Von der Leyen outlines three criteria for lifting lockdown restrictions
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EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled her road map for lifting coronavirus restrictions across the bloc.
In a 14-page document laying out her ideas, von der Leyen says that “although it is clear that the path back to normalcy will take a long time, it is also obvious that we cannot maintain these extraordinary restrictions indefinitely.”
She says lockdowns across the continent had proven effective, yet also precipitated a tremendous economic shock and placed a heavy burden on public life. EU officials estimate that the eurozone economy could shrink by 10 percent this year — a drop in economic productivity not seen since the global economic crisis of the 1920s.
At the press conference on the EU’s response to the coronavirus crisis, the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has outlined three criteria for lifting lockdown restrictions.
She said member states should consider infection rates, the capacity of healthcare systems and the level of testing available before lifting restrictions that could trigger a rise in cases.
She also said the European Commission’s plan should not be seen as a signal that countries should start lifting lockdown measures now.
The European Union moved on Wednesday to head off a chaotic and potentially disastrous easing of restrictions that are limiting the spread of the coronavirus, warning its 27 nations to move very cautiously as they return to normal life and base their actions on scientific advice.
With Austria, the Czech Republic and Denmark already lifting some lockdown measures, the EU’s executive arm, the European commission, was rushing out its roadmap for members to coordinate an exit from lockdown, which it expects should take several months.
Eighty thousand people have died in Europe from the disease, about two-thirds of the global toll, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
The commission said those scientists should be relied upon to guide national exit strategies in the weeks and months to come.
Brussels is deeply concerned about the damage that could be done if each EU nation charts its own course.
The EU commission says easing restrictions will unavoidably lead to a corresponding increase in new cases.
It warns this should only happen when the spread of the disease has dropped for some time and when hospitals can cope with more patients.
While the commission, which proposes EU laws and ensures that they are enforced, does not spell out exactly how EU countries should make the transition, it does underline that the exit should be gradual.
Business operations should be phased in by sectors, based on factors such as how much can be done over the internet, the economic importance of the industry, or the kinds of shift work that could be introduced.
Social distancing should be maintained and there should be no general return to work, it says.
Shops could gradually reopen, with possible limits on the number of people who can enter, and schools could start again, although the commission recommends smaller classes to allow students to work at a safer distance from each other.
Brussels says a gap of around one month should be left between any steps as their effect can only be measured over time.
