It was Spain that launched the movement in Europe. While it has paid a heavy human toll with more than 18,000 deaths linked to the new coronavirus, Madrid authorized its workers, Tuesday, April 13, to return to the factories and construction sites, provided they wear masks. On Wednesday 14, Austria, which has only 400 dead for 9 million inhabitants, followed suit. It allowed the careful reopening of its small shops and public gardens. There too, the population must wear a mask and respect the safety distances.

Several European countries plan to follow this movement. Germany, where mortality has remained lower than that of other countries, is to announce Wednesday a reduction in coercive measures, which vary from region to region. The authoritative president of the Leopoldina Academy of Sciences, however, warned that stadiums and concert halls could be empty for eighteen months.

Gradual reopening of schools in France

In France, where the death toll exceeds 15,000 dead, President Emmanuel Macron on Monday spoke of a lifting of restrictions and a gradual reopening of schools from May 11. It is the first of the major countries most affected to embark on this path. "The epidemic is starting to slow down," said the French head of state. Bars, restaurants or cinemas will remain closed until further notice, as will the borders with non-European countries. And most of the major cultural festivals of the summer have already been canceled.

Also almost completely stopped for more than a month, Italy, which deplores more than 20,000 dead, has also authorized localized and very limited reopenings of certain businesses: children's clothing stores, agricultural machinery , forest industry, bookstores and libraries ...

The government also authorized the bookstores to reopen on Tuesday, even if most of them kept closed in Italy, at the decision of the regions or the owners themselves.

In Iceland, the gradual easing of containment measures should start from May 4, starting with the reopening of high schools and universities.

Risk of reintroduction and resurgence

If more than a million Europeans have been affected by the virus, its spread begins to slow down and Europe's impatience to resume a normal life and revive its economy, plunged into a crisis as sudden as deep, begins to be felt.

But the World Health Organization (WHO) calls for caution in the face of this pandemic, which has killed more than 120,000 people worldwide. The slowdown in spread should not cause uncontrolled release, she warned.

"The risk of reintroduction and resurgence of Covid-19 will continue," warned his boss, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stressing that the disease would pose a threat until "the development and distribution of a safe and effective vaccine ".

With AFP

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