Tentatively free to spread about
Locked-down countries tiptoe back to business
ROME — Italy and the United States were among a slew of countries that tentatively eased coronavirus lockdowns Monday to revive economies as global deaths surpassed a quarter-million.
World leaders and organizations pledged $8 billion to fund a possible vaccine and treatments, but the United States did not contribute.
Italy, among the hardest-hit countries, allowed about 4.5 million people to return to work after nearly two months at home. Construction can resume and relatives can reunite.
“I woke up at 5:30 a.m., I was so excited,” said Maria Antonietta Galluzzo, a grandmother taking her three-year-old grandson for a walk in Rome’s Villa Borghese park, the first time they had seen each other in eight weeks.
In the U.S., which has the most infections and deaths at almost 1.2 million and 69,000 respectively, Ohio and other states eased more curbs on businesses.
An internal U.S. government document projected a sharp rise in daily deaths by June 1, the New York Times reported Monday, to 3,000 Americans a day by the end of May, up from a current daily toll of about 2,000. On the same day, a University of Washington research model often cited by White House officials nearly doubled its projected U.S. death toll to more than 134,000 by Aug. 4.
In New York, the hardest-hit state, Gov. Andrew Cuomo outlined a phased reopening of businesses, starting with industries such as construction, and the least affected regions.
Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Finland, Nigeria, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Israel and Lebanon were also among countries reopening factories, construction sites, parks, hairdressers and libraries.