There is a glimmer of hope in fighting the Covid 19 pandemic. The calls for a revival of the economy are growing all the stronger. But when weighing up dangers and risks, experts and politicians are still on thin ice.
Washington / Madrid / Rome / London (dpa) - US President Donald Trump wants to get the US back to normal as soon as possible. In Spain, people should be allowed to go to work again this Monday.
And the spread of the Sars-CoV-2 virus is also slowing in Italy, one of the countries hardest hit by the Covid 19 pandemic. Great Britain is not yet over the hill.
The temptation to reduce restrictions on public life is great given the economic losses. But virologists warn: Even those who come too early are punished by life. There is a risk that the number of infected people could skyrocket again. The prominent immunologist and adviser to Trumps, Anthony Fauci, considers a return to normality to be gradual and possible with regional gradations.
USA WANT TO START UP ECONOMY SOON
Public life in the United States is largely at a standstill because of the crisis, which is extremely hard on the economy. Trump had originally promised a return to normality for these days, at Easter. But then the Covid 19 pandemic hit the United States with full force, and sad records have been set daily since then. In absolute numbers, the United States now has the largest number of deaths worldwide due to the corona epidemic: More than 22,000 people died from the virus until Easter Sunday evening.
Trump wants to get the economy back on track quickly and is expected to present an expert panel on Tuesday to discuss the timetable for easing the restrictions. But after the president received massive criticism from the opposition Democrats and the media, downplayed the corona danger for a long time and pulled the wheel far too late, Fauci now warns his boss against hasty steps in the other direction: the process could possibly be opening cautiously "at least in some way" next month.
However, predictions of this kind are difficult and one should not act too quickly. The ice on which politicians and experts move in the corona crisis is still thin, much of the virus is still not exactly known.
On Sunday, Trump attempted to alleviate the allegation that he had reacted too late to the pandemic. He did not understand why the media and the US Democrats would have criticized him so violently for the introduction of an entry ban from China, he wrote on Twitter and added: "Corrupt media!". Senior advisors to the president had warned media reports of a coronavirus pandemic in late January that could kill hundreds of thousands of Americans. Trump himself maintained until early March that the virus was no cause for concern for the United States.
SPAIN RETURN TO WORK
In Spain, where Easter Monday is not a holiday, the first relaxation of the strict restrictions on going out is due for the almost 47 million inhabitants. For two weeks now, only those who work in indispensable industries were allowed to work. From Monday, most Spaniards are now allowed to return to their jobs - but the strict ban on going out, which applies until at least midnight on April 25, remains otherwise. Since mid-March, people have only been allowed to go outside the house for shopping and in special cases.
"The pandemic is under control. The data will be even better in the coming weeks thanks to the economic hibernation," said Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, referring to the workers' two-week break. The positive trend in the fight against the virus continued over Easter. Just under 4,200 new cases were registered within 24 hours, an increase of just under 2.6 percent to a total of 166,000 - a comparatively low growth rate.
ITALY COUNTS LESS DEATHS
There was also a glimmer of hope from Italy. On Easter Sunday, 431 corona deaths were registered there within 24 hours. The increase had not been so low in a long time. A total of 899 people have died in the country since February 19 in connection with Covid-19 disease, according to civil protection. The total number of infected rose moderately to 156,363 cases (plus a good 4,000).
UK NOT OVER THE MOUNTAIN
British Health Minister Matt Hancock spoke of a "dark day". The Corona death toll had passed the 10,000 mark over the weekend. Experts expect the number of unreported cases to be high, especially as many victims in retirement homes have not yet been recorded. Many experts fear that the health system will not be able to withstand the crisis and that the UK may soon be the worst affected country in Europe by the pandemic.
But at least Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has Covid-19, has survived his serious illness. He was able to leave the hospital and is now supposed to relax at the Checkers country estate. The 55-year-old highly praised the staff at St. Thomas' Hospital: "I owe my life to them." It is expected that he will take over government affairs in a few weeks. Johnson is over the mountain, his country is not yet.
