5 ms·

How much do COVID policies (mask mandates, vaccine uptake, allowed/disallowed events and gatherings, ect...) vary within a single European country? Compared to

How much do COVID policies (mask mandates, vaccine uptake, allowed/disallowed events and gatherings, ect...) vary within a single European country? Compared to differences between States in the USA for example?

cm2187 5y ago
Pretty much nothing is done at the European level, and this announcement is little more than a suggestion. It is all decided at a member state level and countries adopt inconsistent policies, even for travels within the EU.
retrac 5y ago
Depends on the country. In Germany, it's a federal country much like the USA, and such decisions are made at the state level. So there is not uniformity. But some policies, like masks in stores, are not as controversial as in the USA and so are pretty universally imposed. Other countries have centralized national governments with full jurisdiction over public health and the capability of imposing a uniform policy nationwide. Some indeed have uniform policies. Others have policies that vary by region depending on the infection rate, etc. (You see the same thing within US, or German, states.)
- nradov 5y ago
  There is no consistent EU policy on masks in stores. I don't think Sweden ever had such a policy, and Denmark recently eliminated theirs. The differences between EU countries seem to be as large as those between US states. https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/coronavirus-denmark-removes-last-of-its-obligatory-mask-rules-2509641 https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/coronavirus-denmark-removes-...
isbvhodnvemrwvn 5y ago
It varies. In Germany each land and city (as far as I recall from my trip to Munich) can have different rules, in Poland there's only central government which does it.
rsynnott 5y ago
A _lot_, more than in the US. Ireland and Belgium have about 82% of adults fully vaccinated; Romania has 31%. Though it's perhaps less visible because most of the European countries with low vaccination rates aren't currently in the upswing of a wave, for now. The EU largely doesn't set policy here; it's a member state competency. And there are significant cultural differences around vaccine acceptance. One notable difference, though, is that it's almost never a party political issue in the same way as it is in the US; I don't think there's anywhere in Europe with party-based differences in vaccination and mask acceptance remotely on the scale of the US.
input_sh 5y ago
In my country the "federal" level sets the minimum, but the "state" level can and frequently does go further. For example, "federal" level can say mandatory masks indoors, while "state" level can say mandatory masks both indoors and outdoors. It's quite flexible, and sometimes ridiculous. At one point all cafes were closed here, but I could go 2 kilometers to the east where there's no such restriction because it's in a different "state". "Federal" and "state" in quotes because we don't call them that, but for simplicity in comparison.

cm2187 5y ago

Pretty much nothing is done at the European level, and this announcement is little more than a suggestion. It is all decided at a member state level and countries adopt inconsistent policies, even for travels within the EU.

retrac 5y ago

Depends on the country. In Germany, it's a federal country much like the USA, and such decisions are made at the state level. So there is not uniformity. But some policies, like masks in stores, are not as controversial as in the USA and so are pretty universally imposed. Other countries have centralized national governments with full jurisdiction over public health and the capability of imposing a uniform policy nationwide. Some indeed have uniform policies. Others have policies that vary by region depending on the infection rate, etc. (You see the same thing within US, or German, states.)

nradov 5y ago
There is no consistent EU policy on masks in stores. I don't think Sweden ever had such a policy, and Denmark recently eliminated theirs. The differences between EU countries seem to be as large as those between US states. https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/coronavirus-denmark-removes-last-of-its-obligatory-mask-rules-2509641 https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/coronavirus-denmark-removes-...

isbvhodnvemrwvn 5y ago

It varies. In Germany each land and city (as far as I recall from my trip to Munich) can have different rules, in Poland there's only central government which does it.

rsynnott 5y ago

A _lot_, more than in the US. Ireland and Belgium have about 82% of adults fully vaccinated; Romania has 31%. Though it's perhaps less visible because most of the European countries with low vaccination rates aren't currently in the upswing of a wave, for now. The EU largely doesn't set policy here; it's a member state competency. And there are significant cultural differences around vaccine acceptance. One notable difference, though, is that it's almost never a party political issue in the same way as it is in the US; I don't think there's anywhere in Europe with party-based differences in vaccination and mask acceptance remotely on the scale of the US.

input_sh 5y ago

In my country the "federal" level sets the minimum, but the "state" level can and frequently does go further. For example, "federal" level can say mandatory masks indoors, while "state" level can say mandatory masks both indoors and outdoors. It's quite flexible, and sometimes ridiculous. At one point all cafes were closed here, but I could go 2 kilometers to the east where there's no such restriction because it's in a different "state". "Federal" and "state" in quotes because we don't call them that, but for simplicity in comparison.