Lockdowns’ opponents rally in European cities
FRANKFURT, Germany — Demonstrations took place Saturday in several European cities against restrictions aimed at controlling the spread of the coronavirus, with tear gas used on protesters in Poland and arrests made at a gathering in London’s Hyde Park.
Police in several German cities enforced distancing rules as thousands of people gathered to express a mix of frustrations — at restrictions battering the economy and a perceived loss of civic freedom. In some places, people also voiced conspiracy theories and anti-vaccine views.
Police in Stuttgart said that the permitted number of 5,000 demonstrators was exceeded, and arriving participants were directed to another open space. Police were enforcing a mask requirement under threat of a $325 fine.
One sign called the face mask regulation modern slavery, while others read “Coronavirus is fake” and “Don’t give [Bill] Gates a chance,” in reference to theories that
seek to paint multibillionaire Microsoft founder Bill Gates as the enemy.
The permitted number of 1,000 protesters was reached in Munich on the Theresienwiese event grounds, site of the now-canceled Oktoberfest beer festival. The demonstration was one of a number of gatherings across the southern state of Bavaria.
The overflow participants lined up in the area before police began taking them away. Protesters remained largely peaceful.
Several dozen people protested anti-virus rules to loud music in Berlin in a taped-off demonstration area on the central Alexanderplatz square, overseen by 1,000 police officers who enforced a 6-foot distancing requirement and a ban on more than 50 people in one place, the dpa news agency reported.
More than 40 demonstrators, with loudspeakers and banners, were protesting against coronavirus conspiracy theories and in support of refugees’ rights, while a few yards away, dozens demonstrated against coronavirus restrictions and mandatory vaccination.
Police in Frankfurt had trouble keeping protesters and counterprotesters apart. Each side numbered about 1,500 participants.
One man was arrested after giving the Nazi salute, which is illegal in Germany. But while there were occasional heated exchanges of words, there was no physical violence, according to police.
Germany and other countries have started to loosen some of their restrictions on movement, gatherings and businesses, but with rules on numbers of customers and spacing of seating. Retailers and restaurants have been hit hard and face uncertain futures.
Germany’s professional soccer league resumed matches on Saturday in stadiums without spectators.
ELSEWHERE IN EUROPE
Dozens of people, including a senator, were detained during a protest by business owners in the Polish capital against coronavirus restrictions, while police used tear gas against protesters. The city of Warsaw said the gathering was illegal because it had not been previously approved.
Jacek Bury, a senator for the opposition Civic Platform party, said he was hurt by police when trying to defend another protester. Warsaw police said they faced cases of “aggression against police officers.” Police denied using force against Bury.
In Britain, anti-lockdown and anti-vaccine protesters held a gathering in Hyde Park in central London and were met by a heavy police presence.
The protesters chanted “freedom” and held handmade placards. Some sat on the grass and had picnics while observing social distancing guidelines, while others ignored the rules and gathered in groups.
Officers tried to disperse the groups, threatening them with fines if they didn’t comply. They arrested 13 people, the London Metropolitan Police Service said.
This is the first weekend since the British government eased lockdown rules for England, allowing people to spend more time outdoors. Activities that are now allowed include having picnics. They are also allowed to meet one other person from another household as long as social distancing is obeyed.
The Italian government announced Saturday that it will throw open its borders next month, effectively ending Europe’s longest and strictest coronavirus lockdown just as the summer tourism season gets underway.
Both regional and international borders will open June 3, with the government eliminating a 14-day quarantine for anyone arriving from abroad. Many hope the move will revive a decimated tourist industry, which is worth 13% of Italy’s gross domestic product.
The reopening of Italy’s borders allows 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.
“Venice lives on tourism, period,” said Claudio Scarpa, head of the city’s hotel association. ”All the economic structures that operate in the city, including the port, are tied to tourism.”
Germany — whose border is about a 4-hour drive from Venice through Austria — is instructing citizens not to travel abroad for tourism until at least June 15.
MORE REOPENINGS
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.
France, meanwhile, urged caution, calling for a coordinated 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.
In Australia, people went out to eat for the first time in weeks Saturday, but the reopening of restaurants, pubs and cafes came with a warning: Don’t overdo it.
“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.
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.
The country is slowly scaling back confinement measures, but the tourism industry, which accounts for 12% of GDP, looks set to lose its critical summer season.
“Spain needs tourism,” Sanchez said Saturday. “But tourism needs security. It needs health guarantees.”
LIMITS EASED IN U.S.
In the U.S., restaurants can reopen in New Orleans, a city famous for its cuisine, but they must take reservations and limit the number of diners. Auto and horse racing tracks in New York can resume competitions but without spectators.
Officials cautiously eased more restrictions Saturday on eateries, shops and outdoor venues as they tried to restart economies without triggering a surge in new coronavirus infections.
But the reopenings came with new rules designed to curb the spread of the disease — another indication that the familiar ways of dining out or watching sporting events are gone for now.
Public health experts warn that the pandemic, which has killed more than 88,000 people in the U.S. and 300,000 worldwide, could pick up again if precautions are not taken or if officials move too quickly to get people back to work.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said horse racing tracks and the Watkins Glen International auto track can reopen with “no crowds, no fans.” He also said he could envision a return of Major League Baseball in New York, the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, also without fans.
“People are going to be coming out of their homes,” he said. “How do they act when they come out? … If people are smart, you will see some increase in numbers, but you won’t see a spike.”
About 28,000 people have died in New York, the center of THE virus outbreak in the U.S. But the number of daily reported fatalities has dropped from a peak of 799 on April 9, and on Saturday the governor continued to report a decline in new and total hospitalizations and intensive care cases.
Cuomo, who said the state is facing a $61 billion budget shortfall, praised the U.S. House of Representatives for passing a $3 trillion stimulus bill on Friday night that would help bail out states hit hard by the virus. The bill is unlikely to be taken up by the Republican-controlled Senate anytime soon.
Still, the governor said senators should act on it, and he used strong language for any Republican reluctant to help states that are more blue than red.
“Shame on you,” he said. “Shame on you to look at the death toll on this nation and say: ‘I want to count how many people passed away by their political party, and I’m more interested in states where Republicans live than where Democrats live.’”
New Orleans, meanwhile, took its first steps to loosen restrictions that have been in place for two months, a day after the rest of Louisiana did the same.
The city is restricting buildings to 25% of capacity, like the rest of the state, but it also requires restaurants, nail salons and other businesses to take customers by reservation. The city has capped the number of people allowed in houses of worship and movie theaters at fewer than 100.
Malls and retail stores can reopen, but casinos, video poker, live entertainment and bars are still closed.
Some restaurateurs decided to try reopening. Others planned to stick to takeout or stay closed.
In March, the state was a hot spot for the virus, and there were worries that cases of the disease it causes, covid-19, would overwhelm the state health system. The number of confirmed cases still grows daily, with more than 34,000 reported as of Saturday. But hospitalizations have trended steadily downward since early April, and the percentage of new cases relative to the number of tests is declining. At least 2,479 virus-related deaths have been reported in the state.
In California, more parks and hiking trails welcomed visitors again in a second phase of reopening in which businesses deemed lower risk are allowed to operate with retailers offering curbside pickup.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. The vast majority of people recover. Information for this article was contributed by David McHugh, Kelvin Chan, Vanessa Gera, Rebecca Santana, Marina Villeneuve, Colleen Barry, David McHugh and Elaine Ganley of The Associated Press; by Deutsche Presse-Agentur; and by Ian Fisher and Tony Czuczka of Bloomberg News.