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The leaders of Europe’s worst-hit countries have vowed to keep the shutdown orders in place, but began outlining plans to reopen their economies amid signs they have overcome the worst of the coronavirus outbreak.
President Emmanuel Macron announced in a televised speech on Monday night that he would extend France’s national closure until May 11. But he said nursery schools and elementary and secondary schools would gradually reopen after that date and promised to be able to test everything with Covid-19 symptoms by then.
Macron’s signal that he was preparing to gradually lift the isolation orders next month came on the same day that Spain became the first of the most affected European countries to loosen its regulations, allowing workers in industries “not essentials “such as construction return to work after a two-week ban.
But Madrid warned that it could tighten Spain’s one-month blockade again if infections and deaths increase again. While 17,489 people died in Spain, the 517 deaths in the last 24 hours were at the peak of last week at more than 900 per day.
Still, there were mixed signs of how effectively the outbreak had been contained on the mainland. Last week, Italy extended its stringent social distancing measures until May 3, and on Monday announced that its death toll had increased by 566 in the past 24 hours, a puzzling increase from the 432 deaths reported on Sunday.
Despite the increase in deaths in Italy on Monday, which reached 20,465, surpassed only by the US. USA In reported coronavirus deaths, Italy, Spain and France have shown in recent days a leveling off or decline in death rates, leading some to hope that they could gradually reopen their economies in the coming weeks.
Brussels is expected to come up with an EU-wide plan to lift the restrictions next week that requires national capitals to coordinate their departure, according to a draft plan seen by the Financial Times.
“At a minimum, Member States must notify each other and [European] Commission in due course before they lift measures and take their views into account, ”the document says. “It is essential that there is a common approach and an operational framework.”
The UK’s daily death rate was also off last week’s highs at 717 on Monday, but Dominic Raab, the British foreign secretary who is in charge of daily decisions as Prime Minister Boris Johnson recovers from Covid-19 said that national restrictions remain in place for the foreseeable future.
“We are doing a great job in government to guide ourselves through the science and medical advice that it receives and I believe that until we get that evidence we will be moving forward,” said Mr. Raab.
The four worst-affected European countries have struggled with the political consequences of persistently high death rates. In his half-hour speech from the Elysee Palace in Paris, Macron made a contrite note, admitting that the government was unprepared for the outbreak.
“Were we prepared for this crisis? According to the evidence, it is not enough, although we do deal with it, ”he said in his fourth speech since the beginning of the crisis.
“The moment has revealed flaws and deficiencies,” he added, referring to the lack of masks and other medical equipment, even while holding out hope that a pandemic that has nearly overwhelmed hospitals in eastern France and the Paris area. to stagnate. France has seen 14,967 deaths from Covid-19 since March 1.
A rapid doubling of the number of intensive care beds to 10,000 in France and the transfer of hundreds of critically ill patients by train and plane from the worst regions to hospitals in least affected areas have enabled the country to treat all patients requiring treatment for emergency.
Macron said the current restrictions on movement: people can leave their homes just to go to work, buy essential supplies, help the vulnerable, seek treatment or exercise nearby for an hour a day, they will not ease or harden, but they will stay in place for another month because they had proven their worth.
“Hope has been reborn but nothing is guaranteed,” he said. “The epidemic has not yet been conquered. . . the more the rules are respected, the more lives we save. ”
Although younger children would gradually be allowed to return to school after May 11, Macron said universities would remain closed except for distance education, while bars, restaurants, and movie theaters would remain closed. There would be no major festivals until at least mid-July, he added. Borders with non-European countries would remain closed to visitors until further notice.
Macron, accused in the past by his opponents of being an arrogant “president of the wealthy,” adopted a determined but humble tone, saying that people needed to learn the lessons of the crisis. “We need to reinvent ourselves, starting with myself. . . Times will improve again and we will have happy days again. ”
Additional reports by Davide Ghiglione in Rome and Daniel Dombey in Madrid
