For the first time in seven weeks, Spanish adults can enjoy some fresh air beyond their brief walks to the grocery store.
Coronavirus restrictions continued to ease Saturday in some European countries, including Spain, one of the world's hardest-hit nations. Adults were allowed outside to exercise for the first time in seven weeks, prompting runners and cyclists to hit the pavement, though social distancing guidelines remain in place. There are designated time slots for activity between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.
Spain has had more than 213,000 cases of COVID-19 with 24,543 deaths, but the rate of new infections and fatalities has slowed significantly during the lockdown. In another sign that things are improving, a field hospital set up by the military at a convention center in Madrid was closed, as was a makeshift morgue established at an ice rink in the capital, which experienced the worst of Spain's struggles.
Elsewhere in Western Europe, museums, zoos, and playgrounds were permitted to open for the first time in several weeks in Germany, which has a high amount of cases but a relatively low death rate.
Italy will begin gradually loosening some restrictions Monday. The governments in Madrid, Rome, and Berlin, have all acknowledged people must remain vigilant and that the virus' resurgence remains possible. Read more at The Associated Press and BBC.