For the second time this year, policymakers from Dublin to Rome are preparing to relax Covid-19 lockdowns — and “save Christmas” for the family reunions of 500m Europeans. Except this time they avoid calling it a reopening.
The restrictions implemented at the end of October throughout Europe are starting to yield results, with a slowdown in new infections recorded in most countries according to data tracked by the Financial Times. This is fuelling calls from retailers to end the mandatory closures of shops deemed non-essential during the most lucrative trading month of the year. But unlike in the summer, European governments warn there will be no full-scale relaxation of the restrictions.
The UK, France and Ireland are among the countries where lockdowns are due to expire in early December. They have signalled they will ease restrictions only gradually after being too lax the first time around.