Europe set to ease lockdown restrictions as virus hopes rise
EUROPE on Sunday prepared for a further cautious easing of coronavirus restrictions following signs the pandemic may be slowing, after Spaniards flocked to the streets to jog, cycle and rollerskate for the first time after 48 days of confinement.
More than 245,000 people have been killed and 3.5 million infected worldwide by the virus, which has left half of humanity under some form of lockdown and pushed the global economy towards its worst downturn since the Great Depression.
With signs that the spread of the contagion has been brought under control, parts of Europe and the US have begun to lift restrictions to try to inject life into economies crippled by weeks of closures and ease the pressure from populations wearying of captivity.
After a two-month lockdown in Italy – with the second-highest number of virus deaths in the world – people on Monday will be allowed to stroll in parks and visit relatives. Restaurants can open for takeaway and wholesale stores can resume business.
Russia on Sunday registered 10,633 new coronavirus infections, marking a fresh one-day record increase. The tally currently stands at 134,687 cases, Russian authorities said.
Despite the increase in cases, the government has indicated it could gradually lift confinement measures from May 12, but the easing will depend on the region.
Germany will also continue its easing at the start of the week, with schools in some areas expected to reopen, while Slovenia and Poland will allow some businesses and public spaces to operate again.
France has said it will partially lift its lockdown on May 11.
But with health experts warning the disease could hit hard once again, they are sticking to social distancing measures, the use of masks and more testing to try to track infections.
Despite the lingering concerns, there was joy and relief in Spain on Saturday, where people were allowed to exercise and walk freely after the government eased seven weeks of strict lockdown in a country with one of the highest number of deaths at more than 25,000.
Across the Atlantic, the pressure to ease virus measures is intense on leaders in the US, where the economy has been hammered with tens of millions left jobless and antilockdown protests erupting in many areas.
The US has the most coronavirus deaths in the world, though there are signs that the pandemic is slowing down in some parts of the country.
In New York City, the epicentre of the US outbreak, an emergency field hospital erected in Central Park is set to close, the Christian charity running it said on Saturday, as virus cases decline in the city.
But authorities are wary of letting their guard down too fast, with fears the virus could wreak havoc in the most vulnerable communities in the US.
A massive wave of infections is sweeping through the US’ prison population – the world’s largest at 2.3 million – with coronavirus deaths on the rise in jails and penitentiaries across the country.
Riots over inadequate protection and slow responses by authorities have already taken place in prisons in Washington state and Kansas.
In addition to Europe, countries elsewhere are also relaxing some coronavirus measures.
Singapore has announced it would gradually ease some of its restrictions, while Turkey on Saturday said it would lift curbs on the export of medical supplies.
Thailand allowed businesses such as restaurants, hair salons and outdoor markets to reopen on Sunday so long as social distancing was maintained and temperature checks carried out.
But experts have warned that some countries are still in the first stages of their outbreaks and things could get worse there.
In a sign of the pandemic’s emotional toll, families of coronavirus victims in the Philippines are being denied traditional death rites in favour of hurried, impersonal cremations, with virus restrictions often meaning they cannot take a last look at their loved ones.
Leandro Resurreccion IV, 26, was not allowed to visit his father as he was dying from the virus in hospital, and never saw his corpse – just the plastic he was wrapped in.
“The fact that my family wasn’t able to say goodbye could probably be the second most tragic thing that happened after my dad’s death,” he said.