© Hollie Adams | Getty ImagesU.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves Downing Street to attend Prime Minister’s Questions at the House of Commons on May 6, 2020 in London, England.
The U.K. could start easing its coronavirus lockdown restrictions as early as Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Wednesday.
"We will want, if we possibly can, to get going with some of these measures on Monday," Johnson told Parliament in his first Prime Minister's Questions session since falling ill with Covid-19.
He added that a statement will be made on Sunday after the government reviews the latest data, adding it would be a "good thing" if people knew what to expect the following day.
Britain now has the
highest Covid-19 death toll in Europe, according to the latest official figures, climbing past Italy which, alongside Spain, has been among the worst-affected countries globally.
Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition Labour Party, criticized the prime minister over the latest death statistics, asking him: "How on Earth did it come to this?"
In reply, Johnson said: "At this stage, I don't think that international comparisons and the data is yet there to draw all the conclusions that we want."
"I have absolutely no doubt that what the people of this country want us to do now is ... to suppress this disease, to keep suppressing this disease, and to begin the work of getting our country's economy back on its feet."
The U.K.'s coronavirus death toll has risen to 30,076, the government said Wednesday, an increase of 649 fatalities from the previous day. Over 201,000 people have tested positive for the disease.
Housing Minister Robert Jenrick said that crucial construction work is now gradually resuming following a building safety agreement with local authorities.
"Coronavirus will not stop our mission to level up; to unite and unleash the potential of this country," he said at the government's daily coronavirus briefing.
"The prime minister will set out on Sunday our approach to the second phase of this pandemic," Jenrick added. "As we look ahead to supporting businesses as they reopen, my department will lead our work on how local economics can adapt, evolve, recover and grow."
Comment: From Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel has
announced an easing of restrictions with an ""emergency brake" mechanism allowing for renewed restrictions in case infections pick up again."
"We are at a point where our goal of slowing the spread of the virus has been achieved and we have been able to protect our health system..., so it has been possible to discuss and agree on further easing measures," Merkel told reporters.
Under measures agreed with Germany's 16 federal state leaders, people from two households will be allowed to meet, and more shops will open, provided hygiene measures are in place.
But guidelines on people keeping a distance of 1.5 metres (5 feet) from each other and wearing mouth and nose masks on public transport will remain in place.
Germany's Bundesliga soccer league can resume in the second half of May, Merkel said.
Schools would gradually start reintroducing all pupils and emergency care for kindergarten-aged children would be expanded, with details to be regulated by the states.
[...]
Their plan includes an "emergency brake", a fail-safe under which restrictions would be reintroduced if an area registers more than 50 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days.
"If something happens locally, we won't wait until it has spread through the whole republic, but rather we will act locally," Merkel said.
Some regional states in Germany
have had enough of the lockdown however, and have to decided to ignore Merkel's slower rollout on the easing of lockdown:
On the eve of a key meeting between Merkel and premiers of Germany's 16 states to debate a new round of easing of stay-at-home measures, the country's biggest state pre-empted talks by saying it would reopen its restaurants and hotels this month.
Under the plan to progressively restart the gastronomy and hospitality sectors, Bavaria said restaurants would first be allowed to offer outdoor dining from May 18, before extending the opening to indoor dining a week later.
Hotels would also be allowed to welcome guests again from May 30, in time for the Pentecost holiday long weekend.
"The time has come for a cautious reopening," said Bavarian state premier Markus Soeder, pointing to the "success" in containing the spread of the virus.
Pressure has been growing on Merkel to ease curbs on public life that have plunged the economy into a deep recession.
Russia is now
seeing fit to open things up in stages:
Russia will begin to partially lift its Covid-19 lockdown from Monday when restrictions on industrial and construction businesses are removed, Sergey Sobyanin announced during a government meeting chaired by Vladimir Putin.
The Moscow mayor, who also heads the national effort to fight coronavirus, told the video conference that the self-isolation regime in the capital will not be relaxed until the spread of infection there is under control. Moscow, together with its surrounding region, is home to just under two-thirds of Russia's Covid-19 cases.
However, as the rest of the country has fared better, Putin instructed regional leaders to develop timetables to implement the process, warning them to be careful to avoid risking a second wave of infection.
"In some places tough, [but] justified preventive measures will need to be maintained or even supplemented. And in others, perhaps, there will be different levels of severity," he observed. "You can't steam ahead with undue haste, because any negligence can bring a rollback and the price of the slightest mistake is the safety, lives, and health of our people."
[...]
Anna Popova of Rospotrebnadzor, the state health watchdog, presented a three point plan for removing the wider lockdown, in stages. The time scale for the easing will depend on local circumstances and be up to regional governors and their health officials, she explained.
1. Outdoor sports will be allowed; small shops and services can open.
2. Walking on the street with family members will be permitted, large-scale trade operations and some educational organizations will be opened.
3. Parks and squares will be made available again subject to social distancing rules; all educational institutions, hotels, and catering establishments will open.
And back here in "the land of freedom and democracy", the heavily criticized Governor of California
made this recent announcement:
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday announced he has reached an agreement with Orange County leaders to reopen beaches in the cities of Huntington Beach, Dana Point, and Seal Beach in a modified way.
The governor said the agreement was done in "the spirit of collaboration and partnership."
Beaches reopened Tuesday in the cities of San Clemente and Laguna Beach for recreational purposes, which allows for social distancing. Newsom said the agreement with the additional three beach cities has a similar commitment to protocols and procedures.
The agreement marks significant progress after Newsom and O.C. officials were in constant conflict just last week.
Comment: From Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel has announced an easing of restrictions with an ""emergency brake" mechanism allowing for renewed restrictions in case infections pick up again." Some regional states in Germany have had enough of the lockdown however, and have to decided to ignore Merkel's slower rollout on the easing of lockdown: Russia is now seeing fit to open things up in stages: And back here in "the land of freedom and democracy", the heavily criticized Governor of California made this recent announcement: