European leaders have decided to reinstate coronavirus restrictions as the new Omicron coronavirus variant continues to spread across the world.

Germany has confirmed that private gatherings of more than ten people will be prohibited beginning December 28. Nightclubs will have to close. Soccer matches will be played without spectators.

“Coronavirus doesn’t take a Christmas break,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday, per BBC News.

“We cannot—and must not—close our eyes to this next wave, which is beginning to loom over us,” he also said.

Portugal has ordered bars and nightclubs to shut down beginning December 26 and has mandated that people must work from home till January 9. Similar to Germany, outdoor gatherings will be limited to ten people.

There are also restrictions to bars and restaurants that will take place in Finland, the Netherlands, and Sweden, whose Health Minister Lena Hallengren said that she expects Omicron cases to climb further and sounded the alarm that the “the burden on the health care system is increasing.”

Dr. Hans Kluge, the World Health Organization’s Regional Director for Europe, warned that the surge in new cases across Europe will push health care systems to the brink of collapse, adding that “another storm” is coming.

Best to Cancel Plans

Earlier this week, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus even called for some holiday gatherings to be canceled amid Omicron’s rapid spread.

“All of us are sick of this pandemic,” he said during a press conference. “All of us want to spend time with friends and family. All of us want to get back to normal. The fastest way to do this is for all of us, leaders and individuals, to make the difficult decisions that must be made to protect ourselves and others.”

“An event canceled is better than a life canceled. It is better to cancel now and celebrate later than to celebrate now and grieve later,” he added.

New Year’s Restrictions?

Meanwhile, here in the United States, New York City is weighing new restrictions for the New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square.

“We’re looking to add additional measures to make it even safer. We’re still in discussion,” New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said in an interview on CNN on Wednesday.

“The goal, of course, is to keep it going,” he continued.

Currently, the New Year’s Eve celebration requires all attendees—unless they have a medical exemption—to be fully vaccinated at least two weeks before the event. However, it doesn’t require booster shots or face masks or coverings for the vaccinated.

Ethen Kim Lieser is a Washington state-based Science and Tech Editor who has held posts at Google, The Korea Herald, Lincoln Journal Star, AsianWeek, and Arirang TV. Follow or contact him on LinkedIn.

Image: Reuters.