At a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel and the Minister of Health Paulette Lenert announced that COVID-19 restrictions would be eased further from 12 June 2021.
Prime Minister Xavier Bettel noted that the vaccine rollout has had a clear impact on falling infection rates in Luxembourg.
Starting this week, invitations are being sent out to people under the age of 40 (starting with the oldest first).
As of Tuesday 1 June 2021, over 400,000 doses had been delivered to Luxembourg, allowing for the vaccination of more than 200,000 people. A total of 375,000 vaccinations have been carried out to date (first and second jabs included).
Nevertheless, uncertainty remains over vaccine deliveries. For instance, Johnson & Johnson confirmed that the European Union (EU) will not receive the expected number of doses next week.
The Prime Minister noted that around 150 people (registered on the waiting list) have received leftover doses at the end of the day, whilst around 29,000 of the 34,000 people registered on the AstraZeneca waiting list have received the jab so far.
Whilst things appear to be going in the right direction at present, the Prime Minister warned that we cannot predict how the situation will look in autumn or winter; a lot of uncertainty remains over variants. He stressed that the crisis is not yet over, recalling that the government's main priority is keeping hospitals from being overwhelmed.
Summarising the decisions taken during Wednesday's Government Council meeting, Prime Minister Xavier Bettel announced that the curfew, currently in effect between midnight and 06:00, will be lifted completely from 12 June 2021.
From this date until 15 July 2021, households will be able to host up to ten (rather than four) guests, excluding those from the same household. Restaurants and bars will no longer have to close at 22:00 and up to ten people will be allowed to sit at tables outside. For indoor dining, restaurant owners will have two options: either continuing to allow four people to sit at a table, without the testing obligation, or to adopt the new COVID certificate system. In the latter case, guests will be required to present a certificate proving that they have been fully vaccinated, recovered from the virus or tested negative; PCR test results are valid for 72 hours, whilst certified rapid / self tests will be valid for 48 rather than 24 hours. The COVID certificates, which will be available digitally (via MyGuichet.lu) or on paper, are equipped with a QR code which can be scanned.
Regarding public gatherings, social distancing and mask wearing will still be required for groups of more than ten people, unless the COVID certificate system is used. Concerning nightlife, up to 300 people are permitted to gather; larger numbers may be allowed as part of sanitary concepts approved by the Ministry of Health. Restrictions such as mask wearing still apply in public transport and shopping centres. The limit of ten people also applies to music and sporting events, with larger events permitted if they receive authorisation from the Health Ministry.
Those who have not yet had the opportunity to get vaccinated, namely those aged six to 30, will receive a voucher for a free COVID-19 test as part of the large-scale testing initiative.
Government aid for businesses in the hardest hit sectors (namely hospitality and events) will be extended until the end of October 2021.
Prime Minister Xavier Bettel stressed that increased freedom comes with more responsibility.
Likewise, Health Minister Paulette Lenert asked that everyone respect the “few restrictions” that remain in place. She highlighted the importance of observing variants of the virus in the coming months.
The Health Minister clarified that, in terms of the COVID certificiate, individuals are considered full vaccinated from the date of their second jab, except in the case of the Johnson & Johnson single-shot vaccine, in which case this is valid fourteen days after the jab. In alignment with other European countries, Luxembourg will deem people who have recovered from COVID-19 fully vaccinated after their first jab.
Minister Paulette Lenert noted that this easing of restrictions is accompanied by strengthened protection for vulnerable people. Consequently, visitors to care homes will be required to present a negative test result and staff members will still need to get tested twice a week or present a COVID certificate.
On the subject of travel, Prime Minister Xavier Bettel pointed out that different restrictions apply in different countries and airlines.
He added that masks will still be required in school classrooms, but not when pupils are outdoors.
Luxembourg's Prime Minister recalled that the rules are there for our protection and he encouraged solidarity.
