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Millions of people across Europe will adopt a relaxation of the rules for staying home on Monday, as countries around the world tentatively plan their way through the coronavirus crisis.
In FranceSince Monday, members of the public were able to go outside without getting a permit for the first time in nearly eight weeks, teachers will begin to return to elementary schools, and some stores, including beauty salons, will reopen. However, bars, restaurants, theaters and cinemas will remain closed.
In Spain, urban hotspots like Madrid and Barcelona remain locked, but elsewhere people made plans to meet friends and family in bars and restaurants that have outdoor spaces.
At United KingdomPrime Minister Boris Johnson was criticized for being divisive, confusing and vague in explaining his plan for a gradual reduction of the blockade in England.
Almost seven weeks after a national order to stay home was established in Britain, nearly 32,000 people died, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker, the worst number in Europe and second only to the United States.
Johnson, who spent a week in the hospital with Covid-19, said Sunday that the measures had come “at a colossal cost to our lifestyle,” but added that it would be “folly” to squander progress by moving too soon.
Johnson said schools in England and some stores could open next month, and that the government was “actively encouraging” people to return to work if they cannot do so from home.
Opposition leader Keir Starmer said the prime minister “appears to be effectively telling millions of people to go back to work tomorrow” without the necessary guidance. “But we don’t have the guidelines, and we don’t know how it will work with public transportation, so a lot of questions arise,” added the Labor leader.
In Europe, some officials have been emboldened by declining death rates: France’s number of 70 on Sunday was the lowest since early April, and Spain’s daily deaths have dropped below 200.
But the risk of a second wave was underlined by a resurgence in South Korea. Although widely praised for its handling of its initial outbreak, the country has been forced to close all bars and clubs in the capital Seoul after a group of infections.
China He reported his first infection in more than a month on Sunday in Wuhan, where the outbreak began late last year. Wuhan Monday reported five new cases transmitted locally by Covid-19, the highest since March 11. They were all in the same residential complex in the city.
The Chinese city of Shulan, near the borders of Russia and North Korea, has been reclassified as high-risk after three new cases emerged. Last week, China marked a successful milestone with all low-risk regions. Nationwide, 17 new cases were reported, the highest in nearly two weeks. Of the new cases, seven were called imported cases in Inner Mongolia involving travelers from abroad.
There was uncertainty in Germany, too, with at least one district forced to re-impose restrictions after an outbreak at a meat-processing plant. And even as the country loosened its blockade restrictions, the latest German data also indicated that the infection rate was increasing again.
In Spain, however, some communities were preparing to celebrate.
“We have already set a date for dinner on Wednesday, just 10 of us. I can’t wait to touch someone, kiss and be kissed, “said Beatriz González, 66, in the city of Las Palmas in the Canary Islands.
Belgium and Greece They are among other European nations that will facilitate the blockades on Monday. Turkey It had already eased some restrictions and allowed seniors over 65 for the first time on Sunday.
I ran, the country most affected by the Middle East, has also relaxed its closure measures, and the bazaars and shopping malls in the capital Tehran have been boiling again after being nearly deserted for weeks. But Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour warned that the situation “should not be considered in any way normal” as a region saw a rapid increase in its death rate and re-imposed a blockade.
In the meantime, Russia and Brazil they both had grim milestones over the weekend.
Russia’s cases topped 200,000 and their number is expected to become the highest in Europe in a matter of days, even if the death toll remains relatively low at less than 2,000.
While authorities say the figures reveal the effectiveness of Russia’s testing regime, a union of opposition-allied doctors said authorities reported that the deaths of doctors were not enough.
For Brazil, the signs are more sinister. Authorities confirmed that more than 10,000 had died in the most affected Latin American country. Scientists warned that the actual numbers could be many times higher, given the lack of widespread evidence.
In a sign that officials were not yet coping with the crisis, President Jair Bolsonaro, who compared the coronavirus to a “small flu” and criticized the regional blockades, was seen on a floating jet ski.
The disease has also moved in the U.S in the inner circle of the White House, with a valet to President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence’s spokeswoman testing positive. Pence’s office said she was not quarantined and would work at the White House on Monday. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease official for the US government. And two other high-ranking leaders in the fight against Covid-19 began self-quarantining on Sunday.
In other coronavirus developments:
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New ZealandFrontline domestic violence services will receive a record amount of NZ $ 200 million (£ 99 million) of funds in this week’s budget to help authorities struggling after weeks of strict blockade. New Zealand has one of the highest rates of sexual and domestic violence in the developed world.
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In the Australian state of VictoryRapid response teams have been established to tackle clusters and monitor high-risk facilities. Sewage testing funds will be provided to trace the virus in the community. The restrictions will be reduced starting Tuesday night, and people will be able to visit friends and family, with a maximum gathering of 10 outdoors and up to five visitors at home.
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In India, one of the world’s largest train networks, will “gradually” restart operations starting Tuesday. Thirty train trips, or 15 return trips, will be made from Delhi to other cities such as Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai, Indian Railways said Sunday night.
