The corona virus has caused an emergency worldwide. Europe has hit the virus hard. The first easing has also started in Spain.
- The corona virus * has hit Europe hard.
- Britain now has the most Covid 19 deaths in Europe.
- Prime Minister Boris Johnson has now announced the first easing.
- Here is our Corona Virus Reporting Guide *, the Sars CoV-2 Basic Facts *, the Falling Numbers Map * for Germany and our “Corona News” * on Facebook.
Update 9:18 p.m .: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Sunday a cautious easing of contact restrictions in the coronavirus pandemic for England. "The number of deaths is tragic, the suffering immense," Johnson said in a televised speech on Sunday evening. Nevertheless, the virus had been slowed down. Therefore, loosening can now be started in slow steps.
However, the exit restrictions will remain in effect until June 1. People should continue to keep the distance rules carefully. If you can't work from home, you should avoid public transport, switch to a bike or walk. Schools and shops are also expected to reopen at the beginning of June at the earliest.
Johnson also introduced a corona warning system that will be used to assess the situation in Great Britain in the future. The classification will depend on the level of transmission of the virus, which is now slightly below one. He will present further details of his timetable in parliament on Monday, the conservative politician said.
The gentle easing does not apply to the British parts of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland . Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon called on the Scots to stay at home. The government's message in London to be vigilant criticized it as vague. Opposition leader Keir Starmer of the Labor party also criticized the changes as unclear.
Corona in Europe: France wants to loosen up on Monday
Update 19:31: In France , the strict will be from Monday
Exit restrictions gradually relaxed. The people in the country are allowed to go out again without a pass and good reason, sports or walks are no longer limited in time and place. The shops are supposed to open again - but restaurants and bars remain closed. The schools are also gradually opening up again for some cohorts, as are the crèches. Masks are mandatory in local and long-distance transport.
If you want to travel more than 100 kilometers from your place of residence, you still need a certificate and this is only allowed for urgent family or professional reasons. The entry restrictions to France also remain until at least June 15th.
Corona virus in Europe: Russia wants to reopen from Tuesday
Update 12.53 p.m .: In Russia, the number of corona infected for the first time is over 200,000. On Sunday, 11,000 infections were added, as the Moscow authorities said. More than half of these were in the capital Moscow, where strict curfews have been in place for more than a month. The largest country in the world in terms of surface area thus records a very strong increase in the number of infections.
Despite the massive growth, working life in Russia should start again in many areas on Tuesday. Then officially the time off work set by Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin more than a month ago ends. In Moscow, for example, construction sites and industrial companies are allowed to reopen. Shops remain closed. In addition, in the largest city in Europe, there is a duty to wear gloves and a protective mask in transport.
COrona in Europe: Johnson plans to open Great Britain - five-stage warning system planned
Update of May 10, 11:38: Even Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants his next moves in on Sunday Corona tell -Crisis and substantial easing of the measures. According to media reports, Johnson plans to introduce a five-stage warning system based on the traffic light principle. The levels should indicate the corona risk in the respective region from green to red. As the British Sun reports, for example , the government intends to use the color system to tighten up the corona measures again, if necessary, on a regional basis.
Boris Johnson makes a TV speech in the evening. According to reports from England, it is expected that the exit restrictions will be partially lifted and further shops may be opened.
Corona in Europe: Spain starts “Phase 1” - displeasure in Mallorca
Update of May 10, 8:59 a.m .: In half of Spain , the exit restrictions in the Corona pandemic will be relaxed on Monday . The decision of the left central government is not only causing displeasure in those regions that are not yet enjoying the easing. The inhabitants of Mallorca are also dissatisfied, although there hotels have been reopening for the first time in two months and restaurants and bars in the outdoor area can once again host guests. "Alone: There is a lack of customers," wrote the "Mallorca Zeitung". The weekly newspaper predicted at the weekend, so "almost all houses" would remain closed on Monday.
The central government announced on Friday evening that on Monday, alongside Mallorca and the other Balearic Islands, a further ten of a total of seventeen "autonomous communities" may enter "phase 1" of the de-escalation plan , including the Basque Country and the Canaries. In addition to restaurants, churches and museums will also be allowed to open their doors here. You can meet friends and relatives again. In compliance with the safety rules, gatherings of up to ten people are permitted outdoors and at home.
This does not apply to Madrid , which initially remains in "Phase 0". In other regions, such as Catalonia or Valencia, easing is only allowed in a few areas. Like Madrid, the Catalan metropolis of Barcelona, including the province of the same name, has to “detain”. In Andalusia, the economically immensely important holiday areas of Málaga and Granada are not included.
Corona in Europe: Slovenes demonstrate despite ban - France reports lowest value in weeks
News from May 9th:
Update, 7.40 p.m .: France has recorded 80 coron a dead in the past 24 hours - the lowest figure in weeks. A total of 26,310 people have died in hospitals and nursing homes since the epidemic began , the Ministry of Health announced on Saturday (May 9).
Four regions in the country account for 75 percent of hospitalized cases. These are: the greater Paris area , the Grand Est region bordering Germany , Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in the southeast of the country and Hauts-de-France in the north.
95,829 people have been hospitalized since the beginning of March . 56,038 people are now cured at home. Not counting tens of thousands who were cured without hospitalization.
Corona virus in Europe: For fundamental rights and against corruption - Slovenians demonstrate despite the ban
Update from May 9th 9:37 am: The consequences of the corona virus for Europe are precarious. Not only is there more than a million coronavirus infections in the European Union , quite different measures are also taken in the individual countries. In Greece , for example, people had to check with a police registration office for weeks if they wanted to go to the door. Also for shopping or going for a walk with the dog. In Germany there is only a blockage of contacts, there were exceptions in Bavaria, for example, where a curfew was imposed for four weeks. In contrast, there were hardly any restrictions in Sweden.
Times of crisis and emergency legislation are a critical time in democracies. Not only for reasons of crisis - also in view of the existing constitution. This seems to be the case in Slovenia, among other places, where the government has imposed a general ban on demonstrations. The right to demonstrate must be guaranteed in democratic systems but also in times of crisis, it is the elementary criterion for the citizens to control politics or to express criticism.
Corona virus in Europe: demonstration in Slovenia
More than 5000 people demonstrated on Friday evening in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana against the restriction of civil rights as a result of the corona pandemic . Smaller rallies also took place in other cities such as Maribor, Celje and Koper, the STA news agency reported. In Ljubljana, the demonstrators went to the parliament on bicycles to express their protest with bells and cowbells.
In Slovenia apply because of the Corona pandemic since March output restrictions that have recently been eased gradually. A ban on meetings and demonstrations also applies . The protest on Friday was also directed against alleged corruption in the environment of the right-wing Prime Minister Janez Jansa.
An employee of the state procurement agency had reported to the media that the government had purchased funds to protect against the corona pandemic from abroad through a Slovenian brokerage firm. There is a suspicion that the company, which is controlled by people close to the government, has unnecessarily collected commissions.
Coronavirus in Europe: Will entry stop be extended? EU Commission with a clear opinion
Update of May 9, 8:30 p.m .: The British government has dampened hopes of a major relaxation of measures to curb the coronavirus pandemic in the country. “We have to be realistic that there will be no dramatic change. We will be very careful if we relax the restrictions, ”said Environment Minister George Eustice. Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans on Sunday (May 10) to present a roadmap for slowly lifting contact restrictions in the UK in a highly anticipated speech .
According to official statistics, the country now has the most deaths in Europe from the corona virus . The number of deaths rose by 626 to 31,241 on Friday (May 8).
Coronavirus in Spain: No easing in the hotspot Madrid - More than 8500 dead
Update, 6.40 p.m .: Madrid will be excluded from the new easing of the lockdown that will come into force on Monday (May 11th) in the Corona hotspot Spain . The central government rejected the capital region's application to be allowed to enter phase 1 of the de-escalation plan. The regional government announced this now. With almost 65,000 cases of infection and over 8500 deaths , Madrid is by far the region most affected by the pandemic in Spain.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's left coalition wants to lead Spain to a “new normal” by the end of June with a four-phase plan . Each stage should last two weeks.
It was expected that in addition to Madrid , several provinces of Catalonia , including Barcelona , a few areas in Andalusia and the entire region of Castile and León will remain in “Phase 0” until further notice. In contrast to Madrid, however, these cases would be at your own request.
Coronavirus in Europe: Will entry stop be extended? EU Commission with a clear opinion
Update from May 8, 5.42 p.m .: The EU Commission believes that the far-reaching restrictions on entry into the EU due to the corona crisis should be extended by a further 30 days until June 15. The Brussels authorities proposed this on Friday. To curb the pandemic , all EU countries except Ireland and the non-EU countries Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland agreed in mid-March to initially restrict travel to the EU that was not absolutely necessary
Corona virus in Europe: new rules in France - Denmark is easing the situation
Update from May 7, 10:10 p.m .: Like many Central European countries, Denmark is also reducing its strict corona measures . In the course of the second phase of easing, several steps were decided, which should apply from Monday. The entire retail trade should therefore open again, including the shopping centers that have been closed for weeks.
Corona virus in Europe: Denmark is preparing to relax - but the borders remain tight
On May 18, restaurants and cafés are also allowed to open under certain guidelines, as are churches and religious communities. The schools come on stream: the sixth to tenth classes go back to class. Children in the lower grades as well as crèches and kindergartens were allowed to return to normal in mid-April. The professional sports also notes with immediate effect its operation again - but without spectators. The ban on meetings for more than ten people continues to apply for the time being.
The borders with neighboring Germany remain closed for the time being, but Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen emphasized that there was an exchange with neighboring countries. The Danish borders have been largely closed since mid-March. The government wants to publish new information by June 1 at the latest.
Update, 6:25 p.m .: Before the planned easing of the current Corona * measures in Russia, new infections rose to a new record mark . For the first time since the pandemic started, more than 11,000 new infections were recorded here, 6,703 of them in Moscow alone. With more than 177,000 infections reported, Russia is in fifth place worldwide, behind the USA, Spain, Italy and Great Britain.
Coronavirus in Europe: Putin defies record numbers - France with easing
Despite the drastic growth , working life will start again in many areas next Tuesday, May 12th. The non- working time that President Vladimir Putin planned until May 11 was not extended. Now industrial companies and construction sites in the capital Moscow should reopen on Tuesday , as Mayor Sergej Sobjanin announced with reference to the difficult economic situation. In addition, masks and gloves are now mandatory ; Sobyanin estimates the number of infected people in Moscow to be 300,000.
Update, 4:50 pm: There is also news from France : From May 11, the strict exit restrictions are to be gradually relaxed. "This is a new stage in the fight against the epidemic, it is good news for France , for the French people, " said French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe after a government meeting chaired by President Emmanuel Macron . Macron had announced the date of May 11 for the first phase of easing a few weeks ago. However, the head of state and the government wanted to decide at short notice whether the situation in the country would allow easing .
In the future, the departments will be divided into green and red zones depending on the spread of the virus . There should be more extensive easing measures in the green departments. "The country is divided into two: For the most part, we managed to stop the epidemic wave," said Philippe. That is good news. The virus is still particularly active in the red departments. The situation is particularly serious in the French overseas region of Mayotte and in the greater Paris area .
How is the coronavirus pandemic evolving? A group of US researchers has been working on this question - and has developed three possible scenarios.
Corona virus in Europe: Johnson announces easing - Spain extends emergency
Update, 3:14 p.m .: Europe-wide emergency calls due to domestic violence have increased by up to 60 percent compared to the same period last year, said Hans Kluge, WHO European Director at a press conference in Copenhagen.
More than 150,000 people have died in connection with the corona virus in Europe . With 1.64 million officially registered infections, Europe still has the most cases worldwide. Most of the deaths in Europe are in Great Britain (more than 30,000), Italy (more than 29,600), Spain (around 26,000) and France (around 25,800).
Coronavirus Spain, Girona: A worker at the crematorium in Girona places an already disinfected coffin with a victim with Covid-19 in the incinerator
© dpa / David Zorrakino
Corona virus: admission of refugees faltering
In Bulgaria , where many measures have been eased in spite of the increasing number of infections, the government crisis team is concerned about the behavior of the citizens: "A permanent violation of the conditions is actually observed," criticized crisis team chief Wenzislaw Mutaftschijski on Thursday before the press.
Although, according to the EU Commission, eleven states have agreed to take over at least 1,600 unaccompanied minors and other particularly vulnerable refugees from the overcrowded Greek island camps, the transfer has stalled. After the admission of 59 refugees, no other people were transferred - coordination was complex and complicated by the corona virus. Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) describes the events as "poverty certificate for the EU".
Corona virus in Europe: support for the Western Balkans
Update of May 7, 9:13 p.m .: At a video summit with Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia , the EU has assured the Western Balkans to continue to support them. The summit also came about because partners from the region spoke of a lack of European solidarity and turned to China.
Meanwhile, France is still following a mysterious trail: A man was subsequently tested positive for the corona virus - but he was already ill at the end of December.
Coronavirus - Spain: A woman is doing yoga on the beach in Barcelona
© dpa / Jordi Boixareu
In Spain, the state of emergency declared in March was extended again to May 25th - but thanks to some easing, people can once again exercise outdoors. "Ignoring the risk of the epidemic and lifting the state of emergency very quickly would be absolutely wrong, a total, unforgivable mistake," warned Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez before the vote in parliament.
Coronavirus in Europe: Great Britain before easing
First report from May 7, 2020:
London - The corona virus continues to cause a state of emergency in Europe. France, Italy, Spain and Great Britain, in particular, have been badly affected by the developments of the corona virus * and its effects.
While some countries have already implemented easing of containment measures, UK corona protection measures still exist. Prime Minister Boris Johnson also plans to introduce some easing measures next week .
Far-reaching decisions were also made in Germany on Wednesday.
Corona in Europe: Johnson wants to relax measures
Boris Johnson warned on Wednesday in Parliament, however, that this should not happen too quickly, otherwise there would be a second wave of outbreaks. That would hit the economy even harder. Johnson wants to present his exact plan on Sunday.
The head of government announced in the sparsely staffed House of Commons that the number of coronavirus * tests would increase to 200,000 per day by the end of May. So far, Great Britain was far behind in international comparison. Around 100,000 people are currently being tested every day, but this goal is not always achieved. British media had already speculated on individual steps that Johnson could plan: These include, for example, the mask requirement in certain situations and the opening of more parks.
If we all continue to follow the rules, we will come through this faster and the United Kingdom will emerge stronger than ever before. #StayHomeSaveLives pic.twitter.com/T6CZJeb0AB
- Boris Johnson #StayHomeSaveLives (@BorisJohnson) May 6, 2020Britain with the most Covid 19 deaths in Europe
The UK has the largest number of coronavirus deaths * in Europe , according to statistics . Johnson's government is accused of responding too slowly to the pandemic. In addition, the state health service NHS has been underfunded for years. For example, there is a shortage of doctors, nurses, protective equipment and respirators.
Coronavirus in Europe: Spain extends national emergency again
Despite violent headwinds from the opposition, the Spanish government won on Wednesday in parliament with its request for a further extension of the controversial Corona * emergency . It is the fourth expansion of the "alarm status" announced in mid-March, which is to continue until May 24. The measure allows Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to continue to maintain strict exit restrictions for the almost 47 million Spaniards. Gradual easing has already been initiated in the past few days.
dpa / mbr
* Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network
Rubric list image: © dpa / Andrew Parsons
