Portugal sees opening after long lockdown

While most of the Europe Union grapples with new surges of coronavirus cases and brings back curbs on what people can do, Portugal is going in the other direction.

Starting Monday, the Portuguese will be able to go to restaurants, shopping malls and cinemas. Classes will resume at high schools and universities. Schools for younger children are already open, as are cafe and restaurant esplanades.

After becoming the world’s worsthit country by size of population in January, Portugal has seen the pandemic ebb significantly. Ricardo Mexia, head of the National Association of Public Health Doctors, said Portugal is reaping the fruit of a lockdown that began in midJanuary and “went on probably a bit longer than was strictly necessary.”

The virus incidence rate per 100,000 population over 14 days — a key pandemic metric — stands at 68. At the end of January, it was 1,628. Meanwhile, the number of hospitalized virus patients has fallen to manageable levels. The intensive care units in the country of 10.3 million people were treating more than 900 patients in early February, but now are looking after 101.

Prime Minister Antonio Costa warned that the country could reverse gear and go back into lockdown if cases start to rise again. The requirement to wear masks and abide by social distancing rules remain in place, Costa said, as does a mandatory workfromhome order.

ZIMBABWE

Inmates freed to slow spread

Zimbabwe has begun releasing about 3,000 prisoners under a presidential amnesty aimed at easing congestion to reduce the threat of COVID19 in the country’s overcrowded jails.

About 400 prisoners were released from Chikurubi prison and other jails in the capital, Harare, on Saturday with more coming from other prisons countrywide.

Zimbabwe’s prisons have a capacity of 17,000 inmates but held about 22,000 before the amnesty declared by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Those to be released had been convicted of nonviolent crimes. All females imprisoned for nonviolent crimes and who served a third of their sentences are to be released, as will all disabled persons convicted of nonviolent crimes.

Authorities have suspended visits to prisons while plans are made to vaccinate inmates as part of measures to combat the spread of the virus, said Alvord Gapare, the commander for prisons in Harare.

THAILAND

New protective measures set

Health officials have announced new restrictions to slow the spread of the coronavirus but did not institute curfews or lockdowns.

Infections have been surging to record highs almost daily since early April. Most of the new cases involve the virus variant first found in Britain.

The new protective measures take effect nationwide Sunday for at least two weeks. They include restrictions on school, no gatherings of more than 50 people and closing of bars. Prime Minister Prayuth Chanocha suggested harsher measures could cause economic hardships. MICHIGAN

5 more weeks of mask mandate

Michigan has extended by five weeks an order that requires masks in public, limits capacity inside businesses and caps gathering sizes, as the state continues to confront the country’s highest daily coronavirus infection rate.

The state health department’s measure, which replaces one that was due to expire Monday, includes a change. Children ages 2 to 4 in day care facilities or camps are no longer exempt from having to wear face coverings, starting April 26.

Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has resisted tightening restrictions that were in place during two previous COVID19 surges, including prohibitions on indoor restaurant dining, inperson high school instruction and youth sports. She instead is urging a voluntary pause on the activities and pushing vaccinations and treatments.

Michigan’s daily case rate has led the U.S. for weeks and COVID19 hospitalizations in the state hit a record last week.

ALASKA

Airports will offer vaccines

Gov. Mike Dunleavy says COVID19 vaccines will be made available at key airports in Alaska starting June 1.

He made the announcement as he unveiled plans aimed at bolstering Alaska’s pandemicbattered tourist industry.

Dunleavy, a Republican, outlined plans for a national marketing campaign aimed at luring tourists and said the vaccine offering is “probably another good reason to come to the state of Alaska in the summer.”

Dunleavy and other state leaders have been pushing to allow large cruise ships to return to Alaska after COVID19 restrictions kept them away last year. He said the state has not ruled out suing the federal government, as Florida has, over the issue.

The state plans to offer vaccines at airports in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau and Ketchikan, with the clinics outside the security area.

Mladen Antonov / AFP / Getty Images Medical workers register people during a mass testing event at a sports complex in Bangkok. Virus infections have been surging to record highs almost daily in Thailand since the beginning of April.