Restaurant Terraces to Open from 7 April; Hotel Vouchers Valid until 15 September

At a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel confirmed that restaurant and cafe terraces will be able to open in two weeks' time.

The Prime Minister explained that Luxembourg, unlike several other countries, had not experienced an exponential increase in COVID-19 infections. Whilst the situation remains relatively stable, including in hospitals, he added that current figures do not permit a complete easing of restrictions.

As such, terraces can reopen from 7 April 2021, exclusively between 06:00 and 18:00. A maximum of two people are permitted at one table and customers must be seated. Wearing a mask is obligatory for staff, as well as customers when not seated. Since not all restaurants or cafes have a terrace, government financial support will remain in place. The Prime Minister described the move as a small step towards normality. He later added that, should the situation worsen, these measures will need to be adapted. Current measures are expected to last until 25 April 2021.

Luxembourg's Director of Health, Dr Jean-Claude Schmit, who was standing in for Health Minister Paulette Lenert (absent for health reasons), explained that the authorities had analysed the risks of various scenarios and concluded that opening terraces posed the least risk; the risk of infection is higher indoors than outdoors where there is better ventilation and more space. That being said, mass gatherings must be avoided and the sanitary regulations must still be respected. He added that traceability was important.

Dr Jean-Claude Schmit recalled that there had been around 25% more infections last week than the previous week, which made it difficult to determine if figures were headed in the "right direction". What is reassuring, however, is that contact tracing appears to be working: almost 60% of last week's infections were identified through contact tracing. He added that the effective reproduction rate remained too high, at 1.13%.

The Health Director noted that several infections had been detected among the 30-45 age group and recalled that there have been infection clusters in care homes. Most infections could be traced back to the family environment, with household members bringing the virus into the home from work or school. 6.5% of cases were traced back to the school environment, including creches. There has also been a slight increase in work-related infections. Dr Jean-Claude Schmit thus reiterated importance of respecting sanitary regulations and barrier gestures in the workplace. Last week saw 27 COVID-19-related deaths - one fewer than the previous week, although he stressed that each death is one too many.

Regarding the vaccine rollout strategy, Prime Minister Xavier Bettel confirmed that Luxembourg has received 112,000 vaccine doses, with 77,000 used to date. A first delivery of the Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccine, which he described as a "gamechanger" is expected to arrive mid-April. He also confirmed that the number of people taking up their invitations for the vaccine had increased to 75% recently. He added that rapid tests should also bring some normality and that, following a pilot project, the authorities hope to deploy these tests more generally as quickly as possible.

From Friday 26 March 2021, mobile teams will be increased and people who are unable to travel to a vaccination centre will be able to receive the jab at home. In addition, a fifth vaccination centre will open its doors on 12 April and is expected to increase capacities to around 55,000 jabs per week.

Regarding waiting lists, 1,000 individuals who were unable to attend their first vaccination appointment have contacted the health authorities for a new appointment. A waiting list is now open until 31 March (on Guichet.lu) for over-75s who could not attend their first appointment. There is also a hotline: 247-65533. Invitations for the fourth phase of the vaccination campaign should be sent out from next week.

The Prime Minister also confirmed that the €50 hospitality vouchers will remain valid until 15 September 2021. These vouchers were originally valid from July to December 2020, before being extended until April 2021. Since the hospitality sector has been largely closed during this period, the deadline has been pushed back again to mid-September. Over 108,000 vouchers have been used to date.