What does 'relaxing measures' mean?

[shesgrownhorns]

What measures would be relaxed and which wouldn't?

[shesgrownhorns]

bump

[YinuCeatleAyru]

I would guess it would be about getting the economy going again, so encouraging non-essential shops to re-open but with measures in place to enable social distancing (eg limits to number of customers in the shop); maybe cafes and restaurants allowed to reopen with 2m min spacing between tables and no sharing of tables between households, and other things that will help money to start flowing again without taking too much risk

[Lovemusic33]

I’m guessing it will be reopening shops, possibly restaurants (with social distancing in place), letting some return to work. Being allowed to go out and about more but still social distancing. I can’t see big gatherings being allowed until next year and I can’t see schools opening for a while which could be a major issue if people need to return to work.

[LeeMiller]

You can look at countries already relaxing measures, or planning to, for ideas : Austria, Denmark, Italy etc.

Here in Italy there is lots of discussion of phase 2 (possibly to start early May). Some of the ideas mentioned are:

• Shops (starting with bookshops) to gradually reopen. People will need to queue and enter in small numbers, like we do now at supermarkets.
• Non-essential companies gradually reopening starting with production and ending with hospitality - workplaces will need to put safety measures in place (temperature checks, distance between workers, masks/gloves, working shifts to reduce number of people at work at once)
• Compulsory mask wearing in public (already applies in my region as of this week)
• Places like hairdressers will take longer to reopen with only one worker and client in the salon at a time
• Private nurseries reopening only for parents that work
• Schools might reopen in September, possibly with continued online learning and attendence in shifts to minimise the number of kids at school at one time.
• Increased community testing, contact tracing and use of apps to monitor, track and isolate new cases

[YinuCeatleAyru]

could cinemas reopen with leaving 2 seats empty between each household of attendees?

[4forkssake]

@leemiller what's the reason for starting with bookshops? That seems like an odd choice to start with.

[Paintforkitchen]

@YinuCeatleAyru I think a lot of places will be opening with that kind of measure in place. I can’t wait to go to the cinema again.

[LeeMiller]

@4forkssake it's been proposed as a symbolic gesture since books "feed the soul", and other cultural places like theatres and cinemas will stay closed for now. They're suggesting the first shops to open will be bookshops and also stationary shops so people can buy art/craft materials for kids, then other shops in stages.