Europe Is Planning How to Get Back to Work After Subduing Virus

(Bloomberg) --

Europe’s leaders are sketching out strategies for reactivating economies battered by the coronavirus, with Germany poised to examine an easing of restrictions on public life and Denmark ready to reopen primary schools.

Governments are trying to balance the need to mitigate economic damage against the risk of a resurgence of the disease. The number of new cases in Europe has stabilized in recent days though more than 50,000 people have died and the fatalities continue to climb.

While officials remain cautious, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is due to discuss plans to scale back curbs on activity with regional premiers on Wednesday. The European Commission has drafted proposals to coordinate moves across the continent.

“At the same time, it’s clear that the danger is a long way from being averted,” German Health Minister Jens Spahn said in a tweet Tuesday evening. “A step-by-step return to normality is only possible if we continue to keep the outbreak under control.”

Danish primary-school children will return to class Wednesday and hospitals will begin conducting non-critical procedures for patients suffering from conditions other than Covid-19. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said her government’s efforts have been so successful that the country may conduct a broader rollback of its lockdown than originally planned.

Austria on Tuesday became the first European Union nation to ease restrictions by opening some shops, while leaving schools closed.

Italy reported the smallest rise in infections in just over a month Tuesday, though the daily number of fatalities rose to 602 compared with 566 on Monday. Spain had the lowest number of new cases since March 20, increasing pressure on the government to relax a state of emergency.

France’s latest death toll of 762, and an increase in reported cases of 6,524, were each the highest in four days. The number of patients in intensive care declined for a sixth day.

Enough Beds

The commission cautioned leaders that they will have to be prepared to re-impose lockdowns if the number of infections starts to spike again. In guidelines to be unveiled Wednesday, it will warn that the easing should be gradual and begin only when infections significantly decline for a sustained period; hospitals have enough beds, drugs and equipment; and large-scale testing, tracing and quarantine capacity is in place.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte’s administration is considering allowing some companies in the automobile, fashion, design and metalworking sectors to reopen later this month but the priority remains the health of employees, according to two officials who asked not to be named discussing confidential plans.

“Italy is pretty much like the first competitor to head down the ski run, because of our long lockdown,” Luca Richeldi, a pulmonologist at Rome’s Agostino Gemelli hospital and a member of the scientific and medical committee advising the government, said in an interview. “We don’t want to make mistakes for our country, or that could be replicated by other nations.”

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