FACTBOX-Back to pubs, gyms and movies: plotting the road back to normal

General travel warning for risk regions that have a seven-day coronavirus incidence of below 200 will be lifted starting July 1. GREECE Greece reopened restaurants and bars from May 3, organised beaches on May 8, and the tourism industry on May 15, allowing in tourists from the rest of the European Union, Britain, the United States and Israel. From June 12, music was allowed for outdoor dining and nighttime curfew was moved to 1:30 a.m. INDIA On June 14, all New Delhi's shops and malls re-opened although bars, gyms, salons, cinemas and parks remained shut.


Reuters | Updated: 15-06-2021 18:25 IST | Created: 15-06-2021 18:14 IST
FACTBOX-Back to pubs, gyms and movies: plotting the road back to normal
Representative Image Image Credit: ANI

As the COVID-19 vaccine rollout gains momentum, many countries are planning a gradual return to normal, opening borders and letting people back into restaurants, shops and sports venues after more than a year of on-off lockdowns.

Here are some of their plans, in alphabetical order: BRITAIN

Britain pushed back reopening plans by nearly a month on June 14. It now expects to fully reopen pubs, restaurants, nightclubs and other hospitality venues on July 19. Non-essential retailers in England reopened on April 12 along with pubs and restaurants operating outdoors. Indoor hospitality, cinemas, theatres and sports halls reopened on May 17 with capacity restrictions. Britain also resumed international travel, with quarantine rules still in place for most arrivals.

CANADA The province of Ontario on June 11 allowed non-essential retail at 15% capacity, outdoor dining with a maximum of four people per table and outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people.

Ontario will also lift border restrictions with neighbouring provinces of Manitoba and Quebec from June 16. COLOMBIA

Colombia on June 3 approved reopening most large events like concerts and sports matches with 25% capacity for cities where intensive care units occupancy rates are below 85%. From July 15, international travellers no longer need to present a negative PCR test and in-person classes will resume for pre-school children to university students.

FRANCE On June 9, France fully reopened its cafes, bars, and restaurants. Sports halls, spas, swimming pools, and casinos also resumed operation.

It pushed back a nightly curfew to 11 p.m. that will be scrapped completely from June 30. Shops, museums, cinemas and theatres reopened on May 19. Foreign tourists with a "health pass" are able to visit from June 9.

GERMANY Germany eased restrictions on those fully vaccinated or recovered from the virus from May 9, lifting curfews and quarantine rules as well as the obligation to provide a negative test result to visit a hairdresser, a zoo or to go shopping.

From May 12, travellers have been able to enter the country without the need to quarantine, except those arriving from countries designated as risk areas. Berlin lifted a nightly curfew and eased restrictions on shopping from May 19 and allowed outdoor dining from May 21.

Germany is on target for outdoor concerts this summer, with social distancing and COVID-19 testing for attendees, and fans should be back at soccer matches in August. General travel warning for risk regions that have a seven-day coronavirus incidence of below 200 will be lifted starting July 1.

GREECE Greece reopened restaurants and bars from May 3, organised beaches on May 8, and the tourism industry on May 15, allowing in tourists from the rest of the European Union, Britain, the United States and Israel.

From June 12, music was allowed for outdoor dining and nighttime curfew was moved to 1:30 a.m. INDIA

On June 14, all New Delhi's shops and malls re-opened although bars, gyms, salons, cinemas and parks remained shut. Some businesses in Tamil Nadu were allowed to bring back 50% of employees and salons and liquor shops reopened. Bus services remain suspended until June 21.

In Bengaluru, the capital of Karnataka state, authorities allowed the partial reopening of businesses, though strict night and weekend curfews remained in place. From June 7, the state of Maharashtra allowed malls, movie theatres, restaurants and offices to open regularly in districts where the positivity rate has fallen below 5%.

The Gujarat government has eased restrictions on commercial activities, allowing shops in 36 cities to remain open longer. In Odisha state, lockdowns have been eased in three districts while the southern state of Tamil Nadu now allows grocery retailers to open for most of the day and offices to operate with 30% capacity.

ISRAEL Israel reopened borders to tourists on May 23. Under a pilot programme due to continue until June 15, it gave the green light to visits by 20 groups of between five and 30 tourists from countries including the United States, Britain and Germany. It hopes to let individual tourists in from July.

From June 15, citizens may stop wearing masks indoors, except for unvaccinated patients or staff in medical facilities, people en route to quarantine, and passengers on commercial flights. ITALY

Italian coffee bars, restaurants, cinemas and theatres partially reopened in most regions on April 26. Indoor service at restaurants resumed from June 1. Italy lifted quarantine restrictions for travellers arriving from European and Schengen countries, as well as Britain and Israel, from May 15.

A curfew was pushed back by an hour to midnight on June 7, and will be abolished from June 21. THE NETHERLANDS

The Netherlands lifted a nationwide curfew on April 28. Parks, zoos, gyms and outdoor swimming pools reopened on May 19, while outdoor service at bars and restaurants was extended until 8 p.m. Indoor service was allowed from June 5.

Public libraries opened on May 20, museums followed on June 5. Sports matches will be allowed from June 30, with restaurants allowed to serve up to 100 people until midnight.

POLAND Poland reopened shopping centres on May 4, hotels from May 8 and restaurants were allowed to serve food outdoors from May 15, while all students returned to school on May 31.

Cinemas, theatres, concert halls and cultural institutions opened on May 21, while indoor dining, indoor sports facilities and swimming pools reopened on May 28. Large indoor events with up to 50 people were allowed from May 28, a number that tripled on June 6 as the country eased restrictions further.

From June 13, churches can be filled up to 50% of capacity. Limits for concerts and sports events will be raised from June 26 to 50% of seats, while hotels can be filled to up to 75% capacity. People who have been vaccinated are not counted in the capacity limits.

QATAR From May 28, Qatar allowed leisure, education centres, restaurants, gyms, pools and salons to operate at limited capacity, but bans on weddings, conferences and exhibitions remain in place.

Local and international sporting events can take place with fully vaccinated fans in open-space venues at 30% capacity. SAUDI ARABIA

On May 17, Saudi Arabia opened land, sea and air borders. From May 20, foreign visitors arriving by air from most countries no longer need to quarantine if they have been vaccinated. It lifted a ban on travellers from 11 countries including the United States, Britain, France and Japan, on May 30.

Entertainment venues were allowed to open at 40% capacity for those vaccinated from May 27. SOUTH KOREA

From June 14, South Korea allowed up to 4,000 people to attend concerts and other cultural shows. Sports stadiums can operate at 30% to 50% capacity, depending on the districts. From July 1, fully vaccinated overseas visitors can apply for exemptions from mandatory two-week quarantine if they are visiting family or travelling for the purpose of business, academics or public interest. Masks will no longer be required outdoors from July.

SPAIN Curfews were lifted across most of Spain on May 9.

From May 24, it has allowed travel from low-risk non-EU countries without a negative PCR test. From June 7, vaccinated people from anywhere in the world can enter. The health ministry on June 9 scrapped a plan to gradually reopen nightlife just a week after introducing it.

TURKEY Turkey started easing its lockdown on May 17 by allowing daytime movement on weekdays. Its weekend lockdown was partially lifted and curfew delayed by an hour to 10 p.m on June 2, with restaurants also opening to a limited number of customers.

UNITED STATES On May 3, New York City allowed drinking at an indoor bar for the first time in months, days after Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city should reopen in full on July 1.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on May 3 signed an executive order to end all local emergency measures. The states of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut lifted most capacity restrictions on businesses, including retail stores, food services and gyms, on May 19.

New York City and Los Angeles announced plans to fully reopen schools from September. California lifted most remaining crowd-capacity limits and physical distancing requirements on June 15.

Chicago and Illinois fully reopened on June 11. (Compiled by Vladimir Sadykov, Dagmarah Mackos and Federica Urso; Editing by Milla Nissi and Bernadette Baum)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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