Catalunya vaccine certificates withdrawn from Friday as 'inconvenience outweighs benefit'

Catalunya vaccine certificates are to be withdrawn this Friday, 28 January, after the regional government said the effectiveness of the application has decreased. The Government announced the decision through a statement after evaluating the report that the committee of experts on Covid-19 delivered to the Department of Health.
The Catalunya vaccine certificates were mandatory in bars, restaurants, gyms and care homes. The decision to remove them was published in the Thursday morning version of the Official Gazette of the Generalitat (DOGC).
The Generalitat based its decision on the advisory report which stated that the prevention measures used against the Delta variant do not have the same effect against Omicron. Experts consider that a significant part of the population is once again “susceptible to becoming infected, “regardless of their vaccination status” or of having had the disease. Therefore, the effectiveness of the covid certificate decreases and the inconveniences of its application outweigh its benefits, as reported by El Pais.
With its lesser severity and lower hospitalisation rates, Omicron is encouraging governments to reduce restrictions. The Minister of Health of the Generalitat, Josep Maria Argimon, already assured last week that “if you had known that Omicron was what it was, obviously, you would not take these restrictions.”
The removal of the Catalunya vaccine certificates confirms the region’s de-escalation of Covid-18 restrictions, even as other areas ask for extensions. As of Friday, the limits on the number of people in gatherings and the capacity and hours reduction for restaurants, culture and sports venues will lift. For now, the nightlife will remain closed at least until 11 February when the restriction for that sector will be assessed again. The curfew for the region was lifted already on 21 January.

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