Confusion reigns as countries relax containment orders and coronavirus cases rise

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European countries ease restrictions 0:49

London (CNN) - "I can't hug my grandmother but I can go to Nemesis Inferno with her," wrote a Twitter user about her grandmother and a popular roller coaster in the UK.

This news about the state of confinement by coronavirus in England was repeated on social media this week when people said they were "confused" by the latest easing of government restrictions.

It means family members still can't spend time inside each other's houses, but outdoor attractions, retail stores and houses of worship may reopen in England starting next week.

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom has recorded more than 50,000 coronavirus deaths, second only to the United States.

There is a wide discrepancy in coronavirus approaches by the world's political leaders, some countries are lifting the restrictions as deaths from covid-19 continue to rise, and global health agencies are backing off in their direction. Not surprisingly, the situation seems unclear.

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A London Underground user walks with a face mask at a station on June 5, 2020.

Many universities in England will not return to classes until September, but students can visit restaurants, hairdressers and even pubs, if they are over 18 years old. UK Business Secretary Alok Sharma said this week that the government's ambition is to reopen these establishments from July 4.

It was also announced that single-adult households may form a "bubble of support" with another household, but this does not include those with chronic conditions who are "sheltering."

Annabel James, co-founder of online community Age Space, said hundreds of people with older relatives had told her organization that they were confused. "The rules have changed very quickly in many different aspects of life," he told CNN. “And I think for many people, he's trying to determine what rules relate to them under what circumstances and how to interpret them. I think it is very difficult for people to interpret them. "

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President Donald Trump, accompanied by Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, talks about the coronavirus vaccine at the White House in May.

James said there were concerns about people returning to school or work while forming a bubble with a relative, and many "were really being more cautious in their interpretation of the guide."

Vague government messages, plus controversy over whether government adviser Dominic Cummings violated the closing rules, have seen some in the UK err on the side of caution while others take a much more relaxed approach.

Large groups have gathered at parks and parties, many do not wear masks (which only become compulsory on public transportation starting Monday), and thousands attended protests where social distancing is a challenge.

Public health experts warned last week that the UK government was moving too fast, too soon, by lifting so many measures, risking a second wave and imposing a total blockade.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he knew the changes were only incremental and that it was "inevitable" that people would find "apparent anomalies".

He said the government had to move "slower than we would have liked in some areas," including reopening schools, because the infection rate was not yet low enough.

"We will continue to be cautious and measure the effect of the changes we make. And as I've always said, we won't hesitate to apply the brakes if that's what the situation requires, "added Johnson.

Peaks in the United States

In the United States, 19 states are seeing an upward trend in new cases of coronavirus as restrictions increase and more Americans leave their homes.

Florida has one of the biggest peaks with the number of new cases reported each day increasing by an average of about 46% last week when much of the state reopened. In recent weeks, it has spread further in the interior states, including Arkansas, Texas and Arizona, which has told its hospitals to activate emergency plans. In Utah, State Representative Suzanne Harrison told people to avoid close contact with others or to wear masks, calling a recent increase in cases "very concerning (and) close to exponential."

The United States has more than 2 million cases and 113,000 deaths, most of any country in the world, amid growing concern over the reopening, increased socialization, and widespread protests over police brutality and racial inequality.

Julia Marcus, an infectious disease epidemiologist at Harvard Medical School, said on the podcast for Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent, that everyone had to navigate questions about how to behave and make "decisions based on the calculation of risk-benefit ”. She said public health guidelines should help people with risk assessment, and that the protests also address a public health crisis.

Mienah Sharif, a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for the Study of Racism, Social Justice and Health at UCLA, told Gupta that the official advice was often "problematic and even irrelevant" for some communities. She said that fewer than one in five black workers and one in six Latino workers have the option of working remotely, and some have less access to green spaces or are discouraged by the presence of the police.

WHO increases uncertainty

The advice of the world's best scientists and public health agencies in many cases only increases uncertainty.

The WHO cast widespread doubt by changing its stance on asymptomatic transmission this week. A WHO official reiterated an earlier comment Tuesday that transmission of covid-19 by people without symptoms is "very unusual," clarifying that the asymptomatic spread is actually a "big unknown." Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO technical leader for the coronavirus response, called it a "misunderstanding."

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the leading infectious disease expert in the United States, said it was "not correct" to describe the asymptomatic spread of the coronavirus as unusual.

The episode drew widespread criticism of the WHO's public health messages, as it marked most of the covid-19 cases reported to the agency on a single day during the pandemic on Sunday.

In April, a study published in the medical journal The Lancet warned that blockages worldwide should not be fully lifted until a vaccine for the disease is found. However, the financial cost of the pandemic has been such that authorities around the world have been pressured to reopen their economies.

And, as people around the world consider going back to their normal lives, this is a dangerous time for confusion.

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