Photos: Rolling back to normal - countries ease lockdown restrictions

People in Greece have returned to church and France has opened some beaches, while German soccer’s Bundesliga became the first major sports league to resume play. Drive-in cinemas of Dubai have also regained popularity- but all with tight restrictions and clear guidelines to prevent a resurgence of coronavirus cases. Many countries are beginning the gradual easing of lockdowns. ...read more

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Updated on May 19, 2020 06:01 PM IST

A poster reminding shoppers to maintain social distance to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is placed beside an escalator in a shopping mall in Quezon City, Philippines on May 17. The Philippines’ Department of Health on Sunday reported 208 new cases of coronavirus infections and seven more fatalities. (Eloisa Lopez / REUTERS)

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Clover Grill’s waiter Joe Congleton takes orders through an open door, keeping social distance, after restrictions of the lockdown were eased to allow 25 percent of permitted occupancy in stores and restaurants, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in New Orleans on May 16. (Kathleen Flynn / REUTERS)

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People sit on the banks of the river Seine after France began a gradual end to a nationwide lockdown in Paris on May 17. The beaches reopened to the public for the first time since a nationwide lockdown in mid-March. (Gonzalo Fuentes / REUTERS)

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People take part in a protest against the Spanish government amid the lockdown in Madrid on May 17. Many marchers carried Spanish flags and shouted out “Freedom!” Spain’s far-right Vox party and the conservative leader of the region have voiced their support for the protests saying that the city’s economy must restart soon to save jobs. (AP / PTI)

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A customer wearing a protective face mask looks at plants for sale at the Grosvenor Garden Centre, operated by Blue Diamond Ltd., in Belgrave, UK on May 15. With the numbers of deaths and infections falling, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is attempting to find a balance between reopening the economy and avoiding a new spike in cases. (Paul Thomas / Bloomberg)

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Cologne’s midfielder Florian Kainz (R) celebrates a goal with his teammate Dominick Drexler during the German first division Bundesliga football match on May 17, in Cologne. From social distancing substitutes using airport stairs to disinfected balls and a potential television audience of one billion, the German soccer’s Bundesliga enjoyed a chequered restart as the first major sports league to resume amid the pandemic. (Lars Baron / AFP)

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An Orthodox faithful receives the sacraments during the first service open for believers following the easing of measures against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Athens on May 17. Thousands of Greeks returned to church on Sunday after weeks of staying away as a ban on mass gatherings to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus was eased. (Costas Baltas / REUTERS)

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Passengers watch a movie from their car at a drive-in cinema outside the Mall of Emirates in Dubai on May 17. The governments of Abu Dhabi and Dubai are discussing ways to perk up Dubai’s economy by linking up assets in the two emirates, with Abu Dhabi’s state fund Mubadala likely to play a key role in any deal, reported Reuters. (Karim Sahib / AFP)