European nations plan cautious easing of lockdowns for Christmas

Policymakers across Europe are preparing to relax Covid-19 lockdowns for the second time this year as they look to “save Christmas” and enable family reunions for 500m across the continent — except this time, they are avoiding calling it a reopening. Restrictions implemented at the end of October throughout the continent are starting to yield results, with a slowdown in new infections recorded in most countries according to data tracked by the Financial Times. This is fuelling calls from retailers to end the mandatory closures of shops deemed non-essential during the most lucrative trading month of the year. The UK, France and Ireland are among the countries where lockdowns are due to expire in early December.