Exit Strategies

Even though the World Health Organization has warned that Europe has not yet seen the peak of infections, some countries are starting to ease lockdown restrictions. Deutsche Welle compares the exit plans of Austria, Spain, Italy, and Denmark. Austria is the first European country to relax its coronavirus measures, now allowing small shops to open, while the bigger ones can follow suit in May. Workers are still required to wear masks and keep a certain distance. In Spain, most businesses remain closed but some workers in factories and the construction industry were permitted to resume their work. Italy has announced the national lockdown will continue until the beginning of May, however on Tuesday it allowed bookshops, stationery stores and shops selling baby clothes to reopen on a trial basis. Meanwhile, Denmark has reopened daycare centers and schools for younger children. To avoid new flare-ups of infections, the EU has called for coordination of coronavirus exit plans. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas is suggesting a single smartphone app that could assist Member States in coordinating their lockdown rules. According to Maas, the EU should avoid ending up with a patchwork of 27 coronavirus apps and 27 data protection regimes. 

The Irish Times reports that, for now, authorities in Ireland are reluctant to discuss an exit strategy as they are worried the public will stop following the social distancing guidelines, which could lead to a second wave of infections. Nevertheless, as the shutdown cannot last forever, public health officials outline which conditions need to be met in order to commence the partial reopening. Firstly, the transmission rate must be below 1 for a couple of weeks to prove that the pandemic is steady. Secondly, there must be an increase in testing and contact-tracing capacity. Lastly, some form of checks needs to be applied to people traveling, and the government has to take a position on the use of masks. Another factor that requires careful consideration is what happens if infections start to rise again. The article suggests that if the government cannot come up with more targeted counter-measures to suppress the growth curve, people might have to get used to living with restrictions until a vaccine is found.

This week, Portugal's President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Prime Minister Antonio Costa attended a presentation on the epidemiological situation of COVID-19 where they were also updated on the options for an exit plan. President Rebelo de Sousa notes that containment measures in Portugal have successfully slowed down the spread of the virus. He added that if developments in April continued as expected, by May the Portuguese would be able to transition into living socially with the virus. Correio de Manha notes that according to the Prime Minister, in order to boost economic activity, people must trust that they are safe. Both leaders have reiterated the importance of social trust, stating that if citizens are not convinced they can rejoin society safely, they will not go to work, eat at restaurants and resume normal life, even if restrictions are lifted. Many Portuguese have also chosen to stop industrial activities regardless of restrictions as supply chains are interrupted and demand is low. The government will wait until 28 April to make a decision on an exit strategy, but noted that the removal of restrictions will be done in a gradual and progressive way.

The chairman of the Danish Socialist People's Party (SF), Jacob Mark, has described the Danish government's reopening strategy as ‘risky’, Politiken reports. According to the article, there seems to be a general feeling of unease about the idea of applying different rules to adults and children when it comes to reopening offices and schools. Denmark has already started to allow small children to attend schools and day care centers whereas children from families with cases of coronavirus are advised to stay home. However, this rule does not apply to teachers, health care workers or adults working at elderly care facilities or in the school administration, which has baffled many trade unions, municipalities and researchers, who feel the decision goes against all the precautionary social-distancing measures taken so far. The Health Minister says that adults should follow recommendations set out by the National Board of Health, according to which anyone infected with the virus should be isolated as much as possible from others in their household. Family members should stay vigilant in case symptoms arise and stay home if they do. They should also be sure to wash their hands before leaving their home.