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The pandemic in the country has left more than 32.000 deaths positive in British hospitals and retirement homes, according to the latest report from health authorities on Tuesday. But the reality seems much heavier since the statistics office had already identified on May 1 more than 36.000 deaths whose Covid-19 disease was the suspected cause mentioned on the death certificate.

The economic and social consequences of the confinement prompted Prime Minister Boris Johnson to announce a strategy on Sunday to get out of it gradually, immediately criticized for the confusion of his recommendations which in effect set up a multi-speed deconfinement in the United Kingdom.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland prefer not to follow the path announced by London and always ask the population to " stay at home ".

In England, locals have resumed going to work, playing tennis or golf, or going to garden stores. They must however respect a distance of two meters from each other, failing which they risk a fine of 100 pounds (113 euros).

"I have the impression of being a school principal who sees a lot of schoolchildren arriving, everyone is so enthusiastic", Jason Pheasant, general manager of the Bigbury golf club in Devon (south-west England), which reopened on Wednesday, told AFP.

It is also now possible to move and visit housing for sale, which should help the recovery of the real estate market.

Walking and cycling encouraged

The millions of people who cannot work from home are encouraged to return to work, but to prefer cycling or walking rather than public transport.

Recommendations difficult to follow, as shown in photographs of busy subways or buses in London at rush hour on Wednesday, some of the passengers wearing masks as a precaution.

The schools remain closed and will not reopen at the earliest until the beginning of June, only for certain kindergarten and primary classes and only if there is progress in combating the spread of the virus. The government hopes to reopen some bars and restaurants in early July.

Criticized for the heavy toll of the pandemic, caught between supporters of a more frank deconfinement and those who plead for caution, Boris Johnson faced questions from the opposition during the traditional weekly questioning session in the House of the Commons. Labor leader Keir Starmer denounced his "Slowness" protect residents of retirement homes, which are particularly affected.

"It is absolutely true that the number of victims has been too high (...) but the number of cases and victims in retirement homes has now significantly decreased", assured Boris Johnson, announcing to release 600 million pounds (680 million euros) more to fight against the virus in these establishments.

Abroad, questions are becoming more and more pressing about the size of the British balance sheet. For the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the crisis “Was a lesson in humility for Boris Johnson. For days he had to explain why the UK is the most affected country in Europe ”. The New York Times pointed out that "After long procrastinating to close shops pubs and restaurants", the conservative leader faced the challenge " even more difficult " to relax containment.

The small easing of confinement that it has authorized aim to very gradually help the recovery of the economy, which is at half mast in the United Kingdom. The 2% contraction of activity in the United Kingdom in the first quarter, announced on Wednesday, constitutes its worst performance since the financial crisis of 2008 when the period concerned only covers one week of confinement.