Europe begins easing lockdown steps

Shops reopen in Germany, Denmark; nurseries begin in Norway; death rates drop in France and Spain

Germany and other parts of Europe took tentative steps to ease lockdown measures on Monday but officials warned the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic was far from over.

Some shops reopened in Germany and Denmark and parents dropped their children off at nurseries in Norway as tight restrictions in place for weeks were lifted in parts of the continent. But Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Germans to stay disciplined, warning: “We stand at the beginning of the pandemic and are still a long way from being out of the woods.” After being hit hard by the virus that emerged in China late last year, Europe has seen encouraging signs in recent days, with death rates dropping in Italy, Spain, France and Britain.

Fears of a ‘new wave’

The hope is tempered by fears of new waves of infections, warnings that life will not be back to normal for many months and deep concern over the devastating impact the virus is having on the global economy. But even the smallest return to normalcy was welcome.

Governments around the world are mulling how and when to ease lockdowns that have kept more than half of humanity confined to their homes. The virus has so far infected more than 2.4 million people globally and killed more than 1,65,000, with nearly two thirds of the victims in Europe, according to an AFP tally.

Germany, which has been hailed for keeping fatalities low despite a significant number of cases, was allowing smaller shops to reopen in some regions from Monday. Larger shops and those in major German cities will open later as part of an attempted phased return to a more normal existence that will also see some students go back to school from May 4.

Denmark also reopened some small businesses, including hair salons, massage and tattoo parlours, dentists and driving schools, while Italy allowed bookshops to open their doors.

Hard-hit Spain, where a nationwide lockdown has been extended, also said it would ease some restrictions to allow children time outside. Spain on Monday recorded 399 deaths in the last 24 hours, its lowest daily count in weeks, and authorities are starting to shut some makeshift facilities set up to relieve the overburdened health system, including a morgue at a Madrid ice rink.

“Today for the first time we’ve fallen under 400 deaths… these figures give us hope,” said Fernando Simon, the Spanish Health Ministry’s Emergencies Coordinator. France, which on Sunday recorded its lowest number of hospital deaths since March 23, also said a nationwide lockdown in force for a month was beginning to bear fruit. “We are scoring points against the epidemic,” French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said.

Australia opens beaches

In Australia, the authorities in Sydney reopened three beaches for walking, running, swimming or surfing, while New Zealand announced it will ease a lockdown next week, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern saying: “We have stopped a wave of devastation.”

And in the United States — the country with the highest number of deaths and infections — the Governor of hard-hit New York, Andrew Cuomo, said the outbreak was “on the descent”.

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