Authorities in Ireland have eased limits on wedding guest numbers while US health officials urged those who have been fully vaccinated to again wear masks indoors and UK quarantine rules were relaxed for essential workers.
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The Irish government relented on Tuesday after exasperated brides-to-be dressed all in white protested outside the country's parliament while others inundated radio call-in shows to criticise COVID-19 restrictions.
Ireland, which has implemented some of Europe's toughest restrictions during the pandemic, has been gradually unwinding its third and longest lockdown and this week permitted pubs and restaurants to resume serving fully vaccinated diners indoors.
Deputy Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, however, said last week that plans to double the number of guests allowed at weddings and receptions to 100 in August were unlikely to go ahead due to concerns over the highly transmissible COVID-19 Delta variant.
His comments provoked the ire of betrothed couples, some of whom have already twice postponed their big day in hopes of inviting more friends and family.
A handful of future brides took to the streets during Ireland's weekly cabinet meeting on Tuesday, marching from the department of health to parliament carrying signs reading "love is not cancelled".
Cabinet later confirmed the decision to allow 100 guests.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday recommended that fully vaccinated people wear masks indoors in parts of the country where infection rates are surging.
It marks a reversal of the CDC's announcement in May that prompted millions of vaccinated people to shed their face coverings.
Citing new information about the ability of the Delta variant to spread among vaccinated people, the CDC recommended indoor masks for all teachers, staff, students and visitors to schools regardless of vaccination status.
When earlier strains of the virus predominated, infected vaccinated people were found to have low levels of virus and were deemed unlikely to spread the virus much, CDC director Rochelle Walensky said.
But with the Delta variant, the level of virus in infected vaccinated people is "indistinguishable" from the level of virus in the noses and throats of unvaccinated people, Walensky said.
The data emerged over the last couple of days from 100 samples.
It is unpublished and the CDC has not released it but "it is concerning enough that we feel like we have to act," Walensky said.
Vaccinated people "have the potential to spread that virus to others," she added.
In May, the CDC advised that fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks outdoors and can avoid wearing them indoors in most places, guidance the agency said would allow life to begin to return to normal.
The new CDC recommendations are not binding and many people in the US may choose not to follow them.
The UK is easing coronavirus quarantine rules for essential workers including prison guards, veterinarians and rubbish collectors in an attempt to end staff shortages that are hobbling parts of the economy.
About 26 million people in the UK have downloaded a phone app that tells them to self-isolate for 10 days if they come into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.
The system has caused employee absences and led to gaps on supermarket shelves.
The government says many key workers can now be tested daily instead of self-isolating.
with AP
Australian Associated Press
