MADRID: Spain reopened its borders on Sunday, getting rid of one of the most potent emblems of Europe's battle against the coronavirus, as infections in Latin America surged past two million. The cars that trickled across the Spain-France border early on Sunday gave a symbolic boost to the millions of businesses and workers across Europe that have suffered badly from the economic downturn caused by tough lockdowns.
"We wanted to be in Spain for the sun, the beach, tapas, and I'm already wearing my swimsuit under my clothes," said Frenchwoman Sylvia Faust, who crossed into Spain with her 17-year-old daughter.
There was no such joy in Latin America, however, where grim records kept on tumbling. Brazil is the second worst-affected country with almost 50,000 deaths and more than one million cases, helping to push Latin America's total infections beyond the two million mark, according to an AFP tally early on Sunday.
The virus is accelerating its spread in the region, with Mexico the second hardest-hit country, followed by Peru and Chile. Clusters have also emerged in the Palestinian territories, Morocco and Iran, where officials have now registered more than 100 deaths a day for three days running. Beijing is also battling an outbreak which has so far registered just over 200 cases. The authorities have taken more than two million samples to test and banned imports of chicken from an American producer, suspecting the outbreak could have been imported in contaminated food.
The virus has now killed more than 460,000 people and infected almost nine million worldwide.
Although the spread has slowed in Europe, it remains the worst-affected continent with more than 2.5 million cases.
Spain has been among Europe's hardest-hit nations, but on Sunday it lifted a slew of restrictions in a bid to get its tourism industry back up and running. As well as opening its land border with France, Spain also welcomed EU nationals, those from the passport-free Schengen zone and Britons at seaports and airports - without enforcing quarantine periods. "We must remain on our guard and strictly follow hygiene and protection measures," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Saturday, highlighting that the danger has not passed.
In France, millions of children were preparing to return to school on Monday after three months away, and cinemas and theatres were also getting set to reopen. Concert halls and other institutions in Germany, however, still face an uncertain future with social distancing rules forcing them to slash their events calendars and drastically reduce capacities.
On the eastern fringes of Europe, cases have spiked again in Azerbaijan, forcing the government to institute another lockdown - much to the irritation of local workers. "The government again cages us in like zoo animals and gives not a damn to the consequences," taxi driver Shahin Mamedkuliyev told AFP. Scientists are still learning about the virus, its symptoms and the way it spreads - and a vaccine still remains a distant possibility.