COVID-19 downgraded to epidemic

Den 14 februari börjar samhället öppnas upp i Finland. Regeringen har kommit överens om ett datum när alla restriktioner ska vara avvecklade.

Statsminister Sanna Marin (SDP) säger att restriktionerna börjar lättas upp på vändagen, den 14 februari. Då kommer restaurangbegränsningarna att luckras upp och all kultur-, idrotts- och evenemangsverksamhet kommer att vara möjlig.

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Statsminister Marin sa också att det för tillfället inte finns tillräckliga juridiska och epidemiologiska grunder för att ha coronapasset i bruk.

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Alla restriktioner ska hävas fram till den första mars.

svenska.yle.fi/a/7-10012336

Folkhälsomyndigheten hemställer till regeringen om att covid-19 ska upphöra att vara en allmän- och samhällsfarlig sjukdom.

www.folkhalsomyndigheten.se/nyheter-och-press/nyhetsarkiv/2022/februari/de-flesta-atgarder-mot-covid-19-upphor-den-9-februari/

Den 9 februari 2022 påbörjas avvecklingen av åtgärderna mot covid-19.

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Den 1 april kommer de kvarstående myndighetsrekommendationerna att avvecklas eller anpassas efter då rådande smittspridning, belastning på hälso- och sjukvården och vaccinationstäckning. Därefter kommer bland annat rekommendation om vaccinering finnas kvar och särskilda rekommendationer för hälso- och sjukvårds- och omsorgsmiljöer.

regeringen.se/pressmeddelanden/2022/02/merparten-av-restriktionerna-mot-covid-19-tas-bort-den-9-februari-2022/

As people protesting public health measures related to COVID-19 continued to impede traffic in southern Alberta on Thursday night, Premier Jason Kenney announced his government would be announcing a path forward for the lifting of public health measures next week, acknowledging many Albertans are sick of having limitations on their lives.https://d21y75miwcfqoq.cloudfront.net/70c8fc80

Kenney made the announcement in a livestream on social media where he would not need to face questions from reporters. Despite announcing policy changes that protesters are demanding, Kenney said governments should not be swayed by such protests.

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 Kenney said a plan to end Alberta’s vaccine passport program is part of what he expects to announce next week, following a meeting with his COVID-19 cabinet committee. A few days ago, Kenney said he hoped the passport could be eliminated by the end of March.

He said Thursday that he hoped to be able to lift most public health measures by the end of the month if the pressure on the health-care system declines sufficiently.

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Despite Alberta setting a new record a day earlier in terms of total hospitalizations involving patients with COVID-19, Kenney said hospital numbers are stabilizing.

“Thankfully, the Omicron wave has not overwhelmed health-care units,” he said, despite Alberta recently opening field hospitals to accommodate the surge in patients.Kenney said part of the reason he feels it will soon be prudent to lift restrictions is because so many Albertans have gained some immunity from COVID-19, both from getting vaccinated and from getting infected with the virus.

globalnews.ca/news/8594173/kenney-alberta-covid-restrictions-coutts-convoys

Governor Reynolds signed the final extension of the state’s Public Health Disaster Emergency Proclamation today, announcing it will expire at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, February  15, 2022. The signed proclamation can be found  here .

The proclamation was first issued in accordance with the Governor’s executive authority on March 17, 2020, to enable certain public health mitigation measures during the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over time, it included hundreds of provisions assembled in the midst of an emergency to quickly address a pandemic the nation knew little about. Today, the remaining 16 provisions focus primarily on lingering workforce issues exacerbated by the pandemic that are best addressed outside of emergency executive powers. 

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 “We cannot continue to suspend duly enacted laws and treat COVID-19 as a public health emergency indefinitely. After two years, it’s no longer feasible or necessary. The flu and other infectious illnesses are part of our everyday lives, and coronavirus can be managed similarly,” stated Gov. Reynolds. “State agencies will now manage COVID-19 as part of normal daily business, and reallocate resources that have been solely dedicated to the response effort to serve other important needs for Iowans.” 

The expiration of Iowa’s Public Health Disaster Emergency Proclamation will result in operational changes related to the COVID-19 response. The most noticeable change will be how data is reported publicly. 

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Nearly half of U.S. states have already discontinued their public health proclamations, and several more are set to expire in February if they aren’t renewed. 

governor.iowa.gov/press-release/gov-reynolds-announces-expiration-of%C2%A0public-health%C2%A0proclamation%C2%A0changes-to-covid-19