Add Category
Updated
Many countries around the world have begun announcing plans to ease tight lockdown measures.
The countries include some of the worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic, such as Spain and Italy.
As the plans are being revealed, the World Health Organisation is warning any rollback should be slow and only when there is capacity to isolate infected people and trace contacts.
Here's a look at the situation in some of Europe's biggest countries.
Spain to allow children to leave home
Spain will allow children to go outside for walks from next weekend, Health Minister Salvador Illa said, amid mounting criticism that the Government's restrictions unfairly penalised the very young.
The change came hours after the Government first announced young children — currently banned from leaving home under any circumstances — would be allowed to accompany their parents on essential trips such as to buy food or medicine.
That sparked fierce criticism on social media and widespread calls to let children outside to play.
Across Madrid, people banged on pots and pans from their balconies in protest.
"This is a Government that listens and next weekend I will issue an order allowing children under 14 to take walks from Sunday, April 26," Mr Illa told a news conference.
Despite allowing some businesses to reopen last week, Spain remains under one of Europe's strictest lockdowns with millions cooped up at home and not even allowed out for exercise.
The latest 24-hour tallies took fatalities to 21,282 and infections to 204,178.
Italy 'rethinking transport' as part of easing lockdown
Italy is likely to start easing its lockdown from May 4, although the long-awaited rollback will be cautious and calculated, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said.
The country has also been one of the hardest hit in the world by the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 24,100 people killed since the contagion first emerged in February.
Stay up-to-date on the coronavirus outbreak
Lockdown restrictions have put a major strain on the eurozone's third largest economy but with the number of new cases gradually slowing, Mr Conte said he would unveil by the weekend government plans to loosen the shutdown.
"I wish I could say: 'Let's reopen everything. Immediately. We start tomorrow morning' … But such a decision would be irresponsible," Mr Conte wrote in a Facebook post.
He promised "a serious, scientific plan" that would include a "rethinking of modes of transport" to enable workers to travel in safety, and new business rules and measures to check whether the loosening was leading to a rise in infections.
"It is reasonable to expect that we will apply it from May 4," he said, adding that a rushed, disorganised exit strategy would make a mockery of the sacrifices Italians had accepted.
But Mr Conte did not give any specific details about which businesses would be allowed to reopen first or what limits might be maintained on movement around the country.
France prepares for staggered reopening of schools
France is planning to lift confinement measures starting from May 11, and Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer provided some details about the Government's plans for schools.
He said children would progressively return to school over a three-week period depending on their age.
Classes will be split in small groups of no more than 15 students and some children will practice sports and open-air activities, while others will be in classrooms.
France has registered at least 20,796 deaths from the coronavirus, as the number of hospitalised patients infected with COVID-19 continues to slowly decrease for the sixth straight day.
National health agency chief Jerome Salomon reported on Tuesday 12,900 deaths at hospitals and 7,896 in nursing homes since the beginning of the outbreak in the country.
Overall, death rates nationwide were 61 per cent higher than usual from March 30 to April 5 and 47 per cent higher than usual from April 6 to April 12, Mr Salomon said.
Shops, car and bicycle dealers back in business in Germany
Shops up to 800 square metres, as well as car and bicycle dealers and bookstores, have been allowed to reopen in Germany this week under an agreement with the leaders of Germany's 16 states.
Schools are set to begin reopening in two weeks.
Your questions on coronavirus answered:
But Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Germans to remain disciplined to avoid a relapse in the fight against coronavirus.
The federal and state governments have strongly recommended Germans wear face masks when shopping and on public transport, and some states have even made that compulsory.
Germany has the fifth highest number of COVID-19 cases in the world at 141,672 but has kept fatalities down thanks to early and extensive testing.
The death toll stands at 4,404.
Children in the Netherlands to resume sport training
Photo:
The death toll in the Netherlands from coronavirus stands at nearly 4,000. (AP: Peter Dejong)
The Dutch Government took the first tentative steps in relaxing measures, allowing primary school children to return to their classrooms part-time beginning on May 11 and allowing children to take part in sport training from April 29.
High schools have been told to prepare for students to return to class on June 2.
What the experts are saying about coronavirus:
At the same time, Prime Minister Mark Rutte extended a ban on all large-scale events, such as music festivals and professional soccer, until September 1, while bars and restaurants will remain shut until at least May 20.
Mr Rutte told the nation: "Caution now is better than regret later."
The Netherlands has been in what Mr Rutte calls an "intelligent lockdown" since mid-March that closed down schools, restaurants, bars and museums but stopped short of ordering people in the nation of 17 million to stay home.
The official Dutch death toll stands at 3,916, but that only includes people who have tested positive. Authorities say the true toll is higher.
People over 65 allowed out in Serbia for first time in a month
Serbia's elderly ventured outside on Tuesday for the first time in more than a month as authorities eased some of the strict measures there.
The Government is now allowing people over 65 years old to go out for a walk three times a week during a daily curfew when the rest of the population must stay indoors.
Authorities say they want to keep vulnerable elderly residents safe.
Serbia has had some of the toughest rules in Europe as part of efforts to curb the spread of the virus.
People over 65 were only allowed to go shopping for groceries once a week and very early in the morning.
Most people who ventured out on Tuesday evening were wearing face masks and some couples were holding hands. One man said he was out for the first time in 35 days.
Serbia has reported 6,890 cases of COVID-19, while 130 people have died.
AP/Reuters
What you need to know about coronavirus:
Topics: covid-19, diseases-and-disorders, health, infectious-diseases-other, schools, education, older-people, world-politics, government-and-politics, spain, italy, france, netherlands, serbia, germany
First posted