LOCKDOWN restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic were yesterday beginning to be eased around the world, although there was little clarity on what exactly should be allowed.
Hundreds of surfers hit the Australian waves at dawn as workers returned to building sites and baristas fired up their coffee machines. Bondi Beach in Sydney, however, was only open during daylight hours and social distancing was mandatory.
New Zealand reported just three new infections as the government there loosened its lockdown.
European countries, too, began relaxing their curbs, with France, Spain and Greece among the latest to reveal the roadmaps to restart their economies.
Officials in Bangkok say they are preparing to ease restrictions, including the reopening of restaurants under strict conditions. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration announced the reopening of restaurants, markets, exercise venues, parks, hairdressers, clinics and nursing homes, animal hospitals and pet salons, along with golf courses and driving ranges.
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Restaurants will have to keep seats at least 5ft apart and practise a range of sanitary measures.
However, around the world uncertainty remained about what people should do to protect their health after they emerge from lockdown.
This was highlighted in the US state of Georgia after businesses such as barber shops and tattoo parlours were given the go-ahead to reopen.
Savannah mayor Van Johnson said people could find the changes perplexing, adding: “You can go get your nails done, you can go get a tattoo, you can go to movie theatres, you can go to bowling alleys. It’s those kinds of things that leave people confused.”
The number of coronavirus cases in the US passed a million yesterday, accounting for nearly a third of the worldwide total. Johns Hopkins University figures showed a world death toll of more than 210,000, though the real numbers are likely to be higher.
In US states the death toll has passed the 58,220 service personnel killed in Vietnam.
Despite the huge numbers, President Donald Trump defended his administration’s handling of the pandemic as he met Florida governor Ron DeSantis and promised to help states begin reopening their economies.
The administration has been sharply criticised for not overseeing widespread testing, but Trump said no amount would ever be good enough for critics in the media.
He dismissed suggestions that the administration was slow to respond to the threat of Covid-19, and praised his decision to restrict flights from China – although more than 40,000 travellers from there still managed to make it to the US afterwards.
Trump said: “Whether it was luck, talent or something else, we saved many thousands of lives.”
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