On the reopenings, Europe proceeds in no particular order. Italy, as is known, will begin a gradual reopening of non-essential bars, restaurants and shops starting from Monday 26th April, but not everywhere (only in the yellow Regions, therefore some remain outside) and still confirming the curfew at 22pm, as well as all the safety protocols and the use only of open spaces for bars and restaurants. But how are our European partners (or former partners) regulating themselves?
UK
The United Kingdom is the country ahead of all, thanks above all to a vaccination campaign that has so far been much faster: in Boris Johnson's country over 16% of the population has already received the second dose, and during the campaign it was imposed a rigid lockdown that ended on April 11th. From 12 April therefore in England and Wales all shops, including pubs that had been closed since 4 January, were able to reopen their shutters. Scotland is a little more cautious, which, like Italy, is waiting for April 26, while Northern Ireland will reopen by the 30th. In the UK, the reopening is total: there is no evening curfew, the ban on gatherings remains.
GERMANY
Different approach for Germany, where the vaccination campaign has already reached (at least with one dose) half of the over 60 population, but the virus continues to be frightening. At the moment the country is already partially open, but just a few days ago Parliament approved new emergency measures which will be valid until 30 June. This is in particular the so-called "emergency brake", i.e. whenever a given region has a weekly incidence of more than 100 new infections per 100 inhabitants for 3 days in a row, shops, leisure facilities will be closed free and will come introduced a curfew from 22pm to 5am. Starting from 150 new infections, small businesses will also have to close, while from 165 and up it will also be the turn of schools and nursery schools.
FRANCE
France is the country with the most similar strategy to Italy, albeit postponed for a few weeks. The goal is to gradually reopen starting May 15, but President Emmanuel Macron has not yet made it official even though in March he had promised to give a signal on that date. Even earlier, however, from April 26, there will be a return to school in the presence of kindergartens and elementary schools, and then from May 3 it will be the turn of high schools, with the possibility for the latter to partially continue remotely. On May 15, in addition to restaurants and non-essential shops, it should also be the turn of museums. The curfew in France it is particularly severe: decided on a regional basis, it is in force from 19 to 6. As for vaccines, the threshold of 22 million first doses administered was exceeded on Thursday 12 April.
SPAIN
In Spain, 8% of the population has already received the second dose of the anti-Covid vaccine, therefore around 3,8 million people. The restrictions are often decided on a regional basis, but at the national level there is also an air of "free all" in Spain: Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has already announced that the state of alarm for the pandemic, approved in October 2020, will expire on 9 May and will not be renewed. For a few weeks now, bars and restaurants have had the opportunity to reopen, even if it is still in force curfew from 23pm to 6am.
OTHER COUNTRIES AND CURFEW
The other countries are also in no particular order, especially on the curfew which is a topic that is very dividing in Italy and beyond. In Austria it is from 20 to 6, but it expires between 24 April and 2 May, depending on the region. In Belgium it's from 22pm like in Italy, and it will be until 8 May. In Holland the curfew from 22 pm will end on April 28, while in Portugal shops and shopping centers are open until 21 pm, bars, restaurants and pastry shops until 22,30 pm, effectively nullifying the previous curfew which was in force from 22 pm to 5 am. Romania is more restrictive, which on the contrary has recently decided to anticipate closing at 20. Free all in Russia, where there is no curfew in effect. In Moscow he was removed by the mayor at the end of January, with total freedom to reopen restaurants, bars and nightclubs.
