Country | Date stay-at-home requirements began | Date stay-at-home requirements ended | Number of deaths due to COVID-19 when stay-at-home requirement ended | Stringency of stay-at-home requirements (countrywide domestic travel restriction) | Government Economic Support Index | Location and scope of abortion service provision |
Portugal | 19 March 2020 | 14 April 2020 | 535 | 87.96 (yes) | 75 | Abortion available on request through 10 weeks’ gestation with a 3-day waiting period and provided mostly in hospitals. Waiting period suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic and follow-up permitted by telemedicine, but in-person visit to provider still required. |
Northern Ireland | 23 March 2020 | 10 April 2020 | 476 | 75.93 (yes, including to the rest of the UK) | 100 | No abortion services available until new legislation brought into effect on 10 April 2020. |
Hungary | 12 March 2020 | 4 May 2020 | 351 | 76.85 (Yes) | 75 | Abortion available in certain circumstances through 12 weeks’ gestation and provided in hospitals. No medication abortion available. Surgical abortions suspended early in the pandemic due to government ban on non-life saving procedures. |
Malta | 17 March 2020* | 1 June 2020 | 9 | NA (no, but no travel outside the country) | NA | No abortion services available. |
Italy | 23 March 2020 | 10 April 2020 | 18 281 | 93.52 (yes) | 50 | Abortion available on request through 90 days’ gestation with a 7-day waiting period and provided mostly in hospitals. |
Germany | 9 March 2020 | 4 May 2020 | 6692 | 73.15 (no, only a few specific districts) | 88 | Abortions provided on request through 14 weeks’ gestation with a 3-day waiting period and mostly provided in doctor’s offices and clinics. Preabortion counselling offered by teleconsult. |
The Netherlands | 6 March 2020 | 11 May 2020 | 5440 | 80 (no) | 63 | Abortions provided on request up until viability with a 5-day waiting period and mostly provided in clinics. |
Great Britain | 23 March 2020 | 13 May 2020 | 32 692 | 76 (yes) | 100 | Medication abortion provision available in person at a clinic but also by a fully remote service model, including phone consultation and pills provided by mail or pick-up at a clinic. |
*Malta did not issue a population-wide directive, so that date on which the Maltese government issued a directive to close public places is used in lieu.