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        <title><![CDATA[How does the world end the coronavirus lockdown? Countries can't agree on exit strategy]]></title>
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            <media:title type="html">How does the world end the coronavirus lockdown? Countries can't agree on exit strategy</media:title>
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        <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>There are no global benchmarks and little coordination when it comes to opening up national economies.</p><p>After weeks and, for some, months of 
social and economic isolation, political leaders and citizens around the
 world are eager to reemerge from their coronavirus-fueled lockdowns. 
The question is, how?</p><p>The answer has divided elected officials, health experts and international bodies.  And unlike past global crises, the United States has declined to take  the lead in coordinating the global response to the Covid-19 pandemic.</p><p>Threads  of economic coordination are emerging at some levels of government. The  European Union, for example, is planning a coordinated exit from its  travel bans on non-EU residents. Some U.S. state governors, meanwhile,  are forming regional alliances to work on coordinated economic  re-openings. The G20 has proposed a debt pause for developing countries.  And European governments are in the midst of deciding how much they’re  willing to pay to maintain the Eurozone currency framework.</p><p>But
 as countries from Spain to China to the United States move to partially
 reopen their economies, there are still no broadly agreed benchmarks 
for what constitutes safe conditions for returning to normal life. A 
number of countries, including Germany and India, plan to revisit their 
restrictions on May 3, which could mark a turning point around the 
globe.</p><p>Here is POLITICO’s global overview of what steps different countries and institutions are taking to enable economic re-opening:</p><p><strong>Europe</strong></p><figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><noscript><img  alt="" data-src="https://static.politico.com/dims4/default/a5bbb32/2147483647/resize/1160x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.politico.com%2F67%2Fc5%2F7238d62440a9bc915cbd149eed14%2F200415-germany-getty-773.jpg" class="lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" /><noscript><img src="https://static.politico.com/dims4/default/a5bbb32/2147483647/resize/1160x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.politico.com%2F67%2Fc5%2F7238d62440a9bc915cbd149eed14%2F200415-germany-getty-773.jpg" alt=""/></noscript></noscript><img class="lazyload" src='data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22%20viewBox=%220%200%20210%20140%22%3E%3C/svg%3E' data-src="https://static.politico.com/dims4/default/a5bbb32/2147483647/resize/1160x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.politico.com%2F67%2Fc5%2F7238d62440a9bc915cbd149eed14%2F200415-germany-getty-773.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption> An empty &#8220;Strasse des 17. Juni&#8221;, a street in central Berlin, is pictured  during a late sunlight on April 08, 2020 in Berlin, Germany. | Strasse  des 17. Juni</figcaption></figure><p> EU countries have shifted from complacent to haphazard in their approach to the virus.  Several countries that ordered lockdowns in March are now tentatively  relaxing some of their restrictions, despite warnings from the EU’s  executive arm in Brussels that “any relaxation” will “unavoidably lead”  to more Covid-19 infections, the disease caused by the unique  coronavirus. The EU, however, has limited legal and political power to  back up those warnings. Instead, it is focused on attempting to  coordinate border controls.</p><p>On Wednesday, the European Commission <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_652" target="_blank">recommended</a> the bloc’s visa-free travel area remain closed to non-residents for the foreseeable future. The Commission was forced to drop a “roadmap”  for ending lockdowns last week, after several national governments  accused it of sending a dangerous signal to countries still urging  millions of citizens to stay at home. The new plan instead calls for  restrictions to remain in place until countries converge in flattening  their Covid-19 curves. The EU’s current restrictive travel guidance applies until May 15.</p><p>Germany, Europe’s leading power, also 
laid out its plan for re-opening its economy Wednesday. Chancellor 
Angela Merkel told a press conference that the government will allow 
stores smaller than 8,600 square feet (800 square meters) to re-open 
from April 20 under strict hygiene measures, and require Germans to keep
 5 feet (1.5 meters) distance from others in public until at least May 
3. Mask-wearing is not mandatory but recommended.</p><p>In parallel, Belgium&#8217;s special committee  of health experts, economists and regional and national politicians  issued recommendations to keep the country&#8217;s lockdown in place until May  3, with the exception of gardening and hardware stores.</p><p>Other European countries aren’t taking  their cues from Angela Merkel or the EU, however. The Czech Republic  and Austria have already allowed some non-essential shops to reopen (while also mandating masks in public).</p><p>In hard-hit Spain, which after Italy has seen more deaths  from the virus than any other European country, officials are allowing  some in the industrial and construction sectors to head back to work,  while encouraging them to walk or cycle there.</p><p>The Spanish government has called for more global coordination.  But according to Pablo Casado, leader of Spain’s conservative  opposition, the coordination problem starts at home. &#8220;Many employees  return to work tomorrow, once again amid general confusion,&#8221; Casado said  Sunday.</p><p>Denmark is reopening some day care institutions and elementary schools <a href="https://www.thelocal.dk/20200413/schools-and-day-care-centres-gear-up-for-staggered-and-restricted-reopening" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">this week</a>, after a decision process Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen described as “<a href="https://www.spglobal.com/en/research-insights/articles/covid-19-daily-update-april-8-2020" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">like walking a tightrope.”</a></p><p>The U.K. will almost certainly extend their lock-down on Thursday. France, meanwhile, plans to keep severe restrictions in place until May 11,  after which “we want to let as many people return to work as possible,”  President Emmanuel Macron said in a national address Monday. Critics complained his remarks lacked clarity.</p><p>Italy is also <a href="https://www.ansa.it/english/news/2020/04/10/coronavirus-lockdown-extended-until-may-3-says-conte_3f287881-3aee-41f7-9ecb-230d146d1f84.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">extending</a> its strict lockdown, but has added some exceptions, allowing bookshops,
 children&#8217;s clothing stores and forestry businesses to re-open. Ireland,
 Poland and Hungary remain in strict lockdown.</p><p>With reported Covid-19 deaths in Sweden now topping 1,000, the Swedish government is under <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidnikel/2020/04/14/sweden-22-scientists-say-coronavirus-strategy-has-failed-as-deaths-top-1000/#3de728407b6c" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">increasing pressure</a> to change its relatively relaxed approach.</p><h3>Asia — Pacific</h3><figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><noscript><img  alt="" data-src="https://static.politico.com/dims4/default/b4cbf44/2147483647/resize/1160x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.politico.com%2F15%2F37%2Fedbcedf74a1789c2be7559d308d1%2F200415-india-ap-773.jpg" class="lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" /><noscript><img src="https://static.politico.com/dims4/default/b4cbf44/2147483647/resize/1160x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.politico.com%2F15%2F37%2Fedbcedf74a1789c2be7559d308d1%2F200415-india-ap-773.jpg" alt=""/></noscript></noscript><img class="lazyload" src='data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22%20viewBox=%220%200%20210%20140%22%3E%3C/svg%3E' data-src="https://static.politico.com/dims4/default/b4cbf44/2147483647/resize/1160x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.politico.com%2F15%2F37%2Fedbcedf74a1789c2be7559d308d1%2F200415-india-ap-773.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption> A man sells face masks during the countrywide lockdown amid concern over  the spread of coronavirus in Prayagraj, India, on April 5, 2020. |  Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP Photo</figcaption></figure><p>India has extended what is currently the world’s biggest lockdown through May 3, amid a rising infection curve<strong>. </strong>&#8220;From
 the economic angle, we have paid a big price,&#8221; Modi said in a 
nationwide address. &#8220;But the lives of the people of India are far more 
valuable.&#8221; Some restrictions on the poorest Indians will be lifted April
 20.</p><p>Singapore avoided a lockdown for weeks after <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://youtu.be/7eG91sZR4IU" target="_blank">deeming it “unsustainable”</a> for months at a time, according to government minister Lawrence Wong.  The city state of six million reversed course last week, closing schools  and banning all gatherings — enforceable via jail time — after a new  wave of infections. Japan has also tightened its approach, declaring a  state of emergency in Tokyo, Yokohama and Osaka, the country’s three  biggest cities.</p><p>Hong Kong is struggling to bring down the total number of active cases, despite operating with the benefit of what may have <a href="https://covid19.sph.hku.hk/dashboard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the most detailed infection datasets globally. </a>After letting down its guard in mid-March, the territory imposed new travel bans and remains under lockdown.</p><p>Wuhan, China, the site of the original Covid-19 outbreak, reopened a week ago after 76 days of lockdown and <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/06/asia/china-coronavirus-tourist-warning-intl-hnk/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chinese tourist sites were busy</a> over the weekend. But rising infections inSuifenhe on the China-Russia border have prompted a <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/china-closes-russia-border-puts-new-city-wuhan-style-lockdown-contain-pandemic-1496976" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">lockdown</a> in the city.</p><p>Other countries doing well in the region include New Zealand and Australia, which are <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/new-zealand-isnt-just-flattening-the-curve-its-squashing-it/2020/04/07/6cab3a4a-7822-11ea-a311-adb1344719a9_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">maintaining their tough restrictions</a>.</p><h3>The Americas</h3><figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><noscript><img  alt="" data-src="https://static.politico.com/dims4/default/ffbcdf0/2147483647/resize/1160x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.politico.com%2F13%2Ff9%2Fdc59e02344fab4948da3440c3eeb%2F200415-new-york-getty-773.jpg" class="lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" /><noscript><img src="https://static.politico.com/dims4/default/ffbcdf0/2147483647/resize/1160x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.politico.com%2F13%2Ff9%2Fdc59e02344fab4948da3440c3eeb%2F200415-new-york-getty-773.jpg" alt=""/></noscript></noscript><img class="lazyload" src='data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22%20viewBox=%220%200%20210%20140%22%3E%3C/svg%3E' data-src="https://static.politico.com/dims4/default/ffbcdf0/2147483647/resize/1160x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.politico.com%2F13%2Ff9%2Fdc59e02344fab4948da3440c3eeb%2F200415-new-york-getty-773.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption> A man wearing a mask walks his dog in Brooklyn Bridge Park on Tuesday  during the coronavirus pandemic in New York. | Mark Lennihan/AP Photo</figcaption></figure><p>The U.S has <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/09/coronavirus-update-trump-to-launch-2nd-task-force-focused-on-economy.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">two federal task forces</a> looking at the health and economic impacts of the pandemic, but lacks a
 single national plan for testing or re-opening the economy (although 
President Trump on Monday declared his authority in this regard to be 
“total”).</p><p>The  country&#8217;s most populous state, California, will condition its gradual  re-opening on a series of public health benchmarks and the preparedness  of schools and businesses, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday.  New York is creating its own coronavirus test, with plans to  manufacture up to 50,000 tests per week, after making widespread testing  availability a precondition of its re-opening. The state will also  coordinate with New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Pennsylvania and  Rhode Island on how to ease social and economic restrictions.</p><p>The busy U.S. borders with both Mexico and Canada remain closed to non-essential travel.</p><p>Canada’s
 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau admitted Monday that Canada’s shutdown of
 non-essential businesses, which has led to a 25 percent unemployment 
rate, will remain in place for several weeks. Trudeau said the economic 
reopening will occur in phases.</p><p>Canada’s
 Parliament is operating in a skeleton form — a representative sample of
 just 32 members — and the country is maintaining restrictions on 
international arrivals and inter-province travel. Mayors of major cities
 like Montreal have, however, pivoted from talk of mass quarantine to <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/montreal-to-unveil-relaunch-program-to-restore-battered-economy-plante-says/wcm/84f326cd-3a9e-4e5f-a5c4-0a7efbd5d25e/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">economic relaunch plans</a>.</p><p>Further
 south, Argentina’s borders have been closed since March 15 and 
non-resident foreigners remain banned from Brazil until April 30.</p><h3>Africa and Middle East</h3><figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><noscript><img  alt="" data-src="https://static.politico.com/dims4/default/0c7773e/2147483647/resize/1160x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.politico.com%2Fd7%2F4d%2F89fadacc4fe78a1e1d9c812977eb%2F200415-africa-ap-773.jpg" class="lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" /><noscript><img src="https://static.politico.com/dims4/default/0c7773e/2147483647/resize/1160x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.politico.com%2Fd7%2F4d%2F89fadacc4fe78a1e1d9c812977eb%2F200415-africa-ap-773.jpg" alt=""/></noscript></noscript><img class="lazyload" src='data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22%20viewBox=%220%200%20210%20140%22%3E%3C/svg%3E' data-src="https://static.politico.com/dims4/default/0c7773e/2147483647/resize/1160x/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.politico.com%2Fd7%2F4d%2F89fadacc4fe78a1e1d9c812977eb%2F200415-africa-ap-773.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption> People walk past closed street stalls and shops due to a government ban  on the operation of non-essential businesses and markets to halt the  spread of the new coronavirus, in Lagos, Nigeria, on March 26, 2020. |  Sunday Alamba, File/AP Photo</figcaption></figure><p>African
 governments took early preventative action: most stopped international 
flights beginning in mid-March and restricted gatherings before their 
countries experienced a Covid-19 death.</p><p>Those  moves haven&#8217;t received unanimous support, however. South Africa’s  lockdown, which the government extended until the end of April, is <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-52241727" target="_blank">under challenge from opposition parties</a>.</p><p>Nigeria, Africa’s most populous 
country, has imposed a lockdown in three key states — Lagos, Abuja and 
Ogun — until at least April 27, and suspended rail services.</p><p>In the Middle East, social distancing restrictions are mostly tight and tightening.</p><p>The exception is Iran, which reports 
the region’s worst outbreak with 3,600 reported deaths and 73,000 
infections. Despite that, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-iran/iran-records-4585-coronavirus-deaths-as-restrictions-eased-idUSKCN21V0PT" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">intra-province travel restrictions were lifted this week</a>.</p><p>In contrast, Turkey — which responded slowly and now has more than 65,000 cases and 1400 deaths — is <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-14/turkey-s-coronavirus-cases-up-6-7-death-toll-rises-to-1-403" target="_blank">increasing restrictions</a>, including weekend curfews in 31 cities.</p><p>Many Middle East countries have 
reported very low death tolls, but there are questions about the methods
 used to obtain those numbers. The United Arab Emirates has recorded 
just 28 deaths among nearly 5,000 cases, while Qatar recorded just seven
 deaths among 3,428 cases.</p><p>One reason for the relatively small death count is the early action countries took, including around <a href="https://www.thenational.ae/opinion/editorial/uae-mass-testing-campaign-is-working-1.1005478" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">650,000 tests</a> in a population of less than 10 million, schools closings, and a night curfew. Other possible factors include a <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/coronavirus-indian-minister-urges-repatriation-migrant-workers-uae" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">lack of testing</a> among Indian immigrant workers and mass deportations of other groups, including <a href="https://qz.com/africa/1837457/ethiopians-expelled-from-saudi-arabia-uae-for-covid-19/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ethiopians sent packing</a> from UAE and Saudi Arabia.</p><p>After shutting down March 25, Dubai-based Emirates airlines has announced <a href="https://twitter.com/emirates/status/1249641685375758336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1249641685375758336&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.middleeasteye.net%2Fnews%2Fcoronavirus-dubai-emirates-airlines-operate-limited-passenger-services" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">limited new service</a>, while Qatar airways is still operating around 150 flights a day.</p><p>Israel is <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-coronavirus-passover-lockdown-breaking-news-1.8760123" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">locking down hotspots</a>,
 restricting the workforce to 15 percent of pre-pandemic levels, and 
encouraging citizens to wear masks. Tight restrictions will remain until
 new cases fall to around 10 per day, <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-s-coronavirus-exit-will-be-long-filled-with-privacy-violations-1.8759522" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according to a National Security Council document</a> reported by the country’s public broadcaster.</p>]]></content:encoded>
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