The week of May 11-15 is an important one for many European countries!  Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Belgium, Austria and the Czech Republic are among the first to start the "great relaxation" of the restrictive measures imposed by COVID-19.  Even if the rules imposed by the authorities are simple, no one respected the social distance and did not keep his mask on when he reached the terraces.

WHO experts and local authorities have imposed four simple rules of countries trying to return to normal:

 1. keep a social distance of 1.5 meters; 

 2. to impose frequent hand washing; 

 3. to impose the wearing of protective masks in public spaces; 

 4. to do everything possible to prevent social overcrowding.  

None of these rules have been followed since Monday in the main European countries.

The banks of the Seine were flooded by thousands of Parisians eager to socialize after being isolated for more than 50 days.  The beautiful weather erased with the sponge from the collective memory the devastating balance caused by COVID-19: 178,000 sick and 27,000 dead.  But they were not the only Europeans to "relax" over a beer. 

 In Prague, Czech Republic, thousands of locals took advantage of the beautiful weather and drank huge amounts of beer right on the sidewalks.  However, only 8,200 contaminations and 260 deaths were recorded in the Czech Republic, due to prompt action by the authorities.

The Belgians also forgot about masks for months, but they respected social distance.  They drank their beers in the parks, because the terraces and bars are still closed.  Belgium recorded 54,000 illnesses and 8,800 deaths.  

The terraces were also opened in Switzerland on Monday, after the authorities announced the balance of the two months of nightmare: 30,000 contaminations and 1,800 deaths.  

The terraces and promenades in Madrid, Barcelona and Tarragona were stormed and people drank cold beer forgetting that they are not allowed to gather in groups of 10 people and must wear masks.

After recording a record balance of 270,000 contaminations and over 27,000 deaths, Spain's population of 47 million seems to ignore the recommendations of the government led by Pedro Sanchez, which recommends caution.  “The temptation of a cold beer is too great and no one thinks about the consequences ".  

The Austrians were more cautious than their German neighbors and have not yet opened the terraces and bars, preferring to drink beer in the parks at the appropriate distance.  In the north-eastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the restaurants opened on Saturday, but only two people sat at the tables and drank beer in a mug with surgical gloves in their hands.

Two French men in their 50s decided to turn into buoys for a day and take a dip in the Mediterranean sea amid coronavirus lockdown in France.

 

In breach of lockdown rules, the men came up with an ingenious plan to escape the quarantine lockdown. They dressed up as buoys and slipped into the sea at Almanarre Beach in Hyères, France.

 

However, their joy and creativity did not last long as they were spotted by French authorities who managed to catch and even fine one of them, Daily Mail reported.

 

With their faces almost entirely covered bar a small slit for them to see through, the men struggle to get away quick enough and in the end, one of them was caught by the local police.

 

 

His named Pierrot and he was charged 135 euros or $145 approximately for his 'buoying' around, even as his partner managed to escape.

 

In a video that was first shared on Facebook and is now going viral on the internet, the two can be seen making fun on the beach and rolling around in the sand while their heads were covered with white buoy-shaped headgear, while the rest of the population in France is on lockdown.

 

While the duo were slammed for breaking lockdown regulations, their sheer gall seemed to earn the

Pierrot said: 'I wanted to make a funny video but it took a turn for the worse, I’m the one who got the fine. 

 

'As I’ve said, I regret it but also don’t regret it as it’s made people laugh and brought joy to a lot of people.'

 

 

The mayor of Hyères Jean-Pierre Giran previously said he would request to reopen beaches if social distancing was maintained.