Coronavirus update for the region of Central, East and Southeast Europe

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As of Sunday evening, 69,784 cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic had been reported in the Central and Eastern and Southeast European (CESE) region, up by 12,528 cases compared to a week ago, while the number of people who have died caused by the virus have increased by 646 to 3,122.

So far, Poland has reported the most cases in the region with 13,693 infected person and 678 fatalities, closely followed by Romania with 13,163 cases and 790 deaths.

In Serbia, the number of the coronavirus cases has almost doubled in the last seven days to 9,362 and a reported 189 deaths.

According to latest data, this number of cases/deaths for the other countries: Czech Republic: 7,755/245; Moldova: 4,052/125; Hungary: 2,298/340; Greece: 2,620/144; Croatia: 2,079/79; Bosnia and Herzegovina: 1,857/77; Estonia: 1,700/55; Bulgaria: 1,618/73; North Macedonia: 1,511/84; Slovenia: 1,439/96; Lithuania: 1,410/46; Slovakia: 1,408/24; Latvia: 879/16; Kosovo: 823/22; Albania: 795/31; and Montenegro: 322/8.

Despite the novel coronavirus continues to spread, countries in the region have started easing lockdown measures. Hotels and shopping malls reopened from yesterday (Monday, May 4), Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki announced, adding that the country is also reopening outdoor sports areas.

The Czech government will allow cultural and sport events with up to 100 people to go ahead from May 11 as part of a next phase of relaxing restrictions, officials said on Thursday. This will include cinema screenings, theater performances and religious services, and comes sooner than the government had originally planned after it said the spread of the virus was now contained. From May 11, shopping malls and larger shops are also set to reopen, along with outdoor restaurants and pubs, hairdressers, and museums.

As of May 4, Hungary will lift some curbs in the countryside, where shops and restaurant terraces will be allowed to reopen as the government tries to put the battered economy back on track. But, movement in Budapest and surroundings, where 80% of the country’s coronavirus deaths have been recorded, would not be eased until the fatality rate fell in that area, PM Victor Orbán said on May 1.

On April 30, the government of Serbiaʼs President Aleksandar Vučić reversed its decision to lock the entire country down during the May Day weekend and instead introduced a curfew from 6 p.m. on Thursday until 5 p.m. on Saturday. The government had also adopted a policy of gradual easing, under which restaurants and cafes opened yesterday, with public transport in Belgrade resuming on Friday (May 8), while kindergartens will reopen on Friday, May 11. Hairdressers were allowed to go back to work last week, but with new safety measure.

Although most restrictions on Greeks’ free movement were lifted yesterday, they will not be allowed to leave their wider region of residence, PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced on April 29. Some retail stores, including book shops and hair salons, reopened on Monday, but others will do so later in the month. Schools will open gradually, starting on May 11.

Globally, the number of coronavirus infected people had increased to 3,534,367 by yesterday evening, with at least 248,097 people dead, according to Johns Hopkins University.

(Sources: Johns Hopkins University, Reuters, ect.)