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Spain is starting to return to work today as nonessential workers, such as factory and construction personnel, were able to resume their jobs after a two-week ban.
Police were handing out millions of masks at Spanish metro stations today when some people returned to work, although the broader coronavirus blockade remains in effect.
People returning today include metalworkers, builders, cleaners, factory and shipyard workers, and people involved in sanitation and safety.
A construction union said that the resumption of the materials, wood and furniture industries would lead to at least 1.7 million people returning to work, although today is a holiday in some regions of Spain.
The two-week “ hibernation ” of nonessential business was imposed on March 30, making the closure even more difficult than in Britain, where people have always been able to travel if they cannot work from home.
There was more stimulus for Spain today as the number of new cases fell to 3,477, the lowest since March 20. The number of daily deaths also fell to 517 after jumping sharply to 619 yesterday.
Meanwhile, Italy will allow bookstores, stationeries and shops selling children’s clothing to reopen tomorrow in the first release of the longest running of the bulls in Europe.
In Denmark, schools and kindergartens will reopen on Wednesday, which will allow some parents to return to work.
Austria is also opening some stores this week, but French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to warn later that the blockade there will last for more weeks.
A police officer delivers a face mask, while also wearing it, at a Madrid metro station today, as some workers were allowed to resume their jobs in Spain.
This graph shows the daily number of deaths from coronavirus in Spain, which fell to 517 today after an alarming increase of 619 yesterday.
The number of new infections announced today was 3,477, the lowest number since March 20 and a record low increase of 2.1 percent.
Passengers keep their distance in the Madrid metro, as nonessential workers can return to work today
Workers on a construction site in Madrid today after some nonessential economic activities were allowed to resume after a two-week suspension
Spain is lifting its ban on non-essential work today despite concerns from some regional leaders and unions who fear a resurgence of the outbreak.
The country has been under a general blockade since March 14, but the measures were further tightened on March 30, when all non-core businesses closed for two weeks until Easter.
The broader blockade is still in place and likely to be extended, but the government has not extended the business closure.
Watched by a world willing to moderate the economic impact of the blockade, workers and their companies must comply with strict regulations to ensure they are not infected by the virus.
One company, the Burgos-based industrial group Nicolás Correa, said it would take steps to prioritize the health of its staff.
“We will continue to work in shifts, with staggered entrances and exits to avoid concentrations of personnel,” he said, adding that all workers would receive protective equipment.
Police also deliver face masks at train stations today, including on Madrid’s metro system.
But only a few passengers entered and left the main entrance of Madrid’s bustling Atocha train station on Monday morning.
Road traffic was also light, with mainly public buses passing. Easter Monday is a public holiday in some Spanish regions, including Catalonia, although not in Madrid.
Healthcare workers in masks console each other during a tribute to a colleague named Esteban who died of coronavirus, today outside a hospital in Leganés, Spain.
Several workers meet this morning at a construction site in Madrid, which has been the worst affected part of Spain since the epidemic began.
This chart shows comparative trends in the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, and the United States. Britain’s figures have generally been two weeks behind Italy’s.
A man takes a face mask from a police officer before boarding a bus to work in Valladolid, northern Spain, this morning.
Some workers expressed their reluctance to return. “He finally convinces himself that we are home for a good cause,” said Benito Guerrero, a 28-year-old communication consultant in Madrid.
“I would not want to go back to work until it is strictly necessary, as that would put my health and that of other people at risk.”
Carlos Mogorran Flores, a 27-year-old civil engineer from Extremadura, planned to return to work on Tuesday after the holidays, although he said it was still risky.
“I would have preferred to wait 15 more days confined at home or at least one more week and then return. You are always afraid of catching him and even more knowing that your life may be in danger, or your relatives, ” he said.
‘I live with my parents and my sister and they don’t leave home. That’s what scares me the most.
Returning workers are advised not to share equipment, wear gloves and masks, stay 6 feet apart, and practice social distancing on public transportation.
Other businesses, including bars, clubs, pubs, and restaurants, remain closed and can stay that way for weeks.
Food stores, pharmacies and medical centers, tobacconists, gas stations, pet food and technology stores, Internet commerce and laundries have always remained open.
The loosening occurs despite an increase in new deaths yesterday. A further 619 deaths were announced Sunday, compared to 510 on Saturday, ending three days of declining deaths.
However, the numbers improved again today when the number of deaths fell to 517 and the number of new cases reached its lowest level for 24 days.
The 3,477 new cases marked an increase of just 2.1 percent, the smallest since the crisis began.
The total number of infections increases from 166,019 to 169,496, while the 517 new deaths bring the figure from 16,972 to 17,489.
The regional leader of Catalonia, the second most affected part of Spain after Madrid, had asked that the closing of the business be extended for two more weeks.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez warned that the country was “far from victory” over the epidemic.
“We are all eager to get back out on the street … but our desire is even greater to win the war and avoid a relapse,” he said.
A woman in a mask accepts another from a municipal police officer at a Madrid metro station this morning
Passengers sit a certain distance aboard a Madrid metro train this morning after some workers were allowed to resume work.
Italy opens bookstores, stationeries and children’s clothing stores.
A handful of stores will open in Italy tomorrow despite the broader blockade that runs until May 3.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte says bookstores, stationeries and shops selling children’s clothing can reopen from Tuesday after Easter weekend.
However, factories will remain closed, shattering the hopes of industry bosses who have warned of an economic catastrophe.
There is also some disagreement between the regions. The Lombardy governor says bookstores in his affected region will remain closed, but the Ligurian leader wants some construction sites to be reopened.
Italy has been under a national blockade since March 9, longer than any other European country.
The quarantine measures will continue until at least May 3 after Conte extended them the second time on Friday.
“This is a difficult but necessary decision for which I take full political responsibility,” Conte said at a press conference.
Conte said he would continue to assess the daily trend of COVID-19 infections and “act accordingly” if conditions allow.
Yesterday’s death toll in Italy was 431, the lowest since March 19, offering new hope that the worst may have happened in Italy.
The number of new cases has increased by 2-3% per day in the past week, compared to a normal 20-25% at the peak of the crisis.
This chart shows the daily number of deaths in Italy, which fell to 431 yesterday, the lowest number since mid-March.
Denmark to reopen schools and kindergartens on Wednesday
Denmark, one of the first European countries to close, will reopen nurseries and schools for children in first through fifth grade on Wednesday.
Schools and childcare centers have been closed since March 11, along with cafeterias, restaurants, and gyms, which will remain closed.
The ban on gatherings of more than 10 people will remain in effect until at least May 10, while larger gatherings will be banned until August.
‘This will probably be a bit like tightrope walking. If we stay still on the road we could fall and if we go too fast, it can go wrong. Therefore, we must take one cautious step at a time, ‘Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said at a press conference.
Before the crisis, the country was close to full employment with an unemployment rate of 3.7%, the lowest in more than a decade.
But even with emergency economic measures, Denmark, like many other countries, is still experiencing a rise in unemployment.
Since the country’s containment measures were introduced in mid-March, twice the usual number of people have registered for unemployment every day, according to the Ministry of Employment.
The Danish Industry Confederation already estimates that there are around 10,000 more unemployed in the country than at the height of the financial crisis.
Young people speak to each other remotely during an Easter service at Denmark’s Aalborg airport, where some schools will reopen this week.
Emmanuel Macron warns that the French bull run will last for weeks
French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to warn today that France’s blockade will continue for at least several more weeks.
Macron’s third prime-time speech during the crisis comes amid tentative signs that the epidemic is beginning to stall.
The number of patients in intensive care has decreased over the past four days, and the death rate has also shown signs of decline.
But officials have warned that the situation remains dire, especially in the Ile-de-France region near Paris, with no quick return to normal in sight.
The confinement has confined the French to their homes for nearly a month, with only brief trips allowed outside for shopping and other essential errands.
Sources said Macron would announce that the blockade should extend beyond its expiration date of April 15 until well into May.
A source close to the president said he would speak in terms of a May date for the end of the blockade, but after the holiday weekend of May 8-10.
The date should be “far enough away for everyone to understand the effort that still needs to be made, but close enough to outline what France will look like afterwards.”
It is not expected to issue judgments on specific issues, such as whether the use of masks in public should be generalized, or on tracing and testing.
French media said the restrictions could continue until the end of May, and that schools will only reopen with the new academic year in September.
Parisians applauded medical workers on their balconies last night with banners saying ‘thank you’ and greeting the ‘everyday heroes’ working in the health service
Angela Merkel to discuss lifting Germany’s restrictions on Wednesday
Angela Merkel will speak to the leaders of Germany’s 16 states on Wednesday to discuss a possible loosening of the blockade.
The current restrictions will expire on April 19 and the government has yet to say what will happen next.
Merkel has downplayed the possibility of schools opening after the Easter break, saying it would be difficult to maintain social distancing.
The chancellor said last week that a relaxation would depend not only on the latest figures, but also on other criteria, including health care capacity.
Many of the early closure measures, such as school closings, were imposed by the states instead of the federal government in Berlin.
Today’s figures showed just 2,537 new infections in Germany, the smallest increase since March 22 and the third consecutive day of decline.
The death toll also declined marginally, from 129 to 126, after peaking at 266 in Friday’s figures.
Germany’s mortality rate of 2.3%, 23 deaths per 1,000 confirmed patients, is markedly lower than in Britain, France, Spain, or Italy.
