Germany plans hotel, store reopenings
Nation also preparing plan for if virus returns
BERLIN — As Europe and the
U.S. loosen their lockdowns against the coronavirus, health experts are expressing growing dread over what they say is an all-but-certain second wave of deaths and infections that could force governments to clamp back down.
Around the world, German authorities began drawing up plans in case of a resurgence of the virus. Experts in Italy urged intensified efforts to identify new victims and trace their contacts. And France, which hasn’t yet eased its lockdown, has already worked up a “reconfinement plan” in the event of a new wave.
“There will be a second wave, but the problem is to which extent. Is it a small wave or a big wave? It’s too early to say,” said Olivier Schwartz, head of the virus unit at France’s Pasteur Institute.
German officials on Wednesday cleared the way for restaurants, hotels and remaining stores to reopen in the coming weeks, and for the country’s soccer league to resume play. They also put in place a requirement for regions to reimpose restrictions if coronavirus infections rebound.
Germany, which began shutting down public life in mid-march, has seen the number of new cases fall sharply in recent weeks. It started loosening restrictions more than two weeks ago, when small shops were allowed to reopen. Other facilities, including hairdressers and zoos, have followed.
“We have a very, very good development of the figures for new infections, and that makes it possible for us to take further steps,” Chancellor Angela Merkel said after consulting with the governors of Germany’s 16 states.
German politicians have faced mounting pressure from businesses demanding a return to normality. But Merkel made clear there will be conditions attached to the latest decision, and that officials and citizens alike will need to act responsibly.
“We must take care that things don’t slip out of our hands, and I have a good feeling because we agreed on this emergency mechanism today,” she said. “We are not just saying what we are opening, but also that if something happens locally we won’t wait until it has spread through the whole republic.”
In other developments:
The U.K. has become the second country to record more than 30,000 deaths as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Robert Jenrick, the communities secretary, said at the government’s daily briefing that another 649 people in the U.K. have died in all settings, including hospitals and care homes, after testing positive for the coronavirus.
That takes the U.K.’S official death toll to 30,076, only behind the United States.
The number of people who have recovered from coronavirus in Italy is higher than the number of people who are actually positive for the first time since Italy created the first red zones on Feb. 21.
As of Wednesday, 93,245 people have been dismissed from hospitals after recovering from the virus, while 91,528 people are currently positive, according to the civil protection agency.
South Korea reported no new cases in cities and towns Wednesday, with its only two new cases detected in airport screenings. The country is preparing to reopen schools starting next week.
Australia recorded 26 new virus cases overnight mainly due to clusters at a Sydney nursing home and a Melbourne abattoir. Deputy Chief medical Officer Paul Kelly said the daily increase was larger than had been usual in recent weeks but he is confident health authorities are quickly getting on top of the clusters. The Australian government plans to announce on Friday a relaxation of lockdown rules to get more people back to work.