BERLIN Germany and other parts of Europe took tentative steps to ease lockdown measures on Monday but officials warned the battle against the coronavirus pandemic was far from over. Some shops reopened in Germany and parents dropped their children off at nurseries in Norway as tight restrictions in place for weeks were lifted in parts of the continent. After being hit hard by the virus that first emerged in China late last year, Europe has seen encouraging signs in recent days, with death rates dropping in Italy, Spain, France and Britain. The hope is tempered by fears of new waves of infections, warnings that life will not be back to normal for many months and deep concern over the devastating impact the virus is having on the global economy. But even the smallest return to normality was welcome. Tattoo parlours and hair salons in Denmark. Beaches in Australia. Bookstores in Germany. Nations around the world took advantage Monday of their flattening coronavirus infection curves to tentatively ease lockdowns, edging towards a new yet unknown state of normal amid a devastating pandemic. In the German city of Leipzig, fashion store owner Manuela Fischer said she was ‘incredibly happy’ to be welcoming shoppers again. In Norway, Silje Skifjell dropped off her boys Isaak and Kasper at a nursery in the north of the capital Oslo. ‘He was so excited we had to leave the house early to come here and see the other children,’ she said of four-year-old Isaak, her eldest. ‘I almost cried, he was so happy to see his friends.’ Governments around the world are mulling how and when to ease lockdowns that have kept more than half of humanity confined to their homes. The virus has so far infected more than 2.3 million people globally and killed roughly 165,000, with nearly two thirds of the victims in Europe, according to an AFP tally. Germany, which has been hailed for keeping fatalities low despite a significant number of cases, is allowing smaller shops to reopen in some regions from 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. But officials are keeping a watchful eye, with Chancellor Angela Merkel saying Monday she is ‘greatly concerned’ that virus-fighting discipline among the German public may ebb. Hard-hit Spain, where a nationwide lockdown has been extended, also said it would ease some restrictions to allow children time outside. Spain on Monday recorded 399 coronavirus deaths in the last 24 hours, its lowest daily count in weeks, and authorities are starting to shut some makeshift facilities set up to relieve the overburdened health system, including a morgue at a Madrid ice rink. France, which on Sunday recorded its lowest number of hospital deaths since March 23, also said a nationwide lockdown in force for a month was beginning to bear fruit. ‘We are scoring points against the epidemic,’ French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said, adding a strong note of caution. ‘To imagine that, because the situation has stopped worsening and is starting to improve, the epidemic is behind us, would be a mistake,’ Philippe said. In Australia, authorities in Sydney reopened three beaches for walking, running, swimming or surfing, while New Zealand announced that it will ease a nationwide lockdown next week, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern saying: ‘We have stopped a wave of devastation.’ The number of novel coronavirus cases worldwide passed 2.4 million late Sunday, according to a running tally by USbased Johns Hopkins University. The university’s data showed the number of deaths has reached 165,044 while 623,911 have fully recovered. A total of 2,401,379 confirmed cases have been recorded worldwide. China reports 12 new main land coronavirus cases on April 19, eight imported. The US continues to be the worst hit with the highest number of infections and deaths at more than 759,000 and nearly 41,000, respectively. Italy has the second-highest death toll at 23,660 while Spain has the second-highest number of cases at 198,674. The virus has spread to 185 countries and regions since it first emerged in Wuhan, China in December. The coronavirus primarily attacks the lungs and respiratory system. Most people who become infected exhibit moderate symptoms, but it can be especially fatal for the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions like hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and asthma. Life under lockdown in India’s massive Dharavi slum Several efforts are being made to develop a vaccine, but most experts believe the milestone will not be crossed for at least another year and possibly up to 18 months. Despite the rising number of cases, most people who contract the virus suffer mild symptoms before making a recovery.—Agencies
