California's governor has announced that the six-week lockdown of America’s most populous state will be relaxed within days as the daily coronavirus death toll across the United States fell to its lowest level in a month.
Shops selling books, clothing, sports goods and flowers will be able to reopen from Friday if they act to ensure safety, Gavin Newsom declared.
“This is an optimistic day, as we see a little bit of a ray of sunshine,” he said. “We are entering into the next phase this week.
"This is a very positive sign and it has only happened for one reason: the data says it can happen,” he added.
Mr Newsom did, however, acknowledge he felt “pressure” to reopen the state, which has a population of 40 million, following protests last week in Sacramento, San Francisco and San Diego.
Meanwhile, two cities in Orange County — Laguna Beach and San Clemente — have been given permission to reopen their coastlines after launching a legal battle against the governor.
The announcement of the latest significant lockdown relaxation in the US came as officials recorded 1,015 new Covid-19 deaths over a 24-hour period, the lowest daily number in a month.
Overall, more than 69,000 people in the US have died with the virus, with in excess of 1,180,000 confirmed cases.
Hopes that the world’s worst-hit country may be turning a corner were, however, dealt a blow by research from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.
It revealed that its coronavirus mortality model was now predicting nearly 135,000 Americans will die from Covid-19 by early August, almost double previous projections, as social-distancing measures are relaxed.
The forecast reflects “rising mobility in most states” with an easing of restrictions expected in 31 by May 11. President Trump has said up to 100,000 people would die.
