France and Spain on Monday cautiously joined the ranks of European nations loosening coronavirus restrictions, while the fear of a second-wave outbreak is hanging over, reports AP.
The easing came a little shy of two months after the two governments imposed nationwide lockdown to curb the coronavirus pandemic, which has so far claimed 26,643 lives in France and 26,744 in Spain, according to the latest official tallies.
The relaxation also came as the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the global coronavirus caseload had passed the 4 million mark.
"I FEEL I'M REBORN"
People in France can now move more freely. More important for them, meetings with family and friends are allowed if the gathering draws no more than 10 people.
Business can resume, factories can kickstart long-stalled assembly lines, and pupils can return to schools -- if safety precautions are in place.
"I'm so excited. It's so good to go back to work after a long period of confinement. I feel that I'm reborn," said Josephine, a florist in Paris.
In the French capital, one million stickers on the ground in train and metro stations and seats marked social distancing. Commuters had to wear masks and need to fill in a document to use public transport in rush hours. Any offender risks a fine of 135 euros (145.95 U.S. dollars).
Under the new rules, citizens can only travel up to 100 km unless for professional and urgent reasons, while restaurants, cafes and cinemas are still banned from receiving customers. France's first-day post-lockdown "is going as it should," said Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, minister of state for transport, expressing "satisfaction to see that the wearing of the mask is well respected."
In Spain, 51 percent of the population were allowed to progress to Phase One on Monday, while regions of Madrid, Catalonia, among others, remained at Phase Zero after failing to meet certain criteria.
