Football in Germany kicked off again, becoming the first major sports league in the world to resume play, as parts of Europe took more tentative steps towards normality after the devastation unleashed by the coronavirus pandemic. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte of Italy, however, said Saturday he needed more guarantees before the government can give the green light for the resumption of its top football league.
Europe prepared for a further cautious easing of coronavirus restrictions following signs the pandemic may be slowing. Italy followed by Spain will allow people outside. More than 243,000 people have been killed and 3.4 million infected worldwide by the virus which has left humanity in lockdown. With signs that the spread of the contagion has been brought under control, parts of Europe, Asia and the United States have begun to lift restrictions.
Europe began preparing for a slow reopening as United States epicenter New York reported headway Sunday in their battle against the deadly pandemic. Governments across the world are now debating how and when to ease lockdowns that have kept more than half of humanity confined to their homes and crippled the global economy. Europe saw encouraging signs with Italy, Spain, France and Britain showing drops in daily death tolls and slowing infection rates.