Return to business of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, reopening of businesses in Switzerland, return of children to school in Norway: Europeans are preparing their deconfinement plans, a headache for the authorities pending the discovery of a vaccine or remedy to curb the coronavirus pandemic.
The Covid-19, which has killed more than 200,000 people out of nearly three million infected worldwide, is finally marking time in the four most affected European countries. These posted indeed Sunday daily death tolls down sharply: 288 deaths in Spain, 260 in Italy, 242 in France and 413 deaths in hospitals in the United Kingdom, the lowest number since the end of March.
After six weeks locked up at home, the little Spaniards can since Sunday start playing again in the street, with a certain number of restrictions like the absence of contacts. The containment has been extended in Spain until May 9 inclusive, and the government will present its easing plan on Tuesday.
On the same day, French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe will unveil his "national strategy for the deconfinement plan", which is due to start on May 11, with in particular a gradual but controversial reopening of schools.
Italy too must detail at the start of the week the measures it plans to start from May 4. However, the schools will remain closed until September while the government will allow top athletes to resume training on May 4, Council President Giuseppe Conte announced on Sunday. The latter did not however decide on the date of a possible resumption of the transalpine football championship.
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In London, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, himself stricken by the virus, made his return to business on Monday. After two weeks of recovery, the 55-year-old conservative leader is under increasing pressure to unveil his strategy on the evolution of containment, which has been in effect for a month in the United Kingdom.
According to the Telegraph, Boris Johnson is studying the "modifications" to be made in order to allow the reopening of businesses and schools while keeping the restrictions.
The Swiss will be able to return to the hairdresser, with the reopening of certain businesses on Monday. Subject to respecting the barrier measures, it is first of all the hairdressers, physiotherapists, doctors, massage parlors, florists, garden centers, as well as the nurseries which will resume their activities.
Back to school in Norway and China
For its part, Norway reopened schools for the little ones on Monday. A week after the "barnehagers" who serve as nurseries and kindergartens, it is the turn of children aged six to ten to find their school benches, in classes reduced to 15 pupils.
Norway thus continues to gradually lift the restrictions announced on March 12 to stem the pandemic on its territory. Hairdressers and dermatologists are also now authorized to resume their activities.
Elsewhere in the world, in China in particular, where the Covid-19 appeared at the end of last year, college and high school students made an ultra-safe return to school - with masks and temperature measurements - on Monday in the metropolises of Beijing and Shanghai, after almost four months of long vacation due to pandemic.
In Beijing, only high school students in the last year were allowed to return to class on Monday to prepare for the "gaokao", the university entrance exam. In Shanghai, it was the last year of middle school students who took over the class.
In the United States too, the recovery is brewing, as in New York State, where some manufacturing and construction activities could resume after May 15.
The symbolic threshold of 200,000 deaths from the Covid-19 was crossed on Saturday evening, of which almost 90% is recorded in Europe and the United States.
With AFP
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