "national emergency plan to fight COVID-19", launched two years ago in Belgium.
Wearing a mask will no longer be mandatory in schools, universities and public places, and the COVID safe ticket will no longer be required to enter bars and restaurants, or to attend public events.
However, rules for wearing masks on public transport, as well as in hospitals and healthcare centers, "will continue to be applied for a certain time," said Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.
The government has also recommended people use masks in closed public spaces, or in areas where social distancing is limited.
Travelers will no longer need to complete a Passenger Locator Form when they arrive in Belgium, unless they are coming from a third country outside the EU.
Quarantine rules will apply for people who do not have one of the three certificates (vaccination, negative PCR test, or a certificate of recovery after illness), and for people traveling from countries with a high risk of COVID-19.
All the COVID-19 indicators are continuously falling in Belgium; from Feb 22 to 28, a daily average of 6,011 new infections was reported by Sciensano Public Health Institute.
Cuba
Cuba registered no deaths related to COVID-19 in the past day, keeping the national death toll at 8,498, the Ministry of Public Health said Friday.
According to its daily report, there were 638 COVID-19 infections recorded in the same day, for a total of 1,071,964 cases.
In addition, there were 2,331 active cases reported in the Caribbean nation, a figure that has been declining in recent weeks.
More than 9.8 million of Cuba's 11.2 million residents have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, while 5.9 million have received a booster dose.
Travelers stand at a counter offering last minute flights at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany, May 11, 2021. (MICHAEL PROBST / FILE / AP)
Germany
Germany's seven-day COVID-19 incidence rate has risen for the second day in a row, reaching 1,196 infections per 100,000 inhabitants, the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases said on Friday.
Daily infections also rose, with the RKI registering 217, 593 new COVID-19 infections within 24 hours on Friday. This was around 6,900 more than a week ago. However, German laboratories have also warned of significant under-reporting due to less testing.
Among older people over the age of 65, infection numbers are likely to continue to increase due to the ongoing Omicron wave. "In this age group, the peak of the wave is still to come," the RKI said in its weekly report on Thursday.
Nevertheless, Germany further relaxed its COVID-19 measures on Friday. Customers in restaurants and hotels are now only required to follow the so-called 3G rule (vaccinated, recovered, tested), while clubs can re-open under the stricter 2G-Plus rule. This requires a negative test, in addition to vaccinated or recovered status.
On Thursday, restrictions for entering Germany were eased, with travelers no longer obliged to register electronically upon arrival. In addition, the 3G rule now only applies to children from the age of 12 instead of six.
READ MORE: Germany pledges more funds for COVID-19 shots in poor nations
Mexico
Mexico reported 308 more fatalities from COVID-19 on Friday, bringing the total death toll since the pandemic began to 319,604, according to health ministry data.
The country also reported 9,748 new confirmed cases of the virus, bringing the total to 5,554,392.
The United Kingdom
The estimated range of England's COVID-19 reproduction "R" number is between 0.8 and 1.0, roughly steady compared to the previous week's range of 0.7 to 1.0, the UK Health Security Agency said on Friday.
An R number between 0.8 and 1.0 means that for every 10 people infected, they will on average infect between 8 and 10 other people.
The daily growth of infections was steady, estimated between -4 percent to -1 percent.
The United States
Rural parts of the United States have fallen even further behind urban areas in vaccinating people against COVID-19 since all adults became eligible for vaccines, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on Thursday, making it more difficult to reduce the death toll in those areas.
The gap has become especially pronounced among children who are eligible for vaccines, with vaccination rates for 5- to 11-year-olds twice as high in urban areas as in rural ones, according to the agency.
"The CDC study did not closely examine why the divide has grown. But one reason is clear: an enormous partisan gap. Vaccination rates tend to be markedly lower in counties where a majority of residents voted to re-elect former President Donald J. Trump in 2020," said The New York Times while reporting about the CDC data.
