Coronavirus: Europe takes cautious first steps to reopening amid threat of new outbreaks
- More nations in Europe are making plans to partly reopen their economies as infections and deaths decline
- Europe has been hit hard by Covid-19 and is bracing for the worst recession in living memory
European governments began stepping up planning for the next phase of their fight against the spread of the coronavirus, as countries at the heart of the outbreak reported fewer deaths from the disease.
Italy and Spain, Europe’s two hardest-hit countries, along with neighbouring France, all signalled tentative moves to open up their economies after weeks of lockdowns.
Seven weeks into Italy’s strict lockdown, Premier Giuseppe Conte on Sunday laid out a long-awaited timetable for getting back to normal, announcing that factories, construction sites and wholesale supply businesses can resume activity as soon as they put safety measures in place against the virus.
Conte also said that starting May 4, parks and gardens will reopen, funerals will be allowed, athletes can resume training, and people will be able to visit relatives living in the same region. If all goes well, stores and museums will open May 18, and restaurants, cafes and salons on June 1, he said.
But he warned that if people don’t wear masks and obey other social-distancing rules, “the curve of contagion can rise again, it will go out of control, deaths will climb and we’ll have irreparable damage” to the economy.
On Sunday in Spain, where the crisis is also easing, the streets echoed again with children’s shrieks of joy and the clatter of bicycles after youngsters under 14 were allowed out of their homes with one parent for up to an hour of play.
