Countries around the world are wondering when and how to ease coronavirus lockdowns, though the World Health Organization is warning that should be done slowly and only when there is capacity to isolate cases and trace contacts.
EUROPE
ITALY, with the most COVID-19-linked deaths in Europe, lifted restrictions on two categories of shops – stationers and children’s clothes – on 14th April and the government is due to present further easing steps by 24th April that would apply from 4th May.
SPAIN’s lockdown is due to apply until 9th May, with some easing, under an “asymmetric” exit lockdown phase for some regions or groups from 27th April.
A man walks past closed shops and restaurants on the shopping street of the deserted Mont-Saint-Michel in the French western region of Normandy, as a lockdown is imposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus disease in France, on 17th April. PICTURE: Reuters/Pascal Rossignol
FRANCE and BRITAIN, the two other European countries with more than 10,000 deaths, are keeping curbs in place into next month. French President Emmanuel Macron said schools and shops would gradually re-open from 11th May, but restaurants, hotels, cafes and cinemas would remain shut for longer. British lockdown measures have been extended until at least 7th May.
GERMANY, Europe’s largest economy, allowed stores of up to 800 square metres, car dealers and bike shops to reopen on 20th April, while schools will reopen on 4th May. The government and heads of 16 German states will discuss how to proceed further on 30th April.
AUSTRIA let non-essential shops of up to 400 square metres, DIY shops and garden centres reopen on 14th April. Shopping malls, hairdressers and larger stores should reopen from 1st May, unless infections accelerate. Restaurants and hotels will re-open in mid-May at the earliest, and no public events will be held until at least late June.
DENMARK, one of the first European countries to shut down, reopened care centres and schools for children in first to fifth grade on 15th April. All other curbs apply at least until 10th May.
POLAND eased restrictions on stores from 19th April and reopened beaches, parks and forests to the public. Borders will remain closed until 3rd May.
UNITED STATES, CANADA & LATIN AMERICA
The UNITED STATES, which has the world’s highest infections and deaths, is inching towards a gradual resumption of business. On 17th April, President Donald Trump unveiled a three-stage process for states to end shutdowns, a plan which is a set of recommendations for state governors, not orders.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, whose state is the hardest hit, said on 20th April that restrictions must be lifted in a way that prevents further outbreaks.
CANADA will need to keep strict physical distancing in place, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on 19th April.
Lockdowns are set to continue in BRAZIL’s largest cities and most states, with Sao Paulo extending its social distancing measures until 22nd April and Rio de Janeiro until 30th April, despite President Jair Bolsonaro’s repeated calls to end stay-at-home orders that he said were hurting the economy.
ARGENTINA’s lockdown has been extended until 26th April, but the government is considering widening the list of essential services to allow some businesses back.
MEXICO, bracing for the spread of the coronavirus to accelerate, is widely expected to extend the shutdown of schools and non-essential businesses beyond 30th April.
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
IRAN, the region’s worst-hit country, lifted a ban on travel within provinces on Sunday, with shopping malls and bazaars reopening on 20th April. Businesses seen as lower risk have also been allowed to reopen.
SAUDI ARABIA has halted year-round pilgrimages to Mecca and extended a nationwide lockdown indefinitely last week. Riyadh on 20th April extended the suspension of praying in the Grand Mosque and Prophet’s Mosque during the fasting month of Ramadan.
EGYPT, the Arab world’s most populous nation, extended a curfew until 23rd April, closed places of worship, schools and tourist sites and banned public religious gatherings during Ramadan, starting late April.
ISRAEL gradually eased its coronavirus lockdown from 19th April by letting some businesses reopen and relaxing curbs on movement after a slowdown in infection rates.
SOUTH AFRICA has extended a complete lockdown until the end of April and said key sectors could be reopened gradually under “strictly controlled conditions”.
NIGERIA extended the lockdown of the states of Lagos, Abuja and Ogun until 27th April, exempting only critical workers. Most large African nations so far have no plans to ease restrictions.
ASIA-PACIFIC
CHINA earlier this month lifted the lockdown of Wuhan, where the outbreak began. On 15th April, the city’s vice mayor said it aimed to fully restore rail, flight and freight operations by the end of April. Prevention measures remain elsewhere, including Beijing. Now Beijing is in talks with some countries, including Singapore, for fast-track entry by business and technical visitors on urgent tasks.
In INDIA, some shops and businesses opened in rural areas on 20th April, with some activities, including factories and farming, allowed in the hinterland. National curbs are in force until 3rd May.
PAKISTAN, in lockdown until late April, said some industries would reopen in phases, starting with construction and export industries, such as garments. The country has lifted restrictions on congregational prayers at mosques, but introduced a host of safety conditions ahead of Ramadan.
JAPAN’s state of emergency, expanded nationwide on 16th April, will last until 6th May to reduce traffic during the Golden Week holiday season around the start of May.
SOUTH KOREA, lauded for controlling its outbreak, extended its social distancing policy for another 16 days on 19th April, but offered some relief for churches and sporting fixtures.
TAIWAN, another example of a successful early response, has avoided full lockdown but continues to promote social distancing.
SINGAPORE will extend a partial lockdown until 1st June, as the city-state has seen a recent sharp jump in cases.
NEW ZEALAND will extend the lockdown measures by a week, the prime minister said on 20th April, after which it will move to a lower level of restrictions.
Similar social distancing rules that have closed businesses and confined people to their homes remain in place in AUSTRALIA with no definite end date announced and Prime Minister Scott Morrison warning public life could remain constrained for another year.
