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"We are on the right track," Chancellor Sebastian Kurz told a press conference on Tuesday as he announced new steps in loosening the lockdown imposed over the epidemic. He said that there were "no reasons" not to continue with the "opening up" plans under the slogan "as much freedom as possible, as much restriction as necessary." However, some restrictions will remain mandatory for the coming months.

Under the schedule presented by the government, preparation for the final exams in Austrian schools would start from May 4 while regular classes would resume, starting from May 15.

Restaurants will be allowed reopen on the same date. Nonetheless, their employees will have to wear face masks while clients will have to follow "social distancing" rules. Church services will also resume in mid-May.

Austria's borders will remain closed in the meantime, Kurz said, as he campaigned for domestic tourism instead. "Even more vacation opportunities will be open in Austria this summer," he promised, apparently referring to the fact that the Alpine nation is unlikely to receive any foreign tourists anytime soon.

[...] Earlier, it also announced the lifting of some quarantine restrictions. Small shops as well as hairdressers and podiatrists are now scheduled to reopen their doors from May 1, followed by museums and some other cultural spaces. Large events involving massive gatherings of people would remain banned, however, at least until the end of August.

Denmark's Ministry of Health has announced it will allow public gatherings of up to 500 people for the foreseeable future, as the country tentatively eases lockdown measures.

Starting on May 10, authorities will lift the ban on gatherings of more than 10 people which had been in place. The new limit will last until at least September 1 this year, reports state broadcaster TV2.

[...]The announcement follows similar lifting of restrictions throughout April: small businesses were permitted to reopen on Monday, as did schools and day care centers. Denmark was among the first to enact strict lockdown procedures in March to curb the spread of infection.

However, the country's borders will remain closed for the time being, as will restaurants, bars and gyms.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte from his Facebook page on Monday evening, April 20, informed citizens about his government's plans to rebuild one of the largest European economies, which suffered from the global pandemic of the coronavirus Covid-19. The government is finalizing a plan to gradually unlock the country's economy starting May 4, he stressed.

However, Conte warned compatriots of the need to remain vigilant. According to him, this should be a gradual process, because "the immediate discovery of everything will be irresponsible and will increase the risk of infection."

[...]

The gradual opening of the economy will follow a structured plan, and not rely on "improvisation" to not only reduce the risk of infection, but also reduce the burden on the health system.

"The plan must be detailed and thorough in order to reduce risks. For example, it should include not only a workplace safety protocol, but also guidelines for public and private transport, as well as how to control density and social distances, "wrote the head of the Italian government.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is urging the Belarusian government to introduce measures to ensure physical distancing in order to slow down the spread of the coronavirus in the country.

The recommendations were made on April 21 by a team of WHO experts who visited Belarus earlier this month to assess the country's response to the pandemic.

The number of reported coronavirus cases in Belarus is "growing rapidly," the statement said, with 6,264 cases and 51 deaths reported by the authorities as of April 21.

Despite the growing outbreak, authoritarian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has derided global concerns over COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, as "mass psychosis" and said that there was no need for strict measures to slow the spread of the virus.

In stark contrast to other European countries that have adopted strict lockdown measures to contain the epidemic, Belarus's borders remained open, factories, shops, and restaurants conduct business as usual in the country, and spectators are permitted to attend sports events, including matches in the national soccer league.

[...]

The Serbian government will loosen strict lockdown measures implemented last month to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Some small businesses and markets including car mechanics, shoemakers, dry cleaners, bookshops, and other services will be allowed to reopen on April 21.

The government said businesses must enforce strict prevention measures such as wearing a face covering, gloves, and disinfecting. Shopping malls, cafes, restaurants, schools, and kindergartens will remain closed.

A night curfew will be shortened by one hour and an around-the-clock lockdown for people aged 65 and above will also be eased, allowing them to leave their homes for 30-minute walks on three evenings a week.

[...]

Authorities have sealed off a small town and an adjacent village in Armenia's northwestern Shirak province after 18 employees of a local hospital tested positive for the coronavirus.

All roads leading to the town of Maralik were blocked by police checkpoints on April 20.

"We only let through people with special permission," a policeman manning one of the checkpoints told RFE/RL.

Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian, who is overseeing the enforcement of the coronavirus-related state of emergency in Armenia, announced the decision to lock down Maralik and the adjacent village of Dzorakap on April 18 after 18 coronavirus cases were confirmed among the 61-member staff of a local hospital.

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The financial toll of COVID-19 is building up at the Mouse House as Disney (NYSE:DIS) stops paying more than 100,000 employees this week, or nearly half of its workforce.

That will leave staff reliant on state benefits (though healthcare benefits will still be given in full), even as the company protects executive bonuses and a $1.5B dividend payment due in July.

The decision will save Disney up to $500M a month across its theme parks and hotels, which have been shut in Europe and the U.S. for almost five weeks.