ATHENS (HRNW) — Europe reopened more widely on Monday, allowing people into the Acropolis in Athens, shops in Italy, markets and museums in Belgium, golf courses in Ireland and beer gardens in Bavaria while its leaders discussed how to salvage Europe’s hallowed summer vacations.
As nations carved out a new normal amid the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization opened its main annual meeting — conducted online this year. Chinese President Xi Jinping was among a handful of world leaders expected to address the two-day online gathering that comes amid high tensions between his nation, where the pandemic began, and the United States, the country hardest hit by the coronavirus.
President Donald Trump, who has suspended U.S. funding to the WHO and accused it of failing to stop the virus from spreading when it first surfaced in China, was not expected to address the meeting. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar was to represent the U.S.
New infections and deaths have slowed considerably in Europe, where some countries started easing lockdowns a month ago and even the harshest shutdowns — such as those in Italy and Spain — have loosened significantly. Many nations are now preparing to open their borders next month, trying to sketch out the parameters for a highly unusual summer tourist season.
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