Italy opens, Spain stays shut and UK set for schools return

Countries take it slowly as rises in deaths and cases begin to ease

ROME－Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte outlined a further loosening of movement restrictions on Saturday, including opening borders to travelers from Europe from next month to unwind one of the world's most rigid coronavirus lockdowns.

With shops, bars and restaurants due to reopen from Monday, the government has also announced that people will no longer have to justify travel within their own region and will be able to meet friends and family.

The announcements came as the daily increase of deaths in Italy, the third highest in the world, fell to 153 on Saturday, the lowest since March 9.

All travel curbs will be lifted from June 3 and travelers from European Union countries will be able to enter without going into quarantine, offering some hope before the summer to the vital tourism sector.

In Spain, the government will seek to extend its state of emergency one last time until late June, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Saturday.

"The path that we are taking is the only one possible," Sanchez told a news conference, saying he would ask parliament for an extension of about a month when most of the nation should be returning to normality.

Spain first decreed a state of emergency on March 14. Officials said that while the outbreak has been brought largely under control, restrictions must stay in place a bit longer as the lockdown is gradually phased out.

The country have reported 87 new deaths on Sunday, the lowest daily count since March 16. Confirmed cases climbed to 277,719.

Safety concerns

In Britain, more deaths were reported on Friday, as education officials addressed the safety concerns over the phased reopening of primary schools in England starting from June 1.

Pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 will be allowed to return to schools in England on June 1, according to Education Secretary Gavin Williamson.

The government would be deploying track and tracing with students and school staff to prevent any dramatic rise of cases, and policies such as reduced class sizes, keeping children in small groups and "rigorous hygiene" will be implemented when schools reopen, Williamson said.

The government recognizes "the important role education plays in pupils' lives", he said, adding that reopening schools benefits the children "not just educationally, but physically and emotionally" as well.

However, teachers' unions have called for more answers from the government about the safety of reopening primary schools after a meeting with the government's chief scientific advisers on Friday.

As of Saturday morning, 240,161 people had tested positive for the virus in the country, and 34,466 had died.

In France, 96 new deaths from COVID-19 were registered on Saturday, fewer than the previous periods, as the country eased from a two-month lockdown.

Both numbers, key indicators for the French health system's ability to cope with the pandemic, have fallen for four to five weeks and peaked at more than 32,000 and more than 7,000 respectively in early to mid-April. As of Saturday, the country had 142,291 confirmed cases.

In Greece, shopping malls, diet centers, zoos and botanical gardens will reopen on Monday with cautious steps, as the country continues to ease its anti-coronavirus restrictions. Restaurants and cafes will be open for business again on May 25, a week earlier than initially planned.

Xinhua - Agencies