May 4, 2020, witnessed the lifting of some lockdown restrictions in several countries across the globe. In Europe, Germany is reopening museums, hairdressers, and churches under strict conditions. Slovenia, Poland, and Hungary joined Germany in allowing public spaces and businesses to partially reopen. In Italy, over 4.4 million Italians returned to work after 7 weeks of restrictive measures. Greece has reopened some businesses and allowed residents to leave their homes with strict hygiene and social distancing measures in place.
In the Middle East, Iran is reopening mosques in some areas with no coronavirus cases. Jordan has returned public transportation to normal service with safety guidelines in place and has lifted all restrictions on economic activity. Bahrain is easing restrictions but has also made wearing a mask outdoors mandatory. The United Arab Emirates has reopened malls in Abu Dhabi to a restricted number of customers. In Lebanon, restaurants are now allowed to operate at 30% capacity during the day.
In Asia, India, Malaysia, and Thailand have begun to ease lockdown restrictions. However, not all are as eager to lift restrictions. Japan is extending its state of emergency until the end of May 2020. Following a study of testing in Kabul, Afghanistan, the country’s health ministry cautioned that around one-third of Kabul’s residence could be infected with COVID-19. Global confirmed cases now exceed 3.5 million and there are fears that complacency could create a second round of infections.
