Germany opens some shops as Merkel warns of second wave of coronavirus

Several European countries took preliminary steps on Monday towards a return to normal pre-virus life, with some shops reopening in Germany and a resumption of school for pupils slotted to take place next month.

Bookshops, florists, fashion stores, bike and car outlets and other shops smaller than 800 sq m were permitted to reopen on Monday morning. In Berlin a few schools allowed final-year students to sit exams. Pupils arrived wearing face-masks and took their seats at widely spaced desks.

Angela Merkel, however, warned of a possible second wave of coronavirus infection if lockdown measures were abandoned too rapidly. The chancellor urged citizens to stay “determined” and said it would be a “crying shame” if the country which has been praised for its deft handling of the crisis fell into a “relapse”.

In a video call with party colleagues Merkel said the “discussion orgies” taking place in some German federal states on relaxing curbs on were unhelpful She said she was “greatly concerned” the public might let its guard down.

Nonetheless, the clear trend across Europe is now towards some form of normalisation. Norway’s government reopened nurseries on Monday after a month-long closure.

It said this was possible because children were less affected by Covid-19, adding that the virus was under control. “Going to pre-school is safe,” Norway’s education minister, Guri Melby, declared.

Some parents, however, have criticised the move – a sentiment also seen in Denmark, where primary schools reopened last week. A Norwegian Facebook group called “My child should not be a guinea pig for Covid-19” has gathered nearly 30,000 signatures.

Polls suggest around a quarter of Norwegian parents do not want to send their children back to pre-school.

In Poland parks and forests returned to normal on Monday, while in the Czech Republic open-air markets were allowed to resume as part of a six-week strategy to gradually lift restrictions. “This is relief from the stress that we will have to throw away the harvest,” vegetable grower Milan Vystejn told Reuters, at his stand in Prague’s Tylovo Square.

Austria has already reopened some shops. It plans to reopen museums and libraries from mid-May. All three countries have seen significantly fewer coronavirus deaths than the worst affected countries in Europe: Italy, Spain, France and the UK.

All European leaders are battling with the same dilemma: how to prevent a renewed outbreak of the virus while at the same time maintaining public confidence, as poorer citizens run out of cash and national economies nosedive.

There are growing signs of unrest. Over the weekend police in Berlin struggled with several hundred protesters campaigning against the lockdown. Among them were anti-vaxxers, well known conspiracy theorists and right wing extremists, some of whom accused the government of using the coronavirus crisis to create a dictatorship.

In France, meanwhile, there was unrest in the Paris suburb of Villeneuve-La-Garenne, after a motorcyclist collided with the open door of an unmarked police car during a pursuit. Skirmishes lasted into the early hours of Sunday and resumed again on Monday. Protesters burned cars and hurled fireworks at police, whom they accuse of heavy-handed behaviour. In the Russian city of Vladikavkaz, meanwhile, demonstrators protested against the local authorities and the country’s continuing lockdown. Video posted to social media appeared to show protesters pelting the police with rocks, and police making several arrests.

On Monday France’s prime minister, Édouard Philippe, said nurseries, primary and secondary schools would reopen on 11 May.

Philippe said the French government was considering options to implement the policy, including having half a class in rotation, or first opening schools in areas where there had been few or no Covid-19 cases. However, he warned the French not to plan too far ahead, saying weddings, parties, and travel outside of France were not immediately on the cards.

“I don’t have answers today … given the barrier rules, it doesn’t seem reasonable that a marriage of say 200 people gathered in a confined place is to be envisaged. For how long I don’t know,” Philippe admitted.

In Spain, with nearly 200,000 confirmed cases and more than 20,000 deaths, the authorities have said they will hold off lifting restrictions. The rate of infection appears to be going down. The country reported 399 coronavirus deaths over the past 48 hours, lower than Sunday’s figure of 410.

Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, is expected to ask parliament on Tuesday to extend a national lockdown until 11 May. He has proposed that from 27 April children under the age of 12 should be allowed out for exercise – but not teenagers.

In other developments:

• The global number of deaths topped 165,000 with more than 2.4 million confirmed cases, according to data compiled by John Hopkins University.
• Australia reopened three of Sydney’s beaches but only for exercise. “Activities such as sitting on the sand, sun-baking or gathering in groups will not be permitted,” said Danny Said, a local mayor.
• India allowed some industrial and agricultural work to resume, even as the country recorded its single biggest-day rise in coronavirus cases.
• In Iran, where the outbreak has killed at least 5,000 people, some major shopping centres opened, including Tehran’s historic grand bazaar. The move follows an easing of some social distancing rules last week. Working hours are restricted until 6pm.
• Hong Kong recorded no new coronavirus cases on Monday for the first time since early March, health authorities said. The city has had 1,025 confirmed cases and four deaths since January when the pandemic began.
• Ghana ended a three-week lockdown on two key regions including the capital, Accra, and Kumasi. In a televised address the president, Nana Akufo-Addo, said testing had improved, adding that quarantine restrictions were having a severe impact on the poor.

The Guardian