News in brief

The government is working on a plan to ease some of the restrictions that have been introduced to curb the spread of the coronavirus, with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expected to make announcements next week. The Health Ministry committee, chaired by doctor Sotiris Tsiodras convenes today to discuss the time frame and procedures for lifting restrictive measures.

Addressing a media briefing, government spokesman Stelios Petsas sought to make it clear that the government is keen to introduce a gradual return to normality while shielding public health and the economy
However, measures will remain in place for the general public until at least April 27, he said. After that date, registry offices and courts will open, he said.

Small shops are expected to be permitted to open too. It remains unclear, however, what will happen with schools, though the fact that children are less susceptible to the virus is a consideration.

Mitsotakis spoke by telephone on Tuesday with European Council President Charles Michel ahead of a European Union leaders’ summit tomorrow, with talks focusing on the economic impact of the pandemic.
Although Greek authorities have done relatively well in containing the spread of the coronavirus in the general population, there are concerns about outbreaks in the migrant community after 150 people in a hotel hosting migrants in the Peloponnese tested positive for Covid-19.

Health Ministry spokesman Sotiris Tsiodras said 150 of the 156 new cases were from a hotel in Kranidi, southern Greece. Of the positive cases, 148 are asylum seekers, one is a hotel employee and the other an aid worker. The new cases brought the nationwide total to 2,401, Tsiodras said, adding that another five infected people had died, pushing the death toll to 121.
As for easing restrictive measures, he said this should be done “gradually and cautiously” to avoid any possible backsliding.

The hotel in Kranidi has been quarantined and a curfew will be imposed on the town, which has a population of around 4,000, from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. for the next 14 days. Citizens will only be allowed to leave their homes to visit a doctor, a pharmacy or to shop for basic necessities.
Global deaths pass 175,000. At least 177,445 people have died in the coronavirus pandemic so far, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. There are more than 2.5 million confirmed cases worldwide.

Global recession could be prolonged. The prospect of a prolonged worldwide impact has hardened after a survey of thousands of business leaders warned of a drawn-out recession, with many companies likely to fold. Around 60% of chief executives surveyed are preparing for a U-shaped recovery – a long period between recession and an upturn.
Trump lays out parts of US immigration ban. Donald Trump has announced a 60-day ban on immigrants seeking to live and work in America permanently, and said he could extend it depending on the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

UN warns of ‘famines of biblical proportions’. David Beasley, chief of the UN’s food relief agency told the Guardian that urgent action must be taken to prevent widespread famines across more than 30 countries in the developing world, pushing at least 265 million people to the brink of starvation.

US state sues China’s leaders over virus. The US state of Missouri sued China’s leadership over coronavirus, seeking damages over what it described as deliberate deception and insufficient action to stop the pandemic.
Italy look at easing lockdown after first significant fall in infections. The country’s prime minister said the government would unveil plans for the gradual reopening from lockdown before the end of this week.

Netflix Inc. ended the first quarter with nearly 16 million new subscribers as people around the globe stuck at home due to the coronavirus pandemic are increasingly turning to streaming services to entertain themselves.
And the weather forecast…

Cloudy in Attica today with local showers expected in the morning. The temperature today will reach a maximum of 17 degrees Celsius.