The spread of coronavirus appears to be slowing in parts of Europe, with Spain and Italy beginning to ease lockdown restrictions and France announcing that it will do as well.
Austria is reportedly reopening thousands of shops on Tuesday (today) as it seeks to ease restrictions brought in to stem the spread of the coronavirus. Garden centers and small shops will open as part of a step-by-step plan to restart the economy.
In Italy, where over 20,000 people have died in the pandemic, a limited number of shops and businesses have been allowed to reopen, while some of the worst hit regions have decided to hold off.
With the total number of global COVID-19 cases approaching 2 million, including more than 119,000 fatalities, more than 448,000 patients are reported to have recovered. Get the latest updates from around the world:
- India extends nationwide lockdown until May 3
- France extends national lockdown to May 11
- Spain eases some restrictions with 567 new announced deaths
- China approves two vaccines for clinical trial
- More than 580,000 cases confirmed in the US
Here in Michigan. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer held a coronavirus media briefing on Monday, reporting that the state’s case trajectory may be starting to flatten.
Whitmer said that current data shows that the state is starting to flatten the curve, but residents must continue to follow social distancing guidelines to prevent another rise because the slower growth is the result of residents following distancing measures.
Michigan chief medical officer Dr. Joneigh Khaldun said despite the reductions in the growth of cases, there are still many cases and deaths every day, noting that some areas of the state are seeing increases.
“Different areas of the state may be different in how many cases they’re seeing, and how fast that growth is,” Dr. Khaldun said. “Easing up on social distancing measures too early would be devastating. More people will die and our hospitals will be overwhelmed,” Dr. Khaldun said. “Health and economy are related, and we must put the health of the public first.”