May 4 (UPI) -- Hard-hit Spain and Italy took steps Monday to gradually ease lockdown restrictions put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 while French mayors called for school reopening plans to be delayed.
Italy on Monday entered Phase Two of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte's plan to ease the country out from the world's longest lockdown that began nearly 80 days ago.
Currently third in the world for cases with 210,717 but second in deaths to the virus with 28,884, Italy was placed under stringent restrictions as clusters of COVID-19 exponentially grew and deaths mounted in late January.
However, following declining infections and deaths that peaked in mid-March, travel restrictions will be eased from Monday allowing people to visit family within their immediate region and employees to travel outside their area for work.
Parks, gardens and public villas will be open to visitors who maintain a 3-foot distance from others. And restaurants will be open for home delivery and take-away services, Italy's Ministry of Health said. Manufacturing, construction and real estate work may also resume.
In Spain, the second-worst-hit country with 217,466 cases, some businesses will be allowed to open from Monday, including restaurant take-out services, and book and hardware stores. Garages will resume serving customers by appointment.
Also from Monday, masks will be required to ride public transportation.
"These are small comforts that are coming in doses, and may appear insufficient but are important," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Saturday in a televised address.
In France, however, local mayors in the country's most populous region on Monday pushed back against President Emanuel Macron's decision to reopen schools on May 11.
More than 300 mayors in the Ile-de-France region, which includes Paris, denounced the plan as "untenable and unrealistic" and called for the date to be pushed back to give them more time to set up the necessary precautions.
"The preparation for deconfinement is being forced ahead despite the fact that we don't have enough information to prepare the population and the directives keep changing," the said in an open letter published in the French newspaper La Tribune.
Globally, the virus has infected more than 3.5 million people, including 1.45 million in Europe. The continent has also recorded more than half of the nearly 250,000 deaths to the disease, according to health data tracked by worldometers.info.
In Geneva, Switzerland, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised $8 billion in pledges made by the international community Monday in an online coronavirus vaccine fundraising effort launched by the European Union.
The European Commission kicked off the effort with a $1 billion pledge of its own.
"This virus will be with us for a long time and we must come together to develop and share the tools to defeat it," Ghebreyesus said at his daily briefing. "We will prevail through national unity and global solidarity."
In Asia, the first epicenter of the virus, Japan on Monday was preparing to extend its nationwide state of emergency another month, public broadcaster NHK reported.
The current state of emergency was to expire on Wednesday but is expected to be extended until May 31 to keep current restrictions in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Japan, which has nearly 15,000 cases of the virus resulting in 487 deaths, declared the monthlong state of emergency on April 7 for the capital Tokyo and six other prefectures before extending it nationwide.
Meanwhile, China on Monday reported a seventh consecutive day without a death to COVID-19, capping off the first three days of its five-day May Day holiday that saw domestic tourism surge.
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism reported 85 million domestic tourist trips over the first three days of the holiday that began May 1, equalling about $4.97 billion, Xinhua reported.
In Hubei Province, ground zero of the pandemic and China's worst-hit region to the virus, 22 major tourist attractions reopened for the first time since going under lockdown in late January, receiving some 520,400 visitors, the provincial cultural tourism bureau said, state-owned China News Service reported.
In Wuhan city, where the virus emerged late last year, around 178,000 people visited on Saturday when it lowered its emergency response level from its highest to second-highest warning.
The tourism surge for the city, however, represented a 71 percent revenue plunge from the year prior and a 58 percent drop in visitors to 21 tourist sites, it said.
Beijing health officials on Monday reported three new cases of infection, all of which were imported, increasing its total number of cases to 83,964. Ten countries have more cases than China, with the United States' 1.1 million cases more than any other nation.
While the original epicenter of the virus, Asia accounts for fewer than 600,000 infections resulting in 19,619 deaths, according to the health data tracker.
Meanwhile, Oceania has the fewest number of cases at 8,411 and 115 deaths, according to health data.
In New Zealand, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced zero new cases of the coronavirus for the first time since implementing staunch lockdown restrictions in late March.
The country moved down to Alert Level 3 on its four-alert system last week with plans next week for the cabinet in Wellington to decide if the country will drop to Alert Level 2 and what that will look like.
"We need every day between now and next Monday to know for sure that we succeeded in locking in the gains of Level 4, recovered effectively in our waiting room of Level 3 and are in a position to move down again and give New Zealanders back greater freedom," she said during a press conference.
She also said she'd be joining Australia's Cabinet meeting Tuesday over discussions on creating "a trans-Tasman travel bubble," that would allow for residents from the two countries to travel between them without requiring a two-week quarantine upon arrival.
"Both our countries' strong record on fighting the virus has placed us in the enviable position of being able to plan the next stage in our economic rebuild," she said.
New Zealand has fewer than 1,500 cases resulting in 20 deaths.
World moves to reopen amid COVID-19 pandemic
Visitors wear face masks as they tour the Whitney Museum of American Art as it reopens on September 3. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
Visitors wear face masks as they tour the works of art. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
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Patrons walk to their movie with refreshments at the St. Charles Cinema. After being closed for months due to the pandemic, movie theaters in the St. Louis area and across the country are reopening. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo
A patron looks at the Edgar Degas' sculpture, titled "Little Dancer Aged Fourteen," in the "Degas at the Opera" exhibit in the West Building of the National Gallery of Art, on the first day it reopened to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic, in Washington, D.C., on July 20. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo
The gallery reopened today on a limited basis after being closed since mid-March. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo
Sightseers wear face masks aboard a Statue Cruises boat with a view of The Statue of Liberty in New York City on July 20. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
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Shoppers walk through Macy's department store in New York City after being closed for three months. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
St. Louis Chess Club employees Abby Byer and Caleb Denny play a match with the new plexiglass divider in place in St. Louis on June 22. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo
Byer wipes down the clock and chess pieces after use. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (L) passes out face masks when he arrives at Grand Central Station to attend a nearby press conference to enter phase 1 of a four-part reopening plan in New York City on June 8. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
Visitors take only side-by-side seats at tables for prevention of COVID-19 during a demonstration for reopening of Universal Studios Japan in Osaka on June 4. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo
A Universal Studios Japan staff member uses an infrared thermometer to check the temperature of visitors during the demonstration. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo
Harry's Bar and Restaurant is open for business in downtown Washington, D.C., a few blocks from the White House, on May 29. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License Photo
A stylist wears a protective face shield as she cuts a customer's hair at the Illusion of Shirlington salon in Shirlington, Va., on May 29. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo
A customer has her temperature checked before entering the salon. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo
Diners seated apart eat at an outdoor restaurant in Washington, D.C. on May 29. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo
The Rev. Daryl Gray, of the Clergy Coalition, hands out face masks at the Lively Stone Church of God in St. Louis on May 26. Over 125,000 masks were distributed to churches planning to reopen in June. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo
A lifeguard keeps an eye on swimmers, making sure they social distance while enjoying the water at the Wapelhorst Aquatic Facility in St. Charles, Mo., on May 26. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo
Several swimming facilities in the St. Louis area have opened after extra restrictions because of the pandemic. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo
Stylist Katie Winston (R) cuts the hair of customer Dee Broderick on the sidewalk outside the 7-0-3 Salon in Chesterfield, Mo., on May 26. Although stylists and customers wear masks, the salon has offered customers the option of haircuts outdoors for those who may have coronavirus concerns. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo
Employees wearing face shields and masks work at the Matsuya Ginza department store, which partially reopened in Tokyo on May 25. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lifted the
state of emergency in the city. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI |
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People gather at Rye Playland Beach in New York on May 24. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
Olivette Lanes owner Don Klackner uses a mop to clean the lanes at his bowling alley in Olivette, Mo., on May 19. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo
Dentist Ronald Sherstoff examines a high-speed drill at his office in Chesterfield, Mo., on May 19. Sherstoff has purchased an air filtration system that destroys airborne viruses that could be transmitted by the drill, and all staff members will use gowns, masks, gloves and face shields to protect themselves. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo
Students wear protective masks as they return to the Yankus Korchak Elementary School in Jerusalem on May 18. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo
School attendance will be voluntary around Israel and classes that return to session will be at the discretion of local authorities. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo
Server Tamara Martinez cleans containers at The Soda Fountain that contain candy on the first day of operation after reopening in St. Louis on May 18. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo
Soda jerk Ronell McCollum finishes making a Super Shake at the Soda Fountain. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo
Salesman Drew Murphy tries out a new mattress on the showroom floor at Mattress Giant in Richmond Heights, Mo., on May 18. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo
Sales clerk Sarah Rhim stocks shelves with new dresses at Mister Guy for Women Clothiers in Ladue, Mo., on May 15. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo
Bobby Smith (L) and his wife, Boni, enjoy drinks at an open restaurant in Lake Geneva, Wis., on May 15. Photo by Kamil Krzaczynski/UPI | License Photo
The Wisconsin Supreme Court, backed by Republican lawmakers, overturned the governor's stay-at-home order. Photo by Kamil Krzaczynski/UPI | License Photo
A man walks into a bakery in Edwardsville, Ill., on May 13. Madison County board members have agreed to reopen the county, officially going against Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker's statewide stay-at-home order. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo
Cook Joe Eisenbraun prepares to wrap a "Heart Attack" sandwich at Crown Candy in St. Louis on May 12. Crown Candy is serving only at curbside until the stay-at-home orders are lifted in Missouri later in the month. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo
A mother and child wear protective masks as they walk down a street in Paris on May 12. Photo by Eco Clement/UPI | License Photo
France has cautiously begun to lift its lockdown this week with shops allowed to reopen, including in the capital, which still faces tight restrictions. Photo by Eco Clement/UPI | License Photo
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson claps outside Downing Street in London to show his support for key workers during the coronavirus pandemic on May 7.
Doctors released Johnson from the intensive care unit in mid-April after he spent about a week in the hospital with COVID-19 Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI |
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Shoppers wear masks in the Mahane Yehuda Market in Jerusalem on May 7. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo
A security guard checks the temperature of a woman before granting her entrance to the Rami Levy Atarot Mall near Jerusalem. The Atarot Mall is the first Israeli-Palestinian Mall. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo
Israel opened malls and outdoor markets after more than 40 days of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic restrictions. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo
Customers have their hair washed at JF Hair Co. in Union, Mo., on May 6. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo
People visit the beach after the the city relaxed restrictions in Isle of Palms, S.C, on May 6. Photo by Richard Ellis/UPI | License Photo
Nicholas Calio, president and CEO of Airlines for America, uses disinfecting wipes before testifying before a hearing on the pandemic's impact on the aviation industry May 6 on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Photo by Jim Watson/UPI | License Photo
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., talks to reporters at a distance after the Senate reconvened following an extended recess due to the pandemic on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on May 4. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo
Peter Wolff, owner of the The Gift Nook store, looks down Main Street for customers in St. Charles, Mo., on May 4. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo
Jeweler Tom Wapelhorst arranges a display in his front window at Walters Jeweler in St. Charles, Mo. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo
Customers have lunch inside El Toro Mexican restaurant in Clute, Texas, on May 3. Photo by Trask Smith/UPI | License Photo
A customer looks at merchandise inside the Boot Barn clothing store in Lake Jackson, Texas, on May 3. Photo by Trask Smith/UPI | License Photo
Shoppers return to Northpark Mall in Dallas on May 1. Elbow bumps have become the new handshake. Photo by Ian Halperin/UPI | License Photo
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A hairstylist and his client wear protective face masks and gloves at a salon in Jerusalem on May 1. Israel has eased some coronavirus restrictions, allowing small stores and beauty salons to open, while maintaining the strict social distancing rules. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo
Pedestrians wear mandatory face masks and gloves while shopping in Jerusalem. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo
Pedestrians no longer practice "social distancing," but continue to wear protective face masks while visiting a popular entertainment district in Beijing on April 26. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo
Florida has allowed some of the state's beaches to reopen, including this one along the Space Coast near Cocoa Beach on April 26. Photo by Joe Marino/UPI | License Photo
A child wades in the ocean at Cocoa Beach. Photo by Joe Marino/UPI | License Photo
Pedestrians walk closely together in Beijing on April 19. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo
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A couple continues wearing protective face masks next to a police checkpoint in Beijing on April 15. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo