Europe yesterday prepared for a further cautious easing of COVID-19 restrictions following signs that the pandemic might be slowing, with hard-hit Italy set to follow Spain in allowing people outside.
More than 243,000 people have been killed and 3.4 million infected worldwide by the virus, which has left half of humanity under some form of lockdown and pushed the global economy toward its worst downturn since the Great Depression.
With signs that the spread of the contagion has been brought under control, parts of Europe, Asia and the US have begun to lift restrictions to try to inject life into economies crippled by weeks of closures and ease the pressure from populations wearying of confinement.
Photo: EPA-EFE
After a two-month lockdown in Italy — with the second-highest number of virus deaths in the world — people from today will be allowed to stroll in parks and visit relatives. Restaurants can open for takeaway and wholesale stores can resume business, but there was some confusion about the extent of the easing.
“I’m hoping this morning’s paper will clear up some of the many questions about what we can and can’t do,” said Pietro Garlanti, a 53-year-old cleaner, as he lined up at a kiosk. “I want to take my old mum to the seaside, can I?”
Italian authorities have stressed that preventative measures are still needed.
“On the one hand, we’re super excited for the reopening, we’re already organizing various activities the kids will be able to do with their grandparents outdoors, workshops in the garden, that sort of thing. The kids can’t wait to see them,” said Marghe Lodoli, who has three children.
“On the other hand, it’s disorientating. The rules are not clear, and we’re not sure if just using common sense will do,” she said.
Germany was also set to continue its easing today, while Slovenia, Poland and Hungary were to allow public spaces and businesses to partially reopen.
Governments are sticking to measures to control the spread of the virus and more testing to try to track infections even as they relax curbs on movement.
Masks would be mandatory on public transport starting today in Spain, where people on Saturday were allowed to go outdoors after a 48-day lockdown.
Some nations in Asia announced similar measures.
South Korea yesterday said it would ease a ban on some gatherings and events as long as they “follow disinfection measures.”
Thailand yesterday allowed businesses such as restaurants, hair salons and outdoor markets to reopen so long as social distancing was maintained and temperature checks carried out.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that mosques would reopen across large parts of the nation, after they were closed in early March, but he warned that while the country would reopen “calmly and gradually,” it should also prepare for “bad scenarios.”
In the US, Florida is set to ease its lockdown today, as authorities in other states wrestle with pressure from demonstrators — some armed — who have protested against the lockdowns.
However, a massive wave of infections is sweeping through the US’ prison population — the world’s largest at 2.3 million — with COVID-19 deaths on the rise in jails and penitentiaries nationwide.
OPTIMISTIC: The DGBAS sharply upgraded its GDP growth estimate from 3.54 percent to 7.71 percent after the Taiwan-US trade agreement signing and given AI optimism The US imported more from Taiwan than China for the first time in decades, as US President Donald Trump’s tariffs reshape trade flows while a global boom in artificial intelligence (AI) fuels demand for tech products. US purchases of goods from China plunged almost 44 percent in December last year from 2024 to US$21.1 billion, US Department of Commerce data showed on Thursday. By contrast, shipments from Taiwan more than doubled during the same period to US$24.7 billion. The soaring Taiwanese shipments to the US reflect the huge expansion in supplies of chips and servers for AI companies, which has completely changed
NON-NEGOTIABLE: The US president’s action ran counter to one of the US’ ‘six assurances’ on not consulting China about arms sales to Taiwan, US lawmakers said US President Donald Trump’s admission that he is discussing arms sales to Taiwan with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is “alarming and a blatant violation of US policy and the six assurances,” US Representative Ro Khanna said on Tuesday. Trump on Monday said he would decide soon on whether to send more weapons to Taiwan, after Xi warned him not to do so. “I’m talking to him about it. We had a good conversation, and we’ll make a determination pretty soon,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One when asked about warnings raised by Beijing during a phone call with Xi over
US and Chinese fighter jets briefly faced off above waters near the Korean Peninsula this week, Yonhap News agency reported, marking a rare confrontation in that area between the two superpowers. About 10 US fighter jets on Wednesday departed an airbase in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, for drills above international waters off South Korea’s western coast, the news outlet cited unidentified military sources as saying. While the US planes did not enter China’s air defense identification zone, Beijing scrambled planes as they neared that region, the report said. “The Chinese People’s Liberation Army organized naval and air forces to monitor and effectively respond
The Central Election Commission has amended election and recall regulations to require elected office candidates to provide proof that they have no Chinese citizenship, a Cabinet report said. The commission on Oct. 29 last year revised the Measures for the Permission of Family-based Residence, Long-term Residence and Settlement of People from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area (大陸地區人民在台灣地區依親居留長期居留或定居許可辦法), the Executive Yuan said in a report it submitted to the legislature for review. The revision requires Chinese citizens applying for permanent residency to submit notarial documents showing that they have lost their Chinese household record and have renounced — or have never
RSS