Eventprofs have had to deal with varying degrees of Covid restrictions around the world for the past two years, but recent days have brought some much-needed good news: many European countries are finally turning a corner and are relaxing or removing Covid-related protocols, which will greatly facilitate event planning and travel in those areas. Here’s what you need to know.
This week, Denmark became the first EU country to drop all Covid restrictions, including its indoor mask mandate, the use of Covid passes for access to indoor venues, and mandated self-isolation for those who test positive.
Infections remain high in Denmark, but hospitalizations are decreasing, and the country has determined that the risk to society is low enough to justify these changes. The only restrictions that remain in place are for inbound travelers: some, including the unvaccinated, will still have to test upon arrival, and those arriving from high-risk areas will still have to quarantine.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands officially reopened bars, restaurants, theaters last week, which had been shut down since mid-December. With these loosening restrictions, the public will also once again be able to attend sporting events and visit museums.
Also as of last week, the UK is no longer requiring face masks to be worn in public or the use of Covid passports for large-scale events. In addition, it will be getting rid of its testing requirements for fully vaccinated travelers beginning on February 11th.
France has established a timeline for lifting its restrictions this month as well. It has already ended mandatory outdoor mask wearing and removed capacity restrictions on events. On February 16th, it will reopen nightclubs and once again permit people to eat and drink in venues like stadiums and theaters. For now, it will maintain its use of vaccine passports.
Some countries, like Germany, are keeping their restrictions in place as Omicron cases continue to rise, but if it follows the curve of other nations, we can expect cases — and restrictions — to abate in the coming weeks.
Of course, event organizers should continue to follow best practices when it comes to health and safety, but this is certainly encouraging progress for the events and travel industries going into the next few months.