Countries reopen with caution
People encouraged to go out, but ‘not have a party’ as lockdowns ease
VENICE, ITALY— Venice geared up to receive tourists, Milan’s pizzerias prepared for hungry customers and Australians went out to eat for the first time in weeks Saturday, but the reopening of restaurants, pubs and cafés came with a warning: don’t overdo it.
Public health experts urged caution as governments eased restrictions on eateries, shops and parks in many countries and rolled out measures to restart dormant factories. The coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 300,000 people worldwide, has slowed in many places, but could pick up again if precautions are not taken or officials move too quickly to get people back to work.
“The message is, yes, appreciate all the efforts, appreciate the opportunity to release some of those measures, but let’s not have a party, let’s not go to town,” said Tony Bartone, president of the Australian Medical Association.
Most restaurants are limited to 10 customers at a time, and Bartone said people must maintain social distance, follow coughing etiquette, wash their hands regularly and stay away from others if they are ill.
In New Zealand, even Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her fiancé, Clarke Gayford, were initially turned away for Saturday brunch by a restaurant in the capital city, Wellington, because it was too full under coronavirus guidelines.
There was a happy ending: a spot freed up, and staff hurried down the street to call the couple back.
Italy’s tourism industry is focused firmly on June 3, when both regional and international borders reopen, allowing the first prospect of tourists since Europe’s first lockdown went into place in early March. In tourist-reliant Venice, occupancy of the city’s 50,000 hotel beds has hovered around zero ever since.
While Venice hopes for some kind of restart, it may have to wait awhile yet. Germany — its border about a four-hour drive from Venice — is instructing citizens not to travel abroad for tourism until at least June 15.
France was also being cautious, calling for a co-ordinated European effort on opening. At the same time, French officials could make decisions “that protect the French” regarding countries “where the virus is still active,” Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said Saturday.
As hundreds of French beaches reopened, Castaner warned that the government would not hesitate to close them again if rules are not respected, including a ban on sunbathing. Local authorities were charged with deciding which beaches would reopen as part of a staggered plan to end a strict two-month lockdown that began March 17. Under the rules, beachgoers can take a dip, but cannot lay in the sun or picnic in the sand. Social-distancing rules must be maintained, and groups must be limited to 10 people. “The virus is still there,” Castaner said. “It moves around with our movements.”
In Milan, Italy’s financial capital, 3,400 restaurants planned to open Monday, along with 4,800 bars, 2,900 hairdressers, 2,200 clothing stores and 700 shoe shops. “After a long period at home, we will all want to go out and have a good coffee in a bar, eat a pizza in a pizzeria, buy a pair of jeans or go to the hairdressers,” Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala said Saturday in a Facebook video.
In Britain, officials and tourism boards discouraged people from visiting popular tourist spots — like beaches or country parks — on the first weekend since lockdown rules were eased in England. Stricter rules remain in place in other parts of the U.K., and English day-trippers have been warned against crossing into Scotland or Wales.
Hungary’s government said stores, restaurants, parks and other venues in Budapest can reopen on Monday, though the use of face coverings will be mandatory in stores and on public transportation, and restaurants must serve customers outdoors.
In Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he would ask parliament for what he hopes will be the last extension of the country’s state of emergency to battle the pandemic, until around late June.