Coronavirus latest: new outbreak warning as global death toll nears 300,000
- Chinese city in partial lockdown over ‘major risk’ of virus spread; Pakistan crosses 2,000 new cases in a single day
- Pence ‘keeping his distance’ from Trump for a few days; Australia’s treasurer tests negative after coughing fit
Austria said its border with Germany would reopen fully on June 15, and that border checks would be reduced starting on Friday. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said Austria was aiming for similar agreements with Switzerland, Liechtenstein and its eastern neighbours “as long as the infection figures allow”.
But Kurz said it’s too early to talk about such measures with Italy, one of the world’s hardest-hit countries, with more than 220,000 infections and 30,000 deaths. “There’s no perspective for opening the border soon.”
German Foreign Minister Heiko Mass said his country will lift a blanket warning against foreign travel for European destinations before other places, but didn’t specify when. Germany’s warning against all non-essential tourist travel abroad runs until at least June 14.
European countries have also begun slowly easing their their lockdowns, from barber shops being allowed to reopen next week in Belgium to some schools starting up again in a few days in Portugal. But a raft of safety rules are being put in place, including reducing the number of children in Belgian preschool classes and various forms of social distancing.