The first day of June has seen coronavirus restrictions ease from Asia to Europe to the United States, even as protests against police brutality sparked fears of new outbreaks in the US.
The Florida Keys welcomed visitors for the first time in two months, the Colosseum opened its ancient doors in Rome, ferries restarted in Bangladesh and golfers played in Greece.
But even as the tourist-dependent Keys took down barriers to allow visitors, Miami-Dade County kept its beaches closed because of protests in south Florida and across the country over the May 25 death of George Floyd, a black man pinned at the neck by a white police officer in Minneapolis.
Roadblocks were taken down shortly after midnight near Key Largo, the northernmost island in the Florida chain, where almost half of workers are employed by hotels, bars and other hospitality industries, and many of the rest are involved in commercial and sport fishing.
Countries around the Mediterranean Sea also tentatively kicked off a summer season where tourists could bask in their famously sunny beaches while being protected by social distancing measures.
“We are reopening a symbol. A symbol of Rome, a symbol for Italy,” said Alfonsina Russo, director of the Colosseum’s archaeological park. “(We are) restarting in a positive way, with a different pace, with a more sustainable tourism.”
A long line of masked visitors snaked outside the Vatican Museums, which include the Sistine Chapel, as they reopened for the first time in three months. Italy is eager to reboot its tourism industry, which accounts for 13% of its economy.
Strict crowd control measures are still in place at both landmarks. Visitors needed reservations to visit, their temperatures were taken before entering and masks were mandatory.
Greece lifted lockdown measures for hotels, campsites, open-air cinemas, golf courses and public swimming pools, while beaches and museums reopened in Turkey, and bars, restaurants, cinemas and museums came back to life in the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, Spain reported no coronavirus deaths in a 24-hour period for the first time since March.
Emergency health response chief Fernando Simon said the development is “very, very encouraging”. Spain has in recent weeks been gradually relaxing its strict lockdown.
The Dutch relaxation of coronavirus rules took place on a major holiday with the sun blazing, raising immediate fears of overcrowding in popular beach resorts.
The new rules let bars and restaurants serve up to 30 people inside if they keep social distancing, but there is no standing at bars and reservations are necessary.
In Asia, India registered 230 coronavirus deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing its total to 5,394 as the country’s phased plan to ease its lockdown kicked in from Monday.
Authorities are moving forward with the easing even as experts say India is nowhere close to the peak of its outbreak.
South Korea’s top infectious disease expert pleaded for people over 65, pregnant women and other medically vulnerable individuals to stay at home as officials struggle to trace and stem the spread of coronavirus amid increased public activity.
Jeong Eun-kyeong, director of the Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, made the comments on Monday while addressing 24 new cases linked to a group of churches near Seoul, including the death of a man in his 70s.
She also raised concern over hundreds of transmissions linked to workplaces, including call centres and a massive warehouse operated by local e-commerce giant Coupang.
Around 6.19 million infections have been reported worldwide, with more than 372,000 people dying, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
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