Coronavirus: Queues at shops as Germany begins to ease coronavirus lockdown

Germany has taken the first steps to lifting its lockdown, by allowing some smaller non-essential shops to reopen.

Shops no larger than 800 square metres were allowed to resume business on Monday morning, along with bookshops, car showrooms and bike stores.

It follows an agreement reached last week between local and central governments over the coronavirus restrictions.

Despite the lifting of some COVID-19 measures, Germany 's government has stressed the move is an early step in the process.

Larger shops will remain closed, with a spokesman saying they "draw large numbers of people into the city centre, they have high customer numbers and that [opening them] isn't possible in the first step".

The Robert Koch institute for public health has said the rate of infection in the country - which is measured by how many people each sufferer subsequently infects - was less than one for the first time since the pandemic began, leading officials to declare it was "under control".

By comparison, the UK government said its equivalent figure had "probably" reached one, but that it needed more time to make sure this was the case.

The easing of measures comes as the country's economy officially entered recession last week.

The death rate of those infected in Germany remains one of the lowest in the world, with 4,642 people dying with coronavirus out of 145,743 cases, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 16,000 people have died in UK hospitals after contracting the illness.

The highest number of deaths Germany has suffered in a day is 303 on 8 April, which had fallen to 104 on Sunday. The UK has seen daily deaths hit a high of 980, on April 10.

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Germany's apparent success in curbing the outbreak and minimising deaths has been widely credited to its extensive testing regime, early lockdown and the widespread availability of intensive care beds and specialist medical equipment.

Angela Merkel, the country's chancellor, spent two weeks in self-isolation after a doctor she had been treated by tested positive for coronavirus in March.

Elsewhere in Europe, Belgium has also allowed more stores to open, including DIY shops and garden centres, after officials announced the country had passed its peak.

Other nations around the world are also starting to lift their government-imposed lockdowns, including Iran and New Zealand.

In Iran, one of the hardest-hit countries in the early stages of the pandemic, shopping malls and bazaars have reopened after more than a month, but businesses such as gyms and beauty salons remain closed, as they are deemed to still be at high-risk.

Schools, universities, places of worship and parks also remain closed, with government officials warning that even though restrictions were being relaxed, it did not mean the threat was over.

The US state of Texas has begun to slowly lift its coronavirus restrictions, while keeping a number of social distancing measures in place.

From Monday, state parks will re-open for people to visit and do exercise, as long as masks are worn. However, gatherings of more than five people will be banned.

Hospitals will be able to begin elective treatment from this week, with shops being allowed to offer "retail-to-go" services.

It follows extensive protests in the US over the stringent lockdown measures imposed on each state.

The state's Republican governor Greg Abbott announced the initial lockdown measures on 1 April, and it is not yet known whether or not his relaxing of the rules will supersede those of individual city mayors, after the Democratic mayor of Austin Steve Adler extended his lockdown.

In New Zealand, the country's prime minister Jacinda Ardern has announced that the country's lockdown measures will begin to be lifted from next week, with some businesses and schools reopening - although parents will be asked to continue teaching their children at home.