Loved ones have reunited and some cafes and bars are back in business as some of Europe’s hardest-hit coronavirus countries ease lockdown restrictions.
Italy and Spain – which have been hotspots for the virus – relaxed measures after recording their lowest daily number of deaths for weeks, although both nations reported an increase in fatalities on Monday.
Italy, which has the world’s second-highest number of COVID-19 deaths, has embarked on a slow return to some kind of normality despite fears of a resurgence of the infection.
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Domenico di Massa and Mariantonia Gangemi embrace their granddaughter Cecilia in Rome
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Two women wearing protective masks take a selfie at Milan’s Castello square
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Applause in Venice for healthcare workers and in memory of those who have died
Under the new rules, relatives can be reunited with their families, construction work can resume and factories are able to revive their long-stalled production.
Some cafes and restaurants have also been allowed to reopen for takeaways.
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Bars have tentatively reopened in Italy
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People gather in St Mark’s Square in Venice
Sky News Europe correspondent Adam Parsons said: “In Rome you can now go out to buy an espresso. It comes from a barista in a mask – but there is an echo here of the life we used to know.”
The easing of rules comes nearly two months after the Italian government ordered the nation to stay at home in an effort to slow down one of the worst COVID-19 outbreaks in the world.
Italy has reported more than 29,000 coronavirus deaths.
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People head out on bikes in Valentino Park in Turin
Meanwhile, Spain has managed to reduce the daily increase of COVID-19 infections from around 35% in mid-March to 0.16% following the country’s strict lockdown.
People ventured out for the first time on Monday for haircuts or food takeouts, though many small shops remain closed as owners work on meeting strict health and hygiene guidelines.
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People venture out in Majorca, Spain
Spain’s professional footballers will also be tested this week so they can start training for the first time since the lockdown.
Basic training was allowed to resume on Monday after the government eased some of the lockdown measures, with plans to finish the La Liga season from June.
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A bride chooses her dress in Madrid as lockdown restrictions are eased
The Spanish government is putting pressure on opposition parties, however, to approve another extension of the country’s state of emergency, saying a failure to do so could “bring chaos”.
Spain has been one of the hardest-hit nations in the coronavirus pandemic, with more than 25,000 deaths.
Under its strict lockdown imposed on 14 March, only adults have been allowed to leave home – to buy food, medicine and other essential goods, and to walk dogs close to home.
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France, where more than 24,000 people have died after contracting coronavirus, is making citizens who return home from abroad face a compulsory two-week quarantine when they arrive in the country.
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A cyclist wears a facemask as she crosses The Champs Elysees Avenue in Paris
French horseracing organiser France Galop said police in Paris have given the go ahead for racing to resume next Monday, when the country will begin to ease its lockdown restrictions.
In Berlin, protesters demonstrated against Germany’s strict rules on Saturday, even as playgrounds, museums and zoos were permitted to open for the first time since the lockdown was imposed. Smaller shops have already opened.
The country has registered more than 164,000 cases and about 6,800 deaths.
Elsewhere in Europe, Iceland reopened hair salons, along with high schools, dentists and other businesses after the country tamed its COVID-19 outbreak.
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Burley and Hancock
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