this is d. w. news live from berlin germany gets back to business up to a point schools shops restaurants are all set to reopen as long as there is no spike in corona virus infections also coming up they do things differently in sweden restrictions are much looser that in most of europe but the government has come in for criticism as the death toll rises to a gas leak at a chemical plant in india kills at least 11 people are struggling to breathe collapsed in the street hundreds are in the hospital.

i was here kelly welcome to the program germany is gradually getting back to business but with the option to shut down again if necessary let's have a look some coronavirus restrictions will be eased over the next few weeks the 16 regional states will oversee the gradual reopening of schools and businesses and the aim is to prevent infection while allowing people to live more normal daily lives. shantanu is in you guessed you'd end and today she is finally on her way back to school in berlin after 4 weeks of learning at home through on monday since she is now cycling 2 was her teachers and classmates to see them face to face. i was when i missed not all of it excited and nervous about how

it will go but above all i'm really looking forward to it. she'll be back together with her school friends but not all of them to keep students safe germany has implemented strict hygiene rules face masks must be worn and could only be taken off inside the classroom only a small number of pupils is allowed in one room. teacher says it makes group work a lot more difficult if your. large groups create completely different dynamics completely different interaction then you get in small groups of. teachers and students are asked to use disinfectants and keep a distance but that's only possible if the total number of people in the building is limited. only a few selected subjects are being taught in from person and teachers have to

continue on my lessons despite being back at school. that can be a challenge explains headmaster did he and did come here here they come here to attend classes and then when they get home there are video conferences with the other half of the class all with other learning groups the homework arrives through the portal the teachers have to correct that as well their workload has increased significantly. chantelle is grateful that she can now go back to school at least a few days a week she even sees some advantages in the new approach. as who on francis said it felt a bit strange at for us but it's basically a good thing and it went fairly well it was quite nice to work in such a small group. on talent other german pupils these small groups are likely to remain the reality for months to come like other aspects of life school never be the same again. and let's get more on that we're joined now by political

correspondent thomas sparrow who's standing by in berlin times we sot there we heard their school is really not the same these days do we know when all of the students will be back sort of the goal is that all students should be back in some way or another before the beginning of the summer holidays when germany started a few weeks ago to think about the possibility of easing restrictions the issue of reopening schools was one of the most important but also one of the most controversial issues school were asked back then to devise a plan with which they could reopen gradually at the beginning the focus for example was on school leave us who had to present certain exams and then obviously now as as a result of the latest measures all schools should be able to reopen at the same time this is one of the most difficult issues because the schools across the country have to guarantee on the one hand that all peoples time go back on the other hand that they can do so but at the same time respecting some of the most

important issues when it comes to social distancing on hygiene so it is definitely one very controversial issue here it is also controversial because some parents politicians especially opposition politicians have been stressing that not enough focus has been put on day k. and kindergarten and that more should be done in this particular case ok so also for the younger children especially thomas tell us business is also set to reopen just how is germany you know returning to normal life how is this working. this has been described as an almost complete return to normality almost so everything does not it does not mean that everything is back to normal some restrictions are still in place for example no mass gatherings are allowed or people still have to wear face masks in public transport or in in shops but everything else seems to be more or less returning to normality so all shops for example are allowed to open

irrespective of their size we already spoke about schools states are also deciding when and how to reopen restaurants hotels and other buildings and institutions for example so these are steps that have been taken cautiously by steps by states states will also have the authority in different ways to bring back some of those restrictions if they see that some numbers are increasing that's something that has been devised by the federal and regional authorities here in germany and there's also a particularly important because there is some sort of concern also here in germany dodgy being too relaxed could lead to a spike in numbers again in the country and we had a really big warning in fact on that front we had the country's infectious disease institute essentially saying that there could be a 2nd wave before autumn so really in the near term here you talked a little bit more about you know how lockdown measures might be very introduced honest how exactly would that work so it's all about this emergency break if you

will you know the word states that see a particular number in cases or increasing cases can have them via authority to bring back some of those restrictions the goal behind all of this is making sure that the country as a whole is not again faced with a big lockdown but the regions who are particularly affected then also react accordingly to regional and local level thomas ferro in berlin our political correspondent thank you so much. well as germany and other countries around europe begin to relax their lockdowns some are looking to a country that actually bucked the trend from the very beginning we're going to head to sweden now because in sweden they introduced only the looseness of restrictions there authorities kept cafes bars restaurants and businesses open along with rules for children under the age of 16 while urging people to respect

social distancing guidelines a code related deaths there are also higher than in sweden scandinavian neighbors. about this approach we're joined now by journalist christiane stickler who is joining us from stockholm welcome to the program and thank you so much for joining us i mean we know that sweden has essentially appealed to citizens sense of responsibility the lockdown measures are based on recommendations how has that been working i think that works quite well because they believe or they trust in the swedish government and the experts here it's quite the opposite maybe if you compare it to germany maybe this is also a part of those 3 days history because the 3 round betrayed by their state and so there are actually only 2 bans by law in freedon you are not allowed to with the league care homes and you aren't allowed to gather with more than 49 people all

other things are. people's own responsibility is to follow these applies and it works quite well if you compared for example with the german discussion on the restaurants the restaurants in sweden there are open but a lot of restaurants they have no guest so they have to close down the restaurant because the people stay home and don't go out for dining. tell us christian because we hear that that sweden meantime is seeing colder deaths or rather more covert deaths than its neighbors were looking for example at norway denmark finland how does swedes feel about that. that it is really a big issue in sweden as well because as you mentioned the swedes they are looking to the specially if to the neighbor countries to denmark to norway and the death toll in sweden is more than $3000.00 people so it's a very high number let's a large number but the government the swedish government told the swedes already in

the beginning of the pen demick that there will be more than dollars and more than 5000 deaths in the country so it was it was quite expected because the streets have chosen this way to withouten lock down and actually they have a lot of problems in the elderly care homes they got in the virus there and they have a lot of death in the care homes and that is a problem which is discussed very much but as those numbers are. going down a little bit right now because the death toll a pair of days is the creasing so the criticism of the government is also decreasing day by day but it's still a big discussion here christiane stick left joining us from stockholm thank you. had least 11 people have been killed from a gas leak at a chemical plant in india i'm hundreds have actually been taken to the hospital and

villa to hospital and villages near the city of vicious now they've been evacuated we report. the leak caught residents off guard and hit the most vulnerable. some of the victims collapsed i think try to flee. others appear dizzy and unsteady. eyewitnesses said the gas came like a mist suddenly in the middle of the night where most with sleeping. emergency services transported hundreds to hospital several children among those needing treatment. all i can about 800 to 1000 people have gone to the hospital and they have been taken to get off so now the focus is not so budge on the guys leakage as the effect of the gas leakage on

the treatment of the of the people who work for have been affected. most of those admitted to hospital are now reported to be either in a stable condition or to have been discharged it's still unclear though it's a toxic fumes will have a lasting impact on their health and a few patients who are still said to be unconscious hours after arriving at the hospital. the plant where the accident happened l.g. polymers makes plastics one report suggests that the leak of a substance called styrene happened as the site was starting to reopen after india's lockdown because of the coronavirus. prime minister narendra modi said he was keeping an eye on the situation from delhi and wished all those affected a speedy recovery. it's clear many are still in shock over the incident but it seems they will have to wait the results of an investigation to find out how and why this happened. only in time this week marks 75 years since the end of

hostilities as the 2nd world war drew to a close there have been commemorations however the ones here in berlin have been cancelled due to the coronavirus crisis. all you need is a smartphone to get a glimpse of 1000000000 in may 945 and compare the scenes of destruction to what it looks like today thanks to the virtual exhibition to berlin and beyond book gate and the adjacent square. today alexanderplatz is a lively downtown shopping area back then it was an ensemble of charred ruins. the creators of the online exhibition and the effort that goes with it say nowadays it's more important than ever not to forget the horrors of the nazi era and the 2nd world war it's. we're seeing a shift to the right in germany poland and many other european countries with a resurgence of nationalism and the new radicalization it's smoldering everywhere.

the exhibition which runs until september features people who experienced the war firsthand. as the bombs fell we saw children's bodies shattered severed hands. on showing off the next generation i asked how we could let that happen and the generation that did let it happen had no sense of guilt they did not acknowledge their responsibility. should see. photos taken in berlin at the very end of the war in europe that aren't many people left who lived through the horrors of the nazi regime of the 2nd world war and can tell us about it now that makes preserving historical memory in the digital realm all the more urgent that he cut out the war showed how terrible conflict can be and that we should never wish for anything like it again but in order to fight

with him when there is still so many conflicts nowadays it's important to point out the value of peace through and it's been fleeting it was a mission i've just i think it's germany's responsibility to make sure such mistakes are never made again. and for that now you're up to date on t.w. news i'm sarah kelly and thank you so much for joining us we wish you a great day and we do hope that you see us take. this state of emergency as the normal people around the world are documenting these dramatic times. they're keeping a corona diary and welcoming us into the lives they let us get as a close and personal as the pandemic will allow. the diary starts many changes on g.w. .