Belgium will remove almost all its coronavirus restrictions from Monday, ending a requirement to wear masks in most places and scrapping the need to show a COVID-19 pass for indoor venues from cafes to sports halls.
Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said that the major easing of measures has come almost exactly two years since the pandemic first struck the country.
"I think it is an important page that we are turning. It is a symbol principally of our resilience and perseverance faced with a pandemic that gave us little chance to rest," he told a news conference.
From Monday, Belgians wanting to dine in a restaurant, drink in a bar or visit a museum or cinema will no longer need to show a COVID-19 pass, proving vaccination, recent recovery from infection or a negative test.
The move mirrors a change planned in neighbouring France for March 14.
Masks, currently required for most indoor venues, will only be mandatory on public transport and in hospitals and care homes.
Capacity limits on indoor venues will also be lifted.
Belgians returning from travel to other European Union countries or non-EU countries with the pandemic under control would also no longer be required to fill in special COVID-19 forms.
COVID infections have dropped from a record above 75,000 on January 24 during the peak of the Omicron variant surge to a daily average of about 6000 in the week to February 28, one of the lowest per capita rates in Europe.
Hospital admissions, patients in intensive care and fatalities have also declined sharply and did not hit the peaks of previous waves.
Nepal on Friday announced the withdrawal of all COVID-19 related restrictions in the most-populated Kathmandu valley, effective from Saturday, following a drop in the cases of the coronavirus while other areas are also expected to follow suit.
The chief district officer of the Lalitpur district, Ghanshyam Upadhyaya, told EFE that all political, economic, social, educational and other activities are now permitted again.
"As the COVID-19 cases have dropped, there is no need to restrict the activities anymore," Upadhayaya said, although adding that "people have to abide by basic health protocols like wearing masks until the case come down to zero level".
The Kathmandu valley consists of three major districts of the country: Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur.
Officials said that other areas might also lift restrictions soon.
According to health ministry data, on Friday the number of new COVID-19 cases had dropped to 126, compared to the peak of 12,300 daily infections during the latest wave of the pandemic, recorded on January 20.
Meanwhile, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that about 93 per cent of the population live in places where COVID-19 levels are low enough that people no longer need to wear masks indoors.
New York City will lift mandates next week requiring masks in public schools and proof of vaccination to dine in restaurants or enter entertainment, sports and cultural venues, Mayor Eric Adams announced on Friday.
Standing in Times Square, Adams said that while the COVID-19 pandemic is not over, he was confident that it is now safe to send children to school unmasked.
"We want to see the faces of our children. We want to see their smiles," the mayor said, adding that parents could continue to send their kids to school with face coverings if they wished.
Individual businesses can still decide to keep mandates in place if they choose but the city will no longer require they check guests' vaccine cards.
Adams' decision comes as New York's Governor Kathy Hochul earlier this week lifted the statewide mask mandate in schools, citing new federal guidelines and a sharp drop in COVID-19 infections.
with reporting from EFE and AP
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