Europe, virus clouds make way for sunny times

At last, after over a year of being stalked and ravaged by the pandemic, crimping ways of life for millions of people, there is a rainbow on the horizon. Some countries can happily unwind, particularly those in Europe. The French returned to their beloved cafe terraces on Wednesday, while the EU said its borders will be opened to vaccinated travellers as life crept back to normal in the European continent.

Spain said it would allow visitors from the UK for holidays from Monday.

As health workers administered the world’s 1.5 billionth COVID-19 vaccine dose, there was hope that immunisation campaigns would allow countries to finally emerge from the pandemic.

This is largely due to quickening vaccination programmes, after more than a year of battling a pandemic that is known to have claimed more than 3.4 million deaths worldwide.

According to one tally, over 1.5 billion vaccine doses have now been administered in 210 countries and territories.

Nearly three-fifths of the total has been given in three countries: China (435.7 million), the United States (275.5 million) and India (185.8 million).

The EU said it would allow fully vaccinated visitors into the bloc and increase the level of new cases that a country can hit before being declared unsafe –which would open up travel into Europe from more places.

It was the latest step towards a return to normalcy in Europe that in recent days has seen Britain open pubs, gyms and other indoor venues, Italy relax curfews and Portugal welcome returning tourists.

Finally, France can now heave a sigh of relief, after months of facing restrictions on lifestyle over the coronavirus. The French on Wednesday happily made their way back to cafes, cinemas and museums.

This is part of the second phase of a lockdown lifting plan. Cafes and restaurants with terraces or rooftop gardens can now offer outdoor dining. A full reopening of the economy is likely on June 30.

Museums and some theatres are also reopening after being closed for 203 days. The bad weather was no dampener on the people’s spirits. There is nothing like going back to normal life, enjoying the regular pleasures of frequenting the regular haunts.

It’s about being with others and indulging in the things that make up life in Paris, like going to a restaurant with friends or taking the kids to an exhibition. With TV cameras rolling, President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Jean Castex enjoyed a first coffee at a cafe close to the presidential palace in Paris, with the head of state hailing “a little moment of freedom regained”.

One woman was so deprived of her ‘fill’ of art that she took a week’s holiday to watch as many exhibitions as she could.

The loosening of the restrictions comes as a severe third wave of COVID-19 infections continues to abate.

Austria also relaxed measures on Wednesday, reopening restaurants and bars after six months – but only for those who have tested negative, have received at least one vaccine shot or recovered from coronavirus.

Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson meanwhile told parliament that government was increasingly confident that existing vaccines worked against all variants of the virus, including the B1617.2 strain that has hit India so hard.

India presents a sad condition, struggling with a spiral that has killed over 280,000 people.

Experts say the true toll is likely much higher. The latest wave has ravaged India for six weeks, feeding on shortages of hospital beds, oxygen and critical drugs. To make matters worse, a monster cyclone pummelled the west coast.

In Mumbai, authorities had to move about 600 coronavirus patients from field hospitals “to safer locations” and vaccinations were briefly suspended.