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.
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