Almost two years after the pandemic, Spain is preparing to adopt a different scenario for dealing with COVID-19, AP reported.

With one of the highest vaccination rates in Europe and the economy hardest hit by the pandemic, the government is laying the groundwork for treating the next spike in infection not as an emergency, but as a disease that is here to stay. Similar moves are being considered in neighboring Portugal and the UK.

The idea is to move from crisis mode to control mode, approaching the virus in much the same way that countries deal with the flu or measles. This means recognizing that infections will occur.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wants the European Union to consider similar changes now that the surge in the omicron variant has shown the disease is becoming less deadly.