Lisa Shumaker
Summer weather is enticing much of the world to emerge
from coronavirus lockdowns as centers of the outbreak from New York to
Italy and Spain gradually lift restrictions that have kept millions
indoors for months.
People are streaming back to beaches, parks
and streets just as a heat wave hits southern Europe and spring-like
temperatures allow Americans to shed winter coats. As they venture out
again, most are keeping their distance and some are wearing masks.
However, protests are also heating up from Germany to England to the
United States, arguing the government restrictions demolish personal
liberties and are wrecking economies.
Greeks flocked to the
seaside on Saturday when more than 500 beaches reopened, coinciding with
temperatures of 34 Celsius (93 Fahrenheit).
Umbrella poles
had to be 4 meters (13 ft) apart, with canopies no closer than 1 meter
as the country sought to walk the fine line between protecting people
from COVID-19 while reviving the tourism sector that many depend on for
their livelihoods.
“This is the best thing for us elderly ... to
come and relax a bit after being locked in,” Yannis Tentomas, who is in
his 70s, said as he settled down on the sand.
White circles
were painted on the lawn in Brooklyn’s Domino Park in New York City to
help sunbathers and picnickers keep a safe distance. About half the
people in the park appeared to be wearing some form of face covering as
they congregated in small groups on a warm Saturday afternoon with
police officers in masks keeping watch.
In Paris’ Bois de
Boulogne, health training worker Anne Chardon was carrying disinfectant
gel and a mask but said she felt a sense of freedom again for the first
time after weeks of confinement.
“It’s as if we were in Sleeping
Beauty’s castle, all asleep, all frozen, and suddenly there’s light and
space, suddenly we can experience again the little joys of everyday, in
the spaces that belong to us, and that we’re rediscovering.”
On
the French Riviera, many who took a dip in the sea wore protective
masks. Fishing and surfing were also allowed, but sunbathing was banned.
“We’re semi-free,” said one local bather sporting a straw hat as he strolled the rather empty pebbly beach in Nice.
‘MAKE CORONA GO AWAY’
Bathers
seeking relief from the heat in Tel Aviv in the waters of the
Mediterranean Sea and Jordan Valley mostly tried to stay apart.
“We
hope that the hot water, weather, make corona go away,” said Lilach
Vardi, a woman who came to swim in the Dead Sea in Israel, as a
lifeguard tried to fry an egg in a pan in the scorching sand nearby.
In
Tunisia, which reported no new COVID-19 cases over four consecutive
days last week, people flooded into the streets and to recently reopened
shops with little social-distancing.
Muslims are nearing the Eid al-Fitr holiday ending the holy month of Ramadan, when many celebrate with new purchases.
“I
stayed at home for two months and almost went crazy,” said one woman at
Tunis’ Manar City Mall. “I’m surprised by the crowd but I need to buy
clothes for my children for Eid.”
But throughout the world, small
pockets of protesters bristled at any restrictions. In the U.S. states
of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, protests demanding states
reopen faster have drawn demonstrators armed with rifles and handguns,
which can be carried in public in many parts of the country.
Thousands
of Germans took to the streets across the country on Saturday to
demonstrate against restrictions imposed by the government, and Polish
police fired tear gas to disperse protesters in Warsaw.
In
London’s Hyde Park, police arrested 19 people on Saturday for
deliberately breaking social distancing guidelines in protest at the
rules, on the first weekend since Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced
a slight loosening of England’s lockdown.
The scene elsewhere in
the city was much calmer on Sunday as children climbed trees, kicked
footballs and threw Frisbees in Greenwich Park. Couples and larger
groups sunned themselves on the open lawns, mostly observing social
distancing as they chatted and drank beer.
“We’re really happy
to be out,” said Niko Privado, who brought his three brightly colored
Macaws to the park, each tethered to a portable perch. “It’s only the
second time we’ve been able to take them out (since the lockdown),” he
said, watched by his wife and daughter.
Nearby, however, a woman working at an ice cream van said business was far from brisk despite the crowds and warm weather.
“It’s
very bad — only three to four people every hour,” said Zara Safat.
“It’s social distancing and they don’t want to wait in long queues.”
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