China Youth Daily · China Youth Daily reporters experienced in Brussels-
the new European crown epidemic slowed down, many countries coincidedly press the "restart button"
In the early morning of May 11, local time, a large housewares store in Brussels revived after two months of silence. People wear masks, keep their distance, and queue up in an orderly manner waiting for shopping. Various Belgian shops that were forced to close their doors to thank customers because of the spread of the new crown epidemic have gradually resumed business this week. As the epidemic situation gradually eased, many European countries began to press the restart button for the closed economic and social life.
Epidemic situation: from rapid rise to gradual relaxation
According to the timeline for the development of the new crown epidemic released by the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention, since February 22 this year, the first two regions of Lombardy and Veneto in northern Italy have reported local mass infections. On March 9th, a new crown epidemic has occurred in various regions of Italy, with a cumulative number of confirmed cases of up to 10,000 cases, including more than 460 deaths. At the same time, the number of confirmed cases in France, Germany, Spain, Belgium and other countries has increased rapidly. On March 14th, WHO Director General Tan Desai said that Europe has become the epicenter of the global pandemic virus. As of March 25, the new crown epidemic has spread to all member states of the European Union and European countries such as Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein. The total number of confirmed cases in the European Union and European Economic Area countries has crossed the 200,000 mark, with more than 110,000 deaths.
From the confirmed case data curve, it can be seen that the new European crown epidemic has increased sharply since the outbreak in late February and reached a peak in early April, and then slowly slowed down in the ups and downs. As of May 12, the cumulative confirmed cases in the European Union and the European Economic Area countries reached 1.26 million cases, with nearly 150,000 deaths. However, the number of newly confirmed cases and deaths showed a significant downward trend. In the latest assessment report released by the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention on April 23, the risk level of severe new coronary pneumonia outbreaks in European countries was lowered from the previous "higher" to "low", but the premise is to continue to ensure an appropriate social distance .
Restart: Many countries turn on "unblock" mode
Based on the judgment that the epidemic situation has gradually eased under the prevention and control measures, many European countries that have adopted sealing measures since mid-March have recently opened the deblocking mode.
In Belgium, according to the decision made by the National Security Council, from May 11, most shops except restaurants, bars and barber shops can be reopened, but necessary measures such as ensuring social distance must be taken to prevent cross infection .
A reporter from the China Youth Daily and China Youth Daily saw at the door of a large home furnishing store in Brussels on the morning of the 11th that security personnel controlled the number of visitors in real time and reminded customers to wash their hands with the alcohol disinfectant provided free of charge. Since a safe distance of at least 1.5 meters must be ensured, the number of customers shopping at the same time in the store is not large. Salesperson Chris told reporters from the China Youth Daily and China Youth Daily that although the employees were prepared in advance, they still felt a little surprised when they saw the influx of so many customers on the first day of "unblocking". Most people can consciously abide by the epidemic prevention regulations.
Anthony, who is buying desks and chairs, told the China Youth Daily and China Youth Daily that since the outbreak in Belgium, he had to switch to his home office every morning and night before. Although he has begun to resume work gradually, his work mode without leaving home may continue for some time, so he will add some office utensils to his home when the store reopens. Anthony said: "The epidemic has caused me a lot of trouble, but for the health of ourselves and others, we must learn to adapt. This is life."
According to local media reports, Belgium ’s social order on the first day of “unblocking” was generally good. In order to cope with the surplus of customers, some large-scale shopping malls and major commercial streets have specially deployed service personnel, and are equipped with mobile disinfection wash basins and other convenient epidemic prevention facilities .
In France, most regions of the country have entered the first phase of "unsealing" since May 11. More than 80% of schools have started to resume classes one after another; 400,000 enterprises and shops in France have reopened; people can travel freely within a radius of 100 kilometers; there is no restriction on single outdoor sports.
In Germany, in addition to allowing stores across the country to resume business gradually from the end of April, some state governments have approved the reopening of barber shops since May 11. Restaurants and cafes in some areas are scheduled to open on May 18 to welcome guests.
In Italy, the “foot ban” has been relaxed since May 11th, allowing people to operate within the province, restaurants and cafes can provide takeaway services, most shops will resume business, and construction and industrial enterprises will resume production.
In Spain, starting from May 11, most of the country, except for "outbreak areas" such as Madrid and Barcelona, has begun to relax restrictions. Restaurants in some "unblocked" cities such as Seville and Bilbao can open half of the outdoor seating. Groups of no more than 10 people can go to restaurants, churches, theaters, museums, gyms and other places together.
In addition, in the Netherlands where the control measures are relatively lax, the "contact industry" has opened appointments since May 11 and the library has reopened. Countries such as Portugal have also announced that stores have resumed business, and people can travel freely for short distances.
At the same time, the European Commission recently released a "Roadmap for Unblocking", recommending that member states adopt a step-by-step approach to gradually "unblock" and strengthen coordination with each other. Many European countries such as Belgium plan to resume classes gradually from May 18, but they also put forward very strict and specific prerequisites such as maintaining a safe distance at any time.
Masks: from general exclusion to government distribution
A reporter from China Youth Daily and China Youth Daily noticed that when European countries announced a plan to gradually "unblock" the project, apart from stressing the need to maintain social distance, they almost invariably emphasized the importance of wearing masks.
The Belgian Federal Government clearly stipulates that citizens over the age of 12 must wear masks when taking public transportation and going to public places; after the school resumes classes, all teachers and students and students over the age of 12 must also wear masks at any time during the school. Some provincial and municipal governments have also issued specific requirements for wearing masks in key areas such as major commercial streets. From the Belgian prime minister to virology experts, they have recently urged people to wear masks when going out. In order to better popularize masks, the Belgian government also cooperated with some non-governmental organizations to launch a website dedicated to teaching people to make cotton masks. Starting from May 4, in addition to pharmacies, Belgian supermarkets have also begun to sell masks. Belgian governments at all levels have also distributed masks to residents for free, most of which come from China. A reporter from China Youth Daily and China Youth Daily recently received a mask from the city of Woluwe where the reporter station is located. The white cotton mask with fine workmanship and soft texture can be washed and reused. It also highlights the concept of green environmental protection while preventing and controlling viruses.
Just over two months ago, most Europeans were generally skeptical and repulsive about wearing masks. At that time, some government officials and even medical experts preached the "uselessness of masks", many people equated "wearing masks" with "patients", and even extreme cases of discrimination by Asians because of wearing masks in public places . With the development of the epidemic, the Europeans' perception of masks has changed subtly. Now, wearing a mask while riding a bus or entering a shopping mall in Belgium is not only a mandatory requirement of the government, but it is also becoming a common sense for people to prevent epidemics. A neighbor told a reporter from China Youth Daily and China Youth Daily: "China not only sent us masks, but also made us understand the significance of wearing masks."
Warning: People still need to strictly follow the epidemic prevention regulations
The European Commission predicted in the recently released "Spring 2020 European Economic Report" that the Eurozone economy will shrink by 7.75% in 2020 due to the new crown epidemic. The European economy may suffer from an unprecedented "historical recession" since the Great Depression in the 1930s ". Fan Longpei, the former president of the European Council, said that the EU is currently facing a dilemma in balancing the prevention and control of the epidemic and saving the economy.
Just as European countries were "unblocking", the first to relax the ban in Germany came the news of a rebound in the epidemic. According to the German "Der Spiegel" weekly report on May 11, a collective infection occurred in a number of joint slaughter meat factories in Germany, including the Miller Meat Company in Bazhou, and the number of infections has exceeded 1,000. According to the statistics of the Robert Koch Institute, the per capita infection index of the new German crown epidemic has now recovered to 1.13, which means that each infected person transmits an average of 1.13 people. This data is a new high since April 16. The consensus in the industry is that a per capita infection index higher than 1 means that the epidemic situation is already higher than the "red line".
German Chancellor Angela Merkel strongly urged the public to continue to strictly abide by the epidemic prevention regulations, and said that they would re-evaluate the "unblocking" measures in the near future. Andrea Amon, the head of the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention, warned that with the relaxation of the control measures, the probability of people gathering increases, if there is not enough virus testing, and the confirmed cases are not tracked, plus people ignore social distance And effective protection, then, "We are not far from the next wave of outbreaks."
Newspaper Brussels May 13th
China Youth Daily · China Youth Network correspondent Ju Hui Source: China Youth Daily