Peak virus seemed to be the overriding theme of the week, with the rate of new cases and deaths falling in Europe and the United States, the COVID-19 epicenters. Plans appear to be accelerating also for partial reopening’s around the world. New Zealand returns to work tomorrow, Australia plans a partial effort this week, New York has announced protocols for a mid-May reopening with some US states already tentatively opening. European hotspots such as Italy, Spain, Germany and the UK are also planning partial reopenings or will be doing so this week.
Off course, this doesn’t mean the shutters come down, and we can also go to the beach, attend a concert with 100,000 other people and start mingling in crowded bars and hipster restaurants. The return to partial normality means facemasks and social distancing and many other restrictions that will be the norm of peoples’ lives for a long time to come. Social workers around the world will breathe sighs of relief, though, as…
