Coronavirus Update: Europe Gets Back to Work, Cautiously

Europe is slowly beginning to reopen.

Starting today, France, Germany, and most other members of the European Union are officially easing some of their rules on social distancing, allowing many people to return to work and to use public transport. And on Sunday night, Boris Johnson, the British prime minister, issued somewhat vague guidelines on how that country will begin its post-lockdown phase.

France, which has been in lockdown since mid-March and where roughly 26,000 people have died of COVID-19 related complications, has issued perhaps the most sweeping of new directives.

Starting Monday, French residents on Monday will no longer have to fill out a government-issued form to leave the house. Trips of up to 100 kilometers (or roughly 62 miles) from home will be permitted, as will gatherings of up to 10 people. Individual outdoor activities, such as running, will no longer be subject to one-hour limits. Some beaches around the country will even begin to reopen, subject to the decisions of local authorities.

France’s main transport operators have gradually begun restoring traffic to normal, with the national rail operator SNCF saying that roughly one-third of the country’s high-speed trains will be running again by Monday. The Paris Métro and bus and suburban rail lines operated by RATP will return to 75% of regular service, the agency said, with the city’s two automated Métro lines running on regular schedules. Sixty of 302 Métro stations will remain closed.

Passenger capacity will remain severely limited, with RATP saying it wants to limit ridership to 15 percent of normal levels. Passengers at rush hour will be required to supply a certificate from their employer justifying their trip. All passengers on public transport will also be required to wear a mask or risk a €135 ($146) fine.

While many businesses, including hair salons, will be allowed to reopen this week, bars, restaurants, and cinemas will remain closed, as will museums. And international travel remains severely restricted: Any travelers who enter France from outside the E.U.’s open-border Schengen area—whether citizens or foreigners—will face a mandatory two-week quarantine upon arrival.

Here is a summary of the major actions being taken by some other E.U. countries:

Italy: All retail businesses will reopen on May 18, as will museums, cultural sites, churches, and libraries. Bars and restaurants will reopen from June 1, along with hair and beauty salons. Social distancing rules are in place in parks. Wearing masks is mandatory on public transport.

Spain: Small businesses and hotels can begin to open today, but social distancing will remain in force. Restaurants can start opening their terraces from mid-May, but they must not be more than 30% full. Theaters and cinemas will reopen from late May, but again must be no more than a third full. Shops can open at half capacity from around the end of June, with two meters (six feet) between shoppers. Beaches are expected to reopen in late June.

Germany: Germany has been among the fastest countries to ease its coronavirus restrictions gradually. Earlier this month, shops and hair salons were allowed to reopen, and some of the restrictions on social distancing in public spaces were eased. More recently, churches have been able to reopen for religious services and weddings. Playgrounds, zoos, and museums have reopened. But a ban on major public events remains in place, and Oktoberfest is officially canceled.

Denmark: Shops in Denmark will be allowed to reopen today, followed a week later by the return of bars, restaurants, and secondary schools.

Belgium: Most businesses will open Monday, with social distancing strictly enforced. Masks are recommended but not required. Cafes, restaurants, and bars remain closed. In central Brussels, there will be limits on cars, and priority will be given to cyclists and pedestrians. Schools remain closed until May 18.

In Britain, Boris Johnson gave a prerecorded speech to the nation on Sunday night in which he announced the broad outlines of a loosening of restrictions, saying they were “conditional” on the there not being a new surge of COVID-19 infections and deaths. At last count, Britain has recorded nearly 32,000 coronavirus death, and the prime minister himself was hospitalized and moved into intensive care after being diagnosed with COVID-19.

Among Johnson’s directives were that people who are not able to work remotely should return to their place of employment but avoid public transport if at all possible. Restrictions on outdoor exercise are being lifted, but social distancing rules still apply. Johnson suggested that shops could begin to reopen by June 1 and that restaurants and hotels could reopen by early July.

The most controversial part of Johnson’s plan was to substitute “stay alert” for “stay at home” in the government’s official coronavirus slogan, drawing criticism from opposition leaders and other public officials.

Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon criticized Johnson’s decision to focus on staying alert and emphasized that she will still tell Scots to “stay home.” “For Scotland right now, given the fragility of the progress we have made, given the critical point we are at, it would be catastrophic for me to drop the stay-at-home message, which is why I am not prepared to do it…particularly in favor of a message that is vague and imprecise,” she said.

Northern Ireland’s first minister Arlene Foster also said she’s staying with the stay-home message: “On the whole, the message is to stay at home. We will say we are not deviating from the message at this time.”

Johnson also announced that Britain would soon impose a mandatory quarantine on travelers arriving in the country by air, but he provided no details about how the quarantine will work.

Originally Appeared on Vogue