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Millions wake up to tightening lockdowns as

restrictions lift at pandemic's epicenter
Linda Givetash and Leou Chen and Nancy Ing and Matthew Mulligan and
Associated Press
NBC News ● March 24, 2020, 4:22 AM PDT

LONDON — As millions of people across the globe adjusted to life under tightening
lockdowns on Tuesday, at the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in China
restrictions began to slowly ease.

The lockdown imposed on the city of Wuhan, where COVID19 was first detected, is
set to end April 8, the provincial Hubei Epidemic Control Task Force Command Center
announced. Residents will be allowed to travel out of the province for work as early as
Wednesday once they pass a test for the virus.

Public transportation in Wuhan, in Hubei Province, began running test services on

Monday anticipating the return to normal life.
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More than 380,000 people worldwide have been confirmed to have coronavirus, which brother over Facetime during coronavirus
is believed to have originated in Hubei late last year, according to Johns Hopkins lockdown

University, resulting in more than 16,500 deaths. Yahoo Celebrity UK

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But in Britain, the country woke up to greater restrictions on their movements and
activities after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced late Monday a sweeping
nationwide lockdown that will prohibit gatherings of more than two people and almost
all social events, such as weddings and christenings.

“You must stay home,” Johnson said during a televised speech to the nation on
Monday evening. “The critical thing we must do is stop the disease spreading
between households.”

People can exercise outside once a day, but at a safe distance from others, and
shopping should be limited to essentials. All stores selling non-essential goods and Jeremy Hunt warns that 1 million Britons will
have coronavirus by end of next week
other public gathering places like libraries, places of worship and playgrounds were
Yahoo News UK
ordered closed. Johnson said the police would also be given the authority to disperse
gatherings and issue fines for non-compliance.
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“The way ahead is hard, and it is still true that many lives will sadly be lost,” he said.

Yet on Tuesday, photos of packed subways across London were circulating on social
media.

emma wilson
@femma15

What a joke @tfl why are checks not being done when people
enter the stations? #nhs #LockdownNow #protecttheNHS

2 12:02 AM - Mar 24, 2020

See emma wilson's other Tweets

The movement has had repercussions. A growing number of transit workers have
been calling in sick and are self-isolating, further reducing service, the city's Mayor
Sadiq Khan said in tweet.

"If you have to work, please don't travel at rush. hour," Khan said, in an attempt to
limit contact and congestion.

France, meanwhile, enacted a two-month state of emergency with tighter measures

than what first introduced nearly two weeks ago.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe banned open street markets in his televised address
Monday evening and limited physical exercise to within a roughly half-mile radius of
people’s homes. Any outings must be limited to one hour and be documented, he
said.

Image: A staff member sprays disinfectant at Wuhan Railway Station in Wuhan in China's central Hubei
province (AFP - Getty Images)

In the United States, Michigan, Indiana, Oregon and West Virginia were among the
growing number of states to issue stay-at-home orders as cases of the virus continue
to rise.

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a 21-day lockdown period that
will go into effect midnight Thursday. The measures were a response to the 47
percent jump in confirmed cases of the virus on Monday from 128 to 402.

South Africa will be the third country in Africa to close down all but essential economic
activity, after Rwanda and Tunisia, and its measures will be enforced by police and
military Ramaphosa said.

The government of the West African nation of Senegal declared a state of emergency
Monday night following after 79 people were confirmed to have the virus. Travel
between regions would be restricted, public spaces closed, gatherings banned and a
curfew is being imposed, President Macky Sall said.

Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha also declared a state of emergency on

Tuesday to enact stricter measures to control the outbreak, which go into effect on
Thursday.

Linda Givetash and Matthew Mulligan reported from London, Leou Chen reported
from Beijing and Nancy Ing reported from Paris.

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