BERLIN: Germany's leaders on Wednesday announced plans to end most of the country's coronavirus restrictions by March 20, a decision that coincided with moves by neighbouring Austria and Switzerland to drop many of their curbs sooner.
A three-step plan was endorsed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the country's 16 state governors as official figures show Germany's COVID-19 infection rate beginning to drift downward.
"The peak has now probably been reached," Scholz said.
The easing is to start with scrapping rules that prevented people without proof of vaccination or recovery from visiting nonessential stores and the lifting of limits on private gatherings of vaccinated people.
Beginning on March 4, requirements to enter restaurants and bars will be relaxed, with a negative test sufficing rather than, as in many areas at present, proof of vaccination or recovery plus a test or a booster shot.
And remaining "far-reaching" restrictions are to be dropped on March 20, Berlin Mayor Franziska Giffey said.
But Scholz said that mask-wearing and distancing requirements will remain in place.
Germany saw infections caused by the highly contagious omicron variant surge later than in several other European countries.
Officials have attributed this to the restrictions that have been in place since December.
But other countries, including neighbouring Denmark, also have moved faster to lift restrictions, and there have been growing calls for Germany to follow suit.
Earlier Wednesday, Austria announced that it will drop most of its restrictions on March 5 and Switzerland said most of its curbs will go this week.
Germany's national disease control centre has reported several days of slight drops in the country's infection rate, though it remains far above pre-omicron levels.
As Germany moves toward easing its latest restrictions, prospects of a vaccine mandate for all adults appear to be receding.
Scholz came out in favour of such a mandate just before he became chancellor in December, but his three-party coalition is divided on the issue and he left it to parliament to come up with proposals.
At present, it's unclear when lawmakers will vote on legislation and what if any kind of mandate would muster a majority.
Even already-approved legislation requiring health sector workers to present proof of vaccination or recovery by mid-March has run into difficulties, although Germany's highest court last week refused to temporarily block its implementation.
Switzerland on Wednesday became the latest European country to ease coronavirus restrictions, including ending health checks for incoming travellers and the need to have COVID-19 passes to enter many public venues.
The Federal Council, the seven-member Swiss executive branch, said as of Thursday, masks and COVID-19 vaccination passes will no longer be required to enter shops, restaurants, cultural venues and other public settings and events.
The requirement to wear masks in workplaces and a work-from-home recommendation will also end, as will capacity limits on large-scale gatherings.
The only requirements that will remain are an order for any person who tests positive to isolate and mandatory mask-wearing on public transportation and in health care institutions.
"The epidemiological situation continues to develop positively," the government said.
"Thanks to the high level of immunity among the population, it is unlikely that the health care system will be overburdened despite the continued high level of virus circulation."
Health authorities in the country of about 8.5 million people reported more than 21,000 new daily COVID-19 cases and 10 new deaths.
The trend has steadily fallen since a 7-day average of more than 36,000 cases a day was tallied in late January.
Incoming travellers will no longer be required to provide proof of vaccination, recovery or a negative test, or complete an entry form.
The measures also will mean an end to the government's economic support for business hit hard by the pandemic.
The Austrian government said on Wednesday that it plans to end the country's main COVID-19 restrictions on March 5, though wearing masks will remain obligatory in some places.
Chancellor Karl Nehammer announced the decision at a news conference in Vienna, stressing that the pandemic is not yet over but the situation allows Austria to open up step by step.
In a first step starting Saturday, proof of vaccination or recent recovery will no longer be required to attend events, go to restaurants, bars or hairdressers and various other activities.
Proof of a negative test will suffice for those things.
From March 5, most restrictions will be dropped, with night clubs reopening and restrictions on opening hours for restaurants and bars ending.
Nehammer said that a requirement to wear protective FFP2 masks will remain in place where it is necessary to protect the most vulnerable, including in public transport, essential shops and pharmacies.
Health Minister Wolfgang Mueckstein said he can't promise that tougher measures won't be required again in the future.
The number of new coronavirus cases globally fell by 19 per cent in the last week while the number of deaths remained stable, according to the World Health Organisation.
The UN health agency said late on Tuesday in its weekly report on the pandemic that just over 16 million new COVID-19 infections and about 75,000 deaths were reported worldwide last week.
The Western Pacific was the only region to report a rise in new weekly cases, an increase of about 19 per cent, Southeast Asia reported a decrease of about 37 per cent, the biggest drop globally.
The number of deaths rose by 38 per cent in the Middle East and by about one-third in the Western Pacific.
The biggest number of new COVID-19 cases was seen in Russia.
Cases there and elsewhere in Eastern Europe doubled in recent weeks, driven by a surge of the hugely infectious omicron variant.
WHO said that all other coronavirus variants, including alpha, beta and delta, continue to decline globally as omicron crowds them out.
Among the more than 400,000 COVID-19 virus sequences uploaded to the world's biggest virus database in the last week, more than 98 per cent were omicron.
WHO said the BA.2 version of omicron appears to be "steadily increasing" and its prevalence has risen in South Africa, Denmark, the UK and other countries.
Health officials have noted, however, that omicron causes milder disease than previous COVID-19 variants and in countries with high vaccination rates, hospitalisation and death rates have not increased substantially, even with omicron's spread.
WHO's Africa director, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, said last week there was "light at the end of the tunnel" for the continent and that even despite low vaccination rates, Africa was transitioning from the acute pandemic phase of COVID-19.
That optimism contrasts sharply with warnings from WHO Director-Feneral Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who has said repeatedly the pandemic is not over and is premature for countries to think that the end might be imminent.