CORONAVIRUS
Coronavirus: Europe reopens widely, seeks to salvage
summer vacations
CDC expects 100,000 total coronavirus deaths in US by June
By Geir Moulson and Derek Gatopoulus | May 18, 2020 at 4:57 AM EDT -
Updated May 18 at 9:21 AM
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Europe reopened more widely on Monday,
allowing people into the Acropolis in Athens, high-fashion boutiques in
Italy, museums in Belgium, golf courses in Ireland and beer gardens in
Bavaria. China announced it will give $2 billion to the fight against the
coronavirus.
As nations carved out a new normal amid the pandemic, Chinese
President Xi Jinping told the World Health Organization's annual meeting
that the money will be paid out over two years to help respond to
COVID-19, which has killed hundreds of thousands and devastated
national economies. He said the funds will especially support efforts in
developing countries.
Xi's address came amid sharp tensions between Beijing and President
Donald Trump, who has suspended U.S. funding to WHO and accused it
of failing to stop the virus from spreading when it first surfaced in China.
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar represented the U.S. at
the meeting, held online this year.
WHO announced it will evaluate the response to the outbreak "at the
earliest appropriate moment," after a watchdog body found possible
shortcomings in the U.N. agency's handling of the crisis.
Weekend tests states' reopening strategies
New infections and deaths have slowed considerably in Europe, where
some countries started easing lockdowns a month ago. Many nations are
preparing to open their borders next month, trying to sketch out the rules
for a highly unusual summer tourist season.
Germany's foreign minister was discussing the options with colleagues
from 10 largely southern European countries.
"This vacation this year won't be like the ones we know from the past,"
Heiko Maas told ZDF television. "The pandemic is still there, and we must
at least have safety precautions for the worst case that the figures get
worse again."
More than 4.7 million people worldwide have tested positive for the
coronavirus and over 315,000 deaths have been reported, according to a
tally by Johns Hopkins University. Those figures are believed to
understate the true dimensions of the outbreak because of limited
testing, differences in counting the dead and concealment by some
governments.
The U.S. has reported almost 90,000 deaths, and Europe has seen over
160,000 dead.
Greece reopened the Acropolis and other ancient sites, along with high
schools, shopping malls and mainland travel. Paving stickers were used to
keep visitors apart. Tourists were local, for the country still has a 14-day
quarantine for arrivals, and travel to Greek islands remains broadly
restricted.
Authorities are keen to reopen Greece's vital tourism sector, following a
warning that the country is likely to suffer the worst recession in the 27-
nation European Union this year.
Greece's beaches reopened over the weekend during a heat wave with
strict social distancing, but buses from Athens to the coast were
crowded.
In Belgium, more students returned to school, hairdressers began clipping
locks again, and museums and zoos reopened, all with strict reservation
systems to avoid overcrowding. Hoping to make the most of the sunny
weather, open-air markets started selling spring fruit and vegetables.
Golf courses and garden stores reopened in Ireland, but Health Minister
Simon Harris said he is nervous because the virus hasn't gone away.
If Ireland can get the next three weeks right, "we as a country will find a
way to live safely alongside the virus," Harris told RTE radio.
Churches in Italy and at the Vatican resumed public Masses. Guards in
hazmat suits took the temperatures of the faithful entering St. Peter's
Basilica, where Pope Francis celebrated an early morning Mass in a side
chapel to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of St. John
Paul II.
Across town, the Rev. Jose Maria Galvan snapped on latex gloves and a
face mask before distributing Communion to a dozen parishioners at his
Sant'Eugenio parish.
"Before I became a priest I was a surgeon, so for me gloves are normal,"
he joked.
In Milan, the Montenapoleone district of luxury boutiques reopened, but
few if any shoppers were in sight. The area is home to such fashion
houses as Armani, Versace, Ferragamo, Fendi and Bottega Veneta, but its
customers are mostly foreigners, and travel to Italy remains severely
restricted.
At Milan's City Hall, hundreds of open-air vendors protested the failure of
the city to come up with rules for non-food stands to reopen.
''They haven't worked for three months. What are they going to do if they
can't reopen — steal, go ask charity?'' said Nicola Zarrella, vice president
of Euroimprese, which represents 22,000 market vendors in the Lombardy
region. "They want to work, not get handouts."
Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa took his morning coffee at a
Lisbon cafe and was having lunch at a restaurant with the speaker of
parliament as officials encouraged people to support local businesses.
Costa told reporters "we can't return to our old life as long as the virus is
around" but said the economy must come back to life.
In France, authorities were concerned after about 70 infections popped up
in the country's schools since they started reopening last week. France
reopened about 40,000 preschools and primary schools last week, with
classes capped at 15 students.
The WHO has been drawn into a blame game between the U.S. and
China over the spread of the virus. Trump claims China mishandled the
outbreak early on, but China has defended its record. The EU and other
countries have called for an independent evaluation of the WHO's
response to the pandemic "to review experience gained and lessons
learned."
Xi said that China had provided all relevant outbreak data to WHO and
other countries, including the virus's genetic sequence, "in a most timely
fashion."
"We have shared control and treatment experience with the world without
reservation," Xi said. "We have done everything in our power to support
and assist countries in need."
Xi said he also supports the idea of a comprehensive review of the global
response to COVID-19, which "should be based on science and
professionalism, led by WHO and conducted in objective and impartial
manner."
The 11-page review of the WHO's response by an independent oversight
body raised questions of whether its warning system for alerting the
world to outbreaks was adequate, and it suggested member states might
need to "reassess" WHO's role in providing travel advice to countries.
China reported just seven new cases on Monday but kept tighter social-
distancing rules in parts of the northeastern province of Jilin after a
cluster of cases of unknown origin turned up.
Moscow health officials said 77 people died of the virus in the Russian
capital in the past 24 hours, the highest daily total so far. With over
290,000 infections, Russia is second only to the U.S. in the number of
cases, but international health officials question Russia's low official
death toll of about 2,700.
In India, people trickled outdoors after the government extended a
nationwide lockdown to May 31 but eased many restrictions. Small shops
and other businesses reopened in places, including the capital, New Delhi.
At the same time, India recorded its biggest single-day coronavirus surge
with over 5,200 new cases, along with 157 deaths.
In Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro greeted hundreds of supporters — and
joined some in performing push-ups — who gathered to back his open-
the-economy drive. Bolsonaro has played down the virus even as it has
swept through Latin America's most populous country, leaving over 16,000
dead.



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