In Germany, which been among the most successful in Europe to contain the disease and where authorities have declared it ‘under control’, smaller shops in some regions were to reopen. AFP
Parts of Europe hit hard by the deadly coronavirus pandemic took tentative steps towards resuming normal lives on Monday, with Germany allowing some shops to reopen and Norway restarting nurseries.
Governments across the world are debating how and when to ease the lockdowns that have kept more than half of humanity – 4.5 billion people – confined to their homes and crippled the global economy.
The respiratory virus has claimed roughly 166,000 lives, with nearly two thirds of the victims in Europe.
But there were encouraging signs over the weekend in Europe with daily death tolls dropping in Italy, Spain, France and Britain.
In Germany, which been among the most successful in Europe to contain the disease and where authorities have declared it “under control”, smaller shops in some regions were to reopen on Monday.
Larger shops and those in major German cities will open later as part of an attempted phased return to a more normal existence that will also see some students go back to school from May 4.
Adding another flicker of hope in Europe, Norway allowed children to go back to nurseries on Monday, although some parents expressed reservations over the decision.
Hard-hit Spain, where a nationwide lockdown has been extended, also said it would ease restrictions to allow children time outside.
Spain registered 410 new fatalities on Sunday, the lowest daily count in almost a month, and a figure that health ministry emergencies coordinator Fernando Simon said “gives us hope”.
Authorities are even starting to shut some makeshift facilities set up to relieve the overburdened health system, including a morgue at a Madrid ice rink.
France also said a nationwide lockdown in force for a month was beginning to bear fruit.
“We are scoring points against the epidemic,” said French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe.
Across the other side of the world, New Zealand announced on Monday that it will ease a nationwide lockdown next week, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern saying: “We have stopped a wave of devastation.”
Iran, which has the Middle East’s deadliest outbreak, also allowed some “low-risk” businesses to reopen on Saturday.
But after Christians around the world marked Easter with subdued ceremonies, Muslims in the Middle East and beyond are preparing for a bleak Ramadan – the holiest month in the Islamic calendar – which begins later this week.
Mosque prayers have been suspended and Iftar feasts cancelled in many countries.
Several countries’ religious authorities, including Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Abdulaziz al-Sheikh, have ruled that prayers during Ramadan and Eid be performed at home.
Mosque prayers have been suspended and Iftar feasts cancelled in many countries.
In the US – the country with the highest number of deaths and infections – New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the outbreak was “on the descent”.
Cuomo cautioned that it was “no time to get cocky”, although the warmer weather lured New Yorkers out of their homes and into parks over the weekend.
In Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro – who has repeatedly claimed the virus threat is overblown – joined hundreds of protesters in Brasilia who objected to state governors’ stay-home orders.
Brazil has the most infections in Latin America, a region where a tally on Sunday showed total cases had surpassed 100,000 with nearly 5,000 deaths.
“Count on your president to do what is necessary so that we can guarantee democracy and what is most dear to us, our freedom,” Bolsonaro told the protesters in an address that was interspersed with fits of coughing.
In Thailand, the situation has started to improve as the number of provinces without a new case in the last 14 days increased by four to 33, reported The Nation. Prachuap Khiri Khan, Sakon Nakhon, Surin, and Ayutthaya are the new additions.
In Vietnam, no new Covid-19 cases have been detected for the fourth day running, reported Viet Nam News.
The total amount of people who have contracted the disease since the very first case in mid-January remains at 268. Of those, 202 have made a full recovery and have been given the all-clear.
Although one of those cases, a 44-year-old woman from Hanoi, has tested positive for a second time. She is currently being treated at the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases.
Authorities are tracking and tracing people she came in close contact with after she was previously discharged.
