Europe Begins Easing Lockdown Steps

Shops reopen in Germany, Denmark; nurseries begin in Norway; death rates drop in France and Spain

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Germany and other parts of Europe took tentative steps to ease lockdown measures on Monday but officials warned the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic was far from over.

Some shops reopened in Germany and Denmark and parents dropped their children off at nurseries in Norway as tight restrictions were lifted in parts of the continent. But Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Germans to stay disciplined, warning: “We stand at the beginning of the pandemic and are still a long way from being out of the woods.”

After being hit hard by the virus that emerged in China late last year, Europe has seen encouraging signs in recent days, with death rates dropping in Italy, Spain, France, and Britain.

Fears of a ‘new wave’