VOA新闻杂志2022--更多国家放宽新冠病毒限制

More Countries Ease COVID Restrictions¹

Many countries hard-hit by the coronavirus are easing their strict and often unpopular measures to fight COVID-19.

Night clubs and movie theaters are reopening. People are no longer wearing face coverings, or masks, in public, especially in Europe and North America.

Slowly, many countries are easing their COVID-19 restrictions, as officials hope the Omicron wave has passed its peak.

The highly contagious² Omicron variant³ has resulted in at least 90 million cases worldwide over the past 10 weeks. That is more than all cases in 2020, the pandemic's first year.

But the World Health Organization (WHO) this week said some countries can now consider easing the rules. They can do so if they have high vaccination⁴ rates, their health care systems are strong and cases are not trending in the wrong direction.

Restrictions are being lifted in many European countries, for many months the world's center of the pandemic. Restrictions are being lifted in South Africa — where Omicron was first announced publicly — and the United States. In Britain and the U.S., like South Africa before them, Omicron cases greatly increased at first but are now coming down quickly.

In the U.S., local leaders have had many different responses. The city of Denver announced plans to end its mask rules for businesses and public spaces, while keeping them for schools and public transportation. A move to ease a mask mandate⁵ in New York state, where cases have fallen, is in the courts.

England, France, Ireland, the Netherlands and several Nordic countries have taken steps to end or ease their restrictions. In some places, like Norway and Denmark, the easing comes even though case counts are still near their highs. Some governments are simply hoping that the pandemic is slowing.

Last week, England ended almost all restrictions. Masks are not required in public and vaccines⁶ are no longer needed to get into public spaces. The work-from-home order has also been lifted. However, those who test positive still have to isolate⁷.

On Tuesday, Norway lifted its ban on serving alcohol after 11 p.m. and the limit on private gatherings⁸ of no more than 10 people.

"Now it's time for us to take back our everyday life," Norway's Health Minister said Tuesday.

More than 370 million cases and over 5.6 million deaths linked to COVID-19 have been reported worldwide. But the spread of the Omicron variant is beginning to slow in many places. It is giving rise to the hope that the pandemic is about the enter a new stage in which the virus, like the flu, is endemic but manageable.

Omicron has shown to be less likely to cause severe illness than the Delta⁹ variant. But experts are still warning about the possibility of a new, more dangerous variant.

Tedros Adhanom Gheybreysus is the head of WHO. He said Tuesday that he is concerned that people think preventing the spread is no longer possible or necessary.

"Nothing could be further from the truth," he said.

WHO official, Michael Ryan, warned that political pressure could lead some countries to open back up too soon.

Other continents are continuing to be very careful. Some of the world's highest vaccination rates are in Asia. And its leaders are keeping their strict lockdown measures or making them even more restrictive.

Just days ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics, China is holding on to its zero-COVID policy. It imposes¹⁰ strict lockdowns and quarantines quickly when any cases are found. There are also mask mandates¹¹ for public transportation, and people must prove they are COVID-free to enter most restaurants and stores.

South Africa this week announced that it has moved past the Omicron wave. Studies show immunity¹² in the country is between 60 and 80 percent. Masks are still required, but schools will reopen fully¹³ for the first time since March 2020.

Atiya Mosam is with the Public Health Association of South Africa. She said such steps are part of recognizing "how transmission¹⁴ occurs, while basically balancing people's need to live their lives."

Words in This Story

strict — adj. used to describe a command, rule, etc., that must be obeyed

variant — adj. different in some way from others of the same kind

trend —n. a general direction of change : a way of behaving, proceeding¹⁵, etc., that is developing and becoming more common

mandate — n. an official order to do something

isolate — v. to put or keep in a place or situation that is separate from others

endemic — adj. growing or existing in a certain place or region

quarantine — n. the period of time during which a person or animal that has a disease or that might have a disease is kept away from others to prevent the disease from spreading

transmission — n. the act or process of sending electrical signals to a radio, television, computer, etc.

1 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

2 contagious   

adj.传染性的，有感染力的

参考例句：

• It's a highly contagious infection.这种病极易传染。
• He's got a contagious laugh.他的笑富有感染力。

3 variant   

adj.不同的，变异的；n.变体，异体

参考例句：

• We give professional suggestions according to variant tanning stages for each customer.我们针对每位顾客不同的日晒阶段，提供强度适合的晒黑建议。
• In a variant of this approach,the tests are data- driven.这个方法的一个变种，是数据驱动的测试。

4 vaccination   

n.接种疫苗，种痘

参考例句：

• Vaccination is a preventive against smallpox.种痘是预防天花的方法。
• Doctors suggest getting a tetanus vaccination every ten years.医生建议每十年注射一次破伤风疫苗。

5 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

6 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

7 isolate   

vt.使孤立，隔离

参考例句：

• Do not isolate yourself from others.不要把自己孤立起来。
• We should never isolate ourselves from the masses.我们永远不能脱离群众。

8 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

9 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

10 imposes   

强迫( impose的第三人称单数 )； 勉强（某人做某事）； 推行； [印刷]把…装版

参考例句：

• The school imposes a very regimented lifestyle on its students. 学校将非常死板的生活方式强加给学生。
• The Act imposes more stringent regulations on atmospheric pollution. 法案对大气污染作出更为严格的规定。

11 mandates   

托管（mandate的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• Individual mandates would require all people to purchase health insurance. 个人托管要求所有人都要购买健康保险。
• While I agree with those benefits, I'm not a supporter of mandates. 我同意上述好处，我不是授权软件的支持者。

12 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

13 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

14 transmission   

n.播送，发射，传送，传递，传染

参考例句：

• When the transmission is good,foreign stations can be heard.在传送情况良好时，以收到外国电台。
• The letter was delayed in transmission.这封信在传递中被耽误了。

15 proceeding   

n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报

参考例句：

• This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
• The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。