Economics
Europe Risks Biggest Step to Revive Economy in Pandemic Era
- Restrictions ease in France, Spain, Switzerland and Greece
- Germany’s contagion rate rises as pandemic cripples business
Commuters sit on a metro train at Chatelet-Les-Halles station in Paris, on May 11.
Photographer: Adrienne Surprenant/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Paris’s train stations welcomed returning commuters, the Swiss rushed out to stock up on coffee and Spaniards could return to outdoor cafes, as Europe ventures its biggest step yet to reopen in the coronavirus era.
Governments across the continent eased restrictions as the spread of the pandemic slows. France made its first significant move by allowing more travel, while shops were reopened in Switzerland and Greece. Barbers resumed in the Netherlands, and Denmark halved distancing requirements.