Europe reopens borders amid worst global recession in memory

world faces worst global recession in nearly a century, a key ecomic body warned Wednesday, while in Europe, restrictions to fight spre of coronavirus portend a bleak summer tourism season even as more nations anunced plans to welcome visitors again.

Beginning June 16, Austria will open up to all European neighbors with exception of Spain, Portugal, Sweden and Britain, meaning that visitors from 31 countries will longer be required to undergo a two-week quarantine upon arrival. Greece, ar European holiday hot spot, will allow tourists to fly to Ans or main rrn city of ssaloniki beginning on June 15.

But that’s hoping people have money to spend.

Organization for Ecomic Cooperation and Development said Wednesday that global ecomic output could fall by as much as 7.6% this year if a second wave of infections emerges, with pandemic’s ecomic impact expected to be even harsher in Europe because of continent’s strict and relatively lengthy coronavirus lockdowns.

In eurozone, which includes 19 European Union nations that use common euro currency, GDP is expected to plunge 11.5% this year in case of a second wave and by over 9% even if ar round of infections is avoided.

“w we’re in midst of ... perhaps most global health, ecomic and social crisis and it’s simply most severe any of us have ever witnessed,” OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria said during presentation of report in Paris. He named tourism and air travel among “critical” sectors hard hit by pandemic and urged countries to cooperate in developing and fairly distributing a vaccine for virus.

“As long as a virus is widespre somewhere, threat will remain everywhere and ecomic costs will persist as some borders remain closed,” Gurria said, with report predicting that crisis would leave “long-lasting scars,” including lower living standards, high unemployment and weak investment.

virus has infected 7.2 million people worldwide and killed nearly 412,000, about 180,000 of m in Europe, according to official figures tallied by Johns Hopkins University. true toll is believed to be much higher because many people died without being tested.

Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said border with Italy to south would be open without conditions on June 16 but that a travel warning for Austrian citizens was still in place for Italy’s rrn region of Lombardy. That region, epicenter of Italy’s epidemic, has still been showing triple-digit growth in daily infections while much of rest of country counts a handful or fewer.

While Italy opened its own borders on June 3, Austria’s reluctance to open ir shared border has been a sore spot between two.

Austrian Health Minister Rudolf Anschober said restrictions would remain in place for Spain because its own borders remain closed until July 1 for most tourists and for Portugal due to an increase in infections in recent days.

’’Please pack your bags, but don’t forget situation at home,” Anschober said, emphasizing that virus remains in circulation. ‘’Please consider every trip, wher with family and on business, and when possible don’t travel.’’

Italy’s Coldiretti farm lobby said Austrian border opening was critical to Italian tourism, which rmally registers summer holiday visits by 3.4 million Austrians and 7 million Germans who cross Austria to reach Italy. Coldiretti called Austria’s move “an important signal.” Foreign visitors spent 167 billion euros ($190 billion) last year in Italy, a third of it on food.

Contract workers from France’s all-important food, catering and events industry held a protest Wednesday between Louvre Museum and Champs-Elysees, saying virus pandemic is killing ir jobs. symbolic flash mob demonstration included about 30 people dressed in black, simulating strangulation with ir ties and putting signs reing “sentenced to death” into a coffin.

To south, Spain’s sunny, beautiful Balearic Islands will allow thousands of German tourists to fly in for a two-week trial that tests out how to balance needs of Spain’s vital tourism industry with new regulations to curb country’s coronavirus outbreak.

trial that begins June 15 comes before archipelago and rest of country re-open to international tourism on July 1. Spanish government is under heavy pressure to re-activate an industry that generates 12% of Spain’s GDP and provides 2.6 million much-needed jobs.

Hungary said beginning Friday it would fully reopen its borders with Croatia, whose beaches on riatic Coast are a favored destination.

Greece will allow international flights to land at regional airports beginning July 1. Visitors arriving from airports t on European air safety ncy list of at-risk regions will be subjected to random spot coronavirus tests but will t face mandatory testing and quarantine w in place for all international travelers.

In some or countries, uncertainty about tourist season remained.

Germany anunced it is prolonging its travel warning for more than 160 countries outside Europe until end of August even as it ends border controls for most EU citizens. Last week, Germany downgred its travel warning for rest of 27-nation EU, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, rway, Iceland and Britain.

Britain said Wednesday it was planning to re-open zoos, safari parks and drive-in aters next Monday as it eases lockdown measures. But that is mostly for local tourists only, since this week government slapped a 14-day quarantine requirement on all arrivals, a move that health experts say comes too late and tourism officials fear will be devastating to ir industry.

Britain has nearly 41,000 confirmed COVID-19 deaths, highest death toll in Europe.

In Buglaria a rise in infections prompted government to prolong its state of emergency to end of June, while in Moscow, mayor said it will take Russian capital about two months to lift all of its coronavirus restrictions.