Italy and Spain slowly easing COVID-19 lockdowns

이탈리아•스페인 코로나19 안정세 뚜렷…빗장 조금씩 푸는 유럽

Italy and Spain have been the two of the world's hardest hit countries by COVID-19,... but the number of new infections and deaths appear to be on a downtrend in both countries after an unprecedented several weeks.
With the slowdown,... Italy and Spain are beginning to announce the easing of restrictions on movement and economic activity.
Lee Seung-jae reports.
Italy and Spain have both been slammed by the COVID-19 pandemic in recent weeks, forcing both into nationwide lockdowns.
However,... after a slowdown in the number of new COVID-19 cases,... the two countries are preparing to loosen restrictions,... with other nations watching to see how they emerge from their crippling lockdowns.
Italy,... once dubbed the epicenter of Europe's outbreak,... recently saw its single day death toll in the two hundreds for the first time in six weeks,... a significant slowdown compared to the first few weeks of the outbreak.
In an interview with Italian daily La Repubblica on Sunday, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said the country will begin opening its economy,... starting with the manufacturing sector,... as soon as May 4th.
Schools however, will not reopen until at least September.
More measures to ease the lockdown will be announced this week.
Spain,... which has the second highest number of reported infections worldwide,... has seen its single day death toll drop below 300 for the first time in weeks.
With the significant decline,... Spanish health authorities have started to outline plans to move towards "a new normal".
On Sunday,... children under 14 were allowed to go out to exercise for the first time since mid-March.
Adults will be allowed to do the same from next weekend.
A detailed plan on easing the lockdown will be released as early as Tuesday.
The rest of Europe will look to Italy and Spain,... when they make decisions on how and when to reopen their respective economies.
Experts say that while the lockdowns might've been seen as blunt,... they were effective in slowing the rate of new infections.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.