Europe awakes from COVID-19 restrictions, embraces new-found freedom

RETURNING TO NORMAL

Having seen "flattened curves" of the spread of COVID-19, governments have carried out phased plans to revive the continent with, for example, France's cafes, Italy's museums and Greece's archaeological sites as its cultural labels.

On Tuesday, France entered the second phase of de-confinement, with an increasing number of restaurants and cafes to restore operations, after the nation started a phased recovery plan on May 11.

Narjess, a 41-year-old English teacher at a training center in Paris, planned to celebrate "the big Tuesday" by joining her friends for a drink, the first time since the nation entered lockdown on March 17.

"At last, I can find my daily life as before the confinement," Narjess, who did not give her full name, told Xinhua.