Greece, Spain Slowly Reopen Tourism Industries

The tourism industry is slowly being revived in some European countries with new precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.Greece, whose economy relies heavily on tourism, reopened cafes and restaurants Monday under new social distancing guidelines.Travel to previously closed islands also resumed Monday, but thus far applies to domestic tourists, as the country is not expecting to welcome foreigners until mid-June.Greece has reported fewer than 3,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 — one of the lowest numbers in the European Union.Spain reopened some of its beaches. Madrid and Barcelona allowed people to assemble in groups of more than 10 for museums to allow small numbers of visitors and for restaurants to utilize half their outdoor seating.France began lifting border restrictions Monday to allow in migrant workers and tourists from other European countries.Brazil added 653 new deaths to its reported toll, while its number of confirmed cases, the world’s second most, surpassed 360,000.Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced he was lifting the coronavirus state of emergency in Tokyo and a handful of other cities Monday but warned that this did not mark the end of the outbreak.South Korea plans to require wearing face masks for people using taxis and public transit beginning Tuesday. Masks will be mandatory on domestic and international flights starting Wednesday.More students are returning to school this week in South Korea and Australia.Monday is Memorial Day in the United States, a day to honor service members who sacrificed their lives for the country.The holiday is also the unofficial start of the U.S. summer vacation season, but with social distancing guidelines, restrictions on certain travelers from overseas, and millions of job losses, the season is set to be different than in past years.Health experts and local authorities are urging people heading to beaches, holiday picnics and cookouts to practice social distancing.   
 
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