Ireland, Austria, Germany and Denmark this Friday put forward new measures to stop the spread of the Omicron variant of the new coronavirus.

The Irish Prime Minister, Micheál Martin, has announced an 8:00 p.m. curfew for pubs, bars, and restaurants until the end of January to combat Omicron, which is considered more contagious than all previous strains.

"All restaurants and bars (...) must close at 20:00" from Sunday until January 30, the Irish ruler said.

According to Micheál Martin, there is a need to slow the spread of Omicron and for more people to receive the booster dose [of the anti-covid-19 vaccine] is clear.

Going forward, the responsible also announced that there will be a reduction in the capacity of the spaces that welcome the public.

"All passengers arriving into the country will be required to have a PCR or antigen test and they are also advised to have an antigen test daily for the five days following their entry into the country," he pointed out.

Meanwhile, the Austrian government has announced that anyone arriving in the country will have to present a valid vaccination certificate or be recovered from covid-19, otherwise they will have to undergo a period of isolation that can be interrupted with a PCR test after five days.

"These stricter entry regulations pose major challenges, especially for people traveling abroad during the Christmas vacations. However, they are necessary, especially at this time, to stop the spread of [variant] Omicron in Austria," said Austrian Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein.

According to the Austrian government, the measure affects Austrian citizens as well as those from the European Union (EU) and third countries.

"The isolation period will be ten days, but can be shortened to five if a negative test less than 72 hours old is presented or, if the vaccination certificate has expired, proof that a booster dose of the anti-covid-19 vaccine has been received. For those who regularly travel to the country on business, a negative PCR test will also be accepted," Wolfgang Mückstein stressed.

In addition to these measures, Austria has included Angola, Zambia and Malawi in the list of countries with which direct air connections are prohibited.

In Germany, affected by a sharp increase in the number of new cases of covid-19, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, Wolfgang Mückstein warned that the country must prepare for a new "massive wave" of the disease due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.

To this end, the German Institute for Public Health Surveillance this Friday classified France and Denmark as "high-risk" infection zones and will therefore impose a quarantine period on unvaccinated travelers from these countries.

So, as of Sunday, this measure, which will also apply to travelers coming from Norway, Lebanon and Andorra, means that people who have not been vaccinated or do not show proof of recovery from the disease will be quarantined, with the possibility of a test on the fifth day.

For its part, Denmark has also announced the closure of most cultural activities and further restrictions on nightlife, to try to stem the record increase in cases of covid-19 and the new variant Omicron.