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Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has apologized on July 12 for "poor judgment" in scrapping most COVID-19 restrictions in the Netherlands. (EPA/Yonhap News)

With the world facing yet another surge of COVID-19 infections as the Delta variant of the virus spreads, countries with high vaccination rates have adopted very different approaches to disease control.

Both the UK and Israel opted on July 12 and 13 to ease up their control measures even as their confirmed case numbers grow. Meanwhile, the Netherlands has moved to step up its control measures, with nightclubs shut down again two weeks after they were permitted to reopen.

As reasons for loosening their measures, the UK and Israel have pointed out that with vaccination rates high, rising confirmed case numbers do not translate into major increases in severe symptoms or deaths.

The vaccination rate in the Netherlands is similar to those countries. According to Our World in Data statistics, the percentage of the Dutch population who had received at least one vaccine dose as of July 12 stood at 65.3% — just one to two percentage points below the UK and Israel.

The difference in policies is seen as coming down to whether the priority is on reducing infections or returning to everyday life and economic activity. The question of which is the wiser approach appears likely to be answered within a month or two.

The BBC network called the British government's choice a "significant gamble," noting that virus infection rates and hospitalizations were already rising sharply.

The UK is seen as having loosened up its disease control measures most abruptly amid the Delta variant's spread.

On July 12, the British government decided to remove most current restrictions on social contact as of Monday. This means that nightclubs will reopen for the first time since March 2020, and restrictions on attendance at sporting and other events will be lifted.

Our World in Data calculates a "Stringency Index" quantifying the strength of COVID-19 control measures in nine areas, including restrictions on schools/workplaces and travel/gatherings.

According to that index, the UK received a score of 43.4 out of 100 as of Tuesday. The UK stringency score has been dropping steadily since peaking at 88 in January 2021.

Daily confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection have recently been in the range of 30,000, or roughly four times their level a month ago. This translates into 493 cases per one million people.

According to the newspaper Haaretz, Israel decided at a meeting of pandemic-related ministers on July 13 to reduce the quarantine period for arriving international travelers from 14 to seven days. Israel preceded the UK in lifting most of its disease control measures last month, including mandatory wearing of masks indoors.

At 29.6 as of July 12, Israel's Stringency Index score was slightly ahead of the US score and somewhat higher than its low of 22.2 reached in mid-June. Israel's daily confirmed case rate stood at 61 per million people.

The Netherlands represents the sharpest contrast with the UK and Israel in its response to the Delta variant's spread.

On June 26, it lifted most of its disease control measures, with nightlife establishments allowed to reopen. But as the number of daily confirmed cases increased tenfold, it tightened its control measures once again as of July 10.

Restaurants and bars were once again required to close by midnight, and physical distancing of 1.5 meters was reintroduced. Nightclubs and other dancing establishments were prohibited from operating as of July 10. The rate of confirmed cases per million people stood at 433 on July 13, a slightly lower level than the UK.

At a July 12 press conference on the renewed control measures, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte drew some notice for the candor of his remarks.

"We had poor judgment, which we regret and for which we apologize," he said.

As of Tuesday, the Stringency Index score for Canada — which has one of the highest vaccination rates among the major Western countries — was 62.5. A week earlier, it stood at 69.9.

Germany, which has a slightly higher vaccination rate than the US, has not relaxed its disease control measures since June 6, and its Stringency Index score remains high at 67.6 as of Tuesday.

As of Tuesday, the countries with the most intensive disease control measures globally were chiefly Asian countries, including Bangladesh (86.1), India (81.9), and China (79.2), and South American countries such as Venezuela (86.1) and Chile (84.7).

The lowest levels of disease control measures were found in the US, the South American country of Bolivia (27.8), central African countries such as Niger (19.4), and some Eastern European countries, including Hungary (27.8).

By Shin Gi-sub, senior staff writer

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