COVID-19 Lockdown: Germany Eases Restrictions On shops; Pupils Returns To School In Norway

Countries are beginning to ease lockdown measures in Europe – though officials insist the outbreak is far from over. Here’s the latest:

• Restrictions are starting to ease across Europe, with Germany reopening some shops, pupils returning to kindergarten in Norway, and Poland allowing people to visit parks and forests. In Denmark – where pupils returned to primary schools and nurseries on Wednesday – businesses like hairdressers, dentists and tattoo parlours are now reopening. You can read more about it here
• Spain’s reported daily death toll on Sunday was 410, its lowest for nearly a month, but the country has no plans to end its lockdown yet. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will speak to the opposition leader Pablo Casado on Monday about a cross-party response to the crisis
• French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe insisted the crisis “is not over” in his country, as the death toll neared 20,000. Face masks may soon become compulsory to wear on public transport, and the government plans to produce enough masks for everyone who wants to wear one
• A random testing programme begins today in Slovenia. Teams will visit the homes of about 3,000 people to carry out antibody tests, in a bid to see how widespread the coronavirus outbreak is in the country