Sydney beaches re-open: ‘The mood is quite happy now’

Frances Mao, Sydney
I’ve just spoken with a local cafe owner very pleased about the news.
Tony Burrows owns the Coogee Bite Cafe perched at the north end of Coogee Beach. He was down on the sand this morning at 0630 where early risers had pushed aside the barriers blocking access, and “everybody was taking advantage of the beach being open.“There’s a lot of families, a lot of swimmers, it’s really quite nice to have it re-opening. People are doing the right thing and keeping to themselves – they’re doing laps or doing exercise, not sitting down,” he said.
He said many of his customers – locals accustomed to their daily ocean laps- had been very upset when they were deprived of access to the bay.
There weren’t crowds on the sand on Monday – likely due to a chill in the air – but greater numbers are expected come the weekend. People are banned from lounging on the sand and have to observe a 1.5m distance from others.
The region’s mayor said he had re-opened Coogee, Clovelly and Maroubra beaches after a three-week shutdown for the “mental and physical health” of the community. Most of Sydney’s other beaches – including neighbouring Bondi – remain off-limits. – BBC News
• Several European countries including Germany, Poland, Norway, the Czech Republic and Albania are beginning to ease their lockdowns
• France and Spain have both decided against a relaxation of measures at this stage
• India is also relaxing some lockdown rules in non-virus hotspots – with agricultural businesses, public works programmes, banks, and trucks, trains and planes carrying cargo, allowed to resume
• In China, 73 major tourist sites in Beijing, including areas along the Great Wall have reopened
• The US death toll has passed 41,000 people, which is nearly a quarter of all deaths from Covid-19 across the globe
• New York’s state governor says they appear to have passed the peak of the outbreak as their infections slow
• US oil prices have now dropped to a 21-year low as demand dries up
– BBC News