brent: this is dw news, live from berlin. here in germany, the country is about to take the biggest steps yet to open the economy and lift the lock down. angela merkel announcing that all restaurants and stores will soon be allowed to open but if the coronavirus makes a comeback, she said the lot down restrictions will return, too. also, bringing back the bundesliga. later this month, players will

return to the pitch, but the fans will have to watch from home. plus, donald trump's flip-flop. the u.s. president while expect plans to wind down the countries coronavirus task force, just days after signaling that the task force upon days were numbered. doctors and nurses in the colombian capital of bogota are already risking their lives to save others. now they tell dw news they are facing a new challenge, abuse and discrimination. plus, more than five years after a german pilot killed 150 people by c crashing his planene in n e alpsps, the victims families are now heading to court. they say of tonsil is to blame. -- they say lufthansa is to blame. ♪ brent: i'm brent goff.

to our viewers on pbs in the united states and all around the world, welcome. back in business, with the option to shut down again. today german chancellor angela merkel announced that germany will ease some of its coronavirus lockdown measures in the coming weeks, but she warned that the steps must be taken gradually and with caution. let's take a closer look now at some of the challenges confronting germany's state as they try to manage reopening their economies. >> this is what the new normal in germany could look like, although shops open, more people out on the streets wearing face masks. restaurants and beer gardens are to reopen as well, but there will be regional variations due to germany's federal division of powers. >> we have seen good progress as far as the number of new infections is concerned. that means we can now take further steps.

but we have to be careful to keep control. and the emergency response mechanism we have developed means i can feel quite confident. >> that means the state premieres have agreed to adjust their measures on the ground for the number of new infnfections. if they rise above a certain number, tougher restrictions must be reintroduced. >> the decisions we make today don't just concerned the question of how can we ease the restrictions, but also, how can we continue to ensure public safety. no it is difficult between finding a balance between public safety and civil liberties. >> is being left to the 16 state governments to decide for themselves how and when to reopen daycare facilits, straws, and hotels. social distancing rules are to be extended for another mth, but members of two separate

households will now be allowed to meet. large events remain bned until e end of the summer. football fans can look forward to the bundesliga season being allowed to resume in late may, with restrictions. a relief for many parents, children were gradually start getting back to schools and kindergartens. it is an almost complete return to normal and the chancellor said it is up to germans themselves to make sure there regained freedom works. brent: let's pull in our chief political correspspondent in berlin. these are significant steps that have been agreed to. what do they tell us about how the government, how state governments view the statete of the pandemic here inin germany? melinda: they tetell us that the federal governmnment says that,t most, germany has come out of the very firstst phasese of the pandemic. the words caution and careful were mentioned frequeneny other

chancellor this evening, and in the past, she has s said it woud be a crying shame if germany were to squander the good results that it had achieved in the first phase of dealing with the pandemic. what we can also see from this meeting, it is reported there were some heated exchanges during the course of the meeting, is that the heads of the federaral states, the minisr presidents are very eager to get their economies up and running once again, and for obvious reasons. the crisis here, as elsewhere, has takenen a very great economc toll. those are the two sides that are being balance here with these measures, anand what we can say for certain is that it's going to be trial and error. this will be a test, and depending on the results, we may see germany return to a stricter lockdown. brent: we know there is an emergency brake built into the

agreement that was reached today. i'm wondering, how much risk are we talking about in the strategy that the government is following right now? melinda: no question that there is a risk. there is a risk to reopening schools and kindergartens. it's still not quite clear to what degree children can spread the virus, and certainly there is potential risk there. there will once again be the possibility for people to visit their relatives in old age homes. there will be a relaxation about contact restrictions, now members of families of two different households can get together. all of those definitely heighten the possibility of f eing if the virus is transmitted from one person to another. germany had managed to greatly assist best -- suppressed the so-called reproduction rate, the rapidity with which the virus doubles. so germany is on pretty good ground at the moment. but that number could go up.

in fact, the head of the country center for disease control said that he is definitely expecting that there could be a second and even a third wave of the virus in the future. brent: we know that these decisions made today represent some of the boldest steps yet in moving toward normality again here in europe. it's because germany has fared so well compared to its european partners, when it comes to this pandemic. why has gegeany done s so well? melindnda: there are a couple of different reasons for that. first of all, germamany got a a little bit of advancee wararnin. the virus began peeking at here than it did in italy, and germany watch what was happening in italy, and then moved into action pretty quickly to put into place serious restrictions. but it was last minute, people

who were inititily infecteted, manyny of them werere young. ever coming back from ski vacations in atrtria or p possiy also in italy. those young people had a better chance of recovevering from m te virus than older p people would have. so the vitality rate, particularly in that first wave, was pretty low. thirdly, because of that advance warning that germany got, it was able to keep the health systems from being severely overburdened, meaning that people got high quality health control, doctors workforce to essentially engage in n triage between patients. all that, plus the fact that germany did very extensive testing, more e extensive than almost anywhere else come a certainly in europe and the u.s., means that the rate of deaths to overall infections look pretty low. so number of different factors working there. brent: let's hope it stays that

way. melinda, thank you. fans of germany's bundesliga soccer got the news they wanted today. games will resume on may 15. they suspended all matches in mid-march because of the pandemic. today's decision makes the bundesliga europe's first major football league to resume play. it will be a kickoff watched by the entire world of sports. >> tennis at wimbledon? canceled for the first time since world war ii. the tokyo olympics? postponed until 2021, if it even takes place. the same goes for the canceled european football championship. the list of postponed major sporting events is long. top class ports worldwide have come to a standstill. -- sports worldwide. but the german football league is now allowed to start the game. the chancellor announced it on wednesday. >> among other things, the topic

of shops which can now open without restriction, but of course with the -- as well as the first and second german football league, which will be allowed to hold games again from the second half of may onwards under the approved and tested rules. >> league had their own response. today's decisioion is good news for ththe bundesliga and thehe sesecond bundesliga. the c cbs and t their employeess now have a g great responsibiliy to implemement the medical andnd organizational guidelines in a disciplined manner. the dfl, the umbrella organization of the german football league, is breaking new ground with the resumption of play. the central component of its concept, close testing of everyone involved. there are to be 20,000 tests in

the next few weeks. the fifirst wave of testing resulted in 10 positive cases out of the more than 1700 test. there will be strict hygiene and distance rules, and of course, games without spectators. the so-called goes games are to be played in the first and second division until the end of the season. the dfl decided the restart date for german football will be may 15. brent: businesses are grappling with the economic fallout from the coronavirus lockdowns. in germany, the all important manufacturing sector is among those hardest hit. industrial orders and marks fail by more than 50%, the lowest level in threeecades, asas demand both home -- at home and abroad plunge because of the epidemic. on wednesday, the new released its economic forecast for the rest of 2020. it makes for grim reading. >> after more than two months of

lockdown, romans are slowly getting used to spinning a little money in their neighborhoods again. citizens and many other e.u. countries are taking similarly tentative steps toward normality , but the economic damage already done across the 27 country blocked by covid-19 has been severe. it is now quite clear that the e.u. has entered the deepest economic recession in its history. covid-19 abruptly changed our previous world. economic activity in the e.u. dropped by around one third, practically overnight. the disruption resulted in a series of shocks to demand, supply, and that's -- and capital flows. >> and the result of all that? the forecasts that its economy

will fall by massive 7.4% in 2020, the worst fall since that you was founded in 1958. unemployment in the eve is forecast to rise by nearly 2%, up to 9% for 2020. while the impact will be felt across the continent, some countries will be hit harder than others. italy and spain, two of the worst hit countries, are forecast to suffer contractions of around 9.5% each, more than france and germany. the you's two biggest economies. -- the e.u.'s two largest economies. they expect the economy to slowly recover in the second half of 2020, but for those gradually emerging from lockdowns, that probably still feels a long way off. brent: here are some of the other stories making headlines around the world. spain has extended the countries coronavirus state of alert for another two weeks.

it came after a day of sharp criticism from parliament from opposition parties. spain is one of the hardest hit countries here in europe. britain's health ministry has reported that the number of deaths linked to the coronavirus is now past the 30,000 mark. most 650 people died in the u.k. in the last day alone. britain has the highest number of covid-19 for talent he's in all of europe. u.s. secretary of state mike pompeo has busted china for its handling of the coronavirus outbreak. in repeated allegations that a virus escape from a lab in the city of wuhuhan, and accused beijing of initially covering up the outbreak. u.s. president donald trump has tweeted that the countries coronavirus task force will continue to operate indefinitely . this is a reversal for the u.s. president, who just yesterday said that the task force would be wound down. observers say such news would have signaled that reopening the

economy, not ending the pandemic, is the administration's top priority. meanwhile, some models are showing a spike in the number of new infections and deaths in the u.s.. new york has taken an unprecedented, some say historic, step in its battle against the virus. >> this is history in the making. it's not the actual cleaning of the new york subway that is so unusual, it's the fact that it is the first time the system will close during the night so that it can be disinfected. it's a measure of the links to which the city is going to protect its citizens. more than one third of the 17,000 deaths in the u.s. so far have occururred in the n new yok metropololitan area. fatalities there now appear to be declining, but officials say this operation is set to go on for a whwhile. >> the governonor has s said ths

will last during the pandemic. we don't have a hard in date for it, but obviously would like it to be over as soon as possible. >> but elsewhere in the u.s., a different message is starting to emerge. with the song "live and let die" playing in the background, president trump toured a factory in arizona, his first major trip out of the white house since the lockdown began. president trump: our country is now in the next stage of the battle, a very safe phase and gradual reopening. it's a reopening of our country. who would have ever thought we would be saying that? a reopening. a reopening. >> some states, such as washington, are already starting to ease restrictions on public parks and other open spaces. but there are concerns that nonw is not the time to in the lockdowns.

most models show that outside of new york, the rate of infections and deaths is still going up. the fear is that many more americans could end up paying with their lives. brent: let's take the story to the u.s.. i'm joined by our washington correspondent. let's start with the u.s. secretary of state, mike pompeo, his comments about there being no certainty, but significant evidence that the coronavirus originated in a chinese laboratory. what has been the reaction to that plane? reporter: well, there has been a lot of criticisms and skepticism as well, with many reporters asking the question during the press briefing with secretary pompeo. how can it be to have significant evidence but not be certain? and even though secretary pompeo said it doesn't have anything to do with politics, it is not a

secret that it is part of the republican strategy and president donald trump's reelection strategy to be tough on china, to blame china, to deflect attention from the administration's own shortcomings in dealing with this crisis. so there has been a lot of criticism, and we also have to add that secretary pompeo has not provided any evidence to justify, to support his claims. on the contrary, we have heard from the department of defense today that they don't know where the origin was, and president trump's own top infectious disease expert says that it is very unlikely that the virus emerged from a lab in wuhan. brent: the story continues. let's talk about germany for a moment. today germany announced new ground rules would be in place for gradual easing of its lockdown. we know that in the u.s., they love german chancellor angela

merkel the usc these german measures here with the pandemic as part of a positive role model for stopping the spread of the virus? reporter: well, i think it is fair to say that many here in the u.s. have seen angela merkel as a leader who acts with caution, whose actions are based on science and on facts, and many critics of president trump say that that is something his approach should show as well. so that is a point here that the u.s. definitely sees germany as a leader in the west in taking on this pandemic. brent: let's talk about the u.s. president, donald trump. he now says the u.s. coronavirus task force will continue indefinitely. yesterday, of course, he suggested the opposite of that.

why this u-turn? reporter: well, the reason he gave for his change of mind is very telling. i think it tells a lot about his thinking and his priorities. he said today that he had no idea how popular the task force was until yesterday when he started announcing that he is thinking about winding it down, when he said he got a lot of phone calls from people telling him that the work the task force is doing is highly appreciated, so that was the moment he says that he decided that he wants to keep it on. however, he also added today that he may add new members to the task force next monday. i think that it's focus will be shifted from combating the epidemic to reopening the country. brent: we wonder what kind of

role dr. fauci will play. we will find out. alexander, thank you. harassment, eviction, even physical attacks. that's what a growing number of health workers caring for covid-19 patients are reporting. they say that people are fearful that they can spread the coronavirus. it is a phenomenon that has been reported around the world from europe metoo asia, to north and south america. here's a look at what some hospital workers in columbia are experiencing. >> liv is a nurse in bogota. wearing her nursing uniform feels her with pride, especially in these trying times. but recently she has sufferedd - i rececently had to transfer soe money. the place i went to didn't want to let me in.

e lady y at the front desk told me she couldn'n't servee me bece i was clearly a health care worker and could be infected. i was left humiliated. and hurt with the situationon. we are not out to harm anybody. reporter: since the pandemic reach columbia, numerous doctors and nervous have reported social stigmatization. buses that won't stop for them, supermarkets won't let them do their shopping. one bogota nurse was reportedly beaten on the street and accused of spreading the virus. christian was a doctor who was evicted after residents inn his buililding demande h he leave,, fearing he would bring covid into their homes. >> the landladyy tell me that people were very scared. the tenants button to leave if i didn't. in that case, they would refuse to plalay the can - -- pay the

cancellation fee, saying it had put their lives in dangeger. so the landlady tell me that she was sorry, but i had to leave, because she had to protect the other tenants. reporter: cases like those are fortunately quite rare, but even isolated incidents put added pressure on those already carrying society's biggest burden. most times, it seems to be a common misconception that motivatetes abuse. >> people thinknk the close heah care workers where o on the righ to the hospital are the same clothing they wear a at work. but actually they get a new set once they enter the premises. but seeing the uniform is what leads to a first level of rejection. reporterer: as hurtful as this rejection might be, the good outweighs the bad. unexpected expressions of sosolidarity and gratitude are what keeps liz going.

>> i took a taxi that other day, in line with that's when i was about to get out, the driverr didn't want to take my y money. i wawas wearing my uniform. he tell me, you don't owe me anything, thanks for w what yo'e doing for our society. reporter: and to those who are still. >> please don'n't discriminate against us. please don''t ababuse us. don't attack us, becauau if we are gone, who will come out and help you when you are in need? brent: more than five years ago, 150 people died when a german wings copilot crashed his plane into the side of a mountain in the french alps. now, victims families are shooing -- are suing the flagship carrier that owned german wings at the time. families are seeking more

compensation and argue that the pilot should not have been allowed to fly a plane. >> not a days go by that he doesn't think about his daughter, her husband, and his grandson. all three died in the german wings crashed five years ago. he has been offered compensation for his losses, but he wants more. he says for him, it's not about the money. >> first and foremost, it is important to me that the court recognizes that a person like that, with pre-existing conditions, should have never been allowed to sit in a cockpit or fly a p plane. and ultimately, i want to see those responsible brought to justice. reporter: on the 24th of march, 1515, germaninings flight525 crashed ininto the frenchlps, killingll 150 pasassengers on board. aviation authorities concluded that the copilot crashed the plane deliberately, in order to

kill himself. according to the plaintiffs, people in charge knew about the copilot's pre-existing psychological conditions. >> clarifying this is almost more important than compensation itself, because people want to know how it happened. what should've been done to avoid this disaster. reporter: the court said it would for have to determine if the airline was a defendant in the case. the e case might have to be brought against the german state. brent: a reminder of the top story we are following for you. the german chancellor, angela merkel, has announced a further easing of germany's coronavirus lockdown. people from two households will now be allowed to meet, and all shops will be allowed to open, but social distancing will remain in place until at least june 5. lockdowns could be reimposed if infection spike again.

the iconic german electronic band craftwork has lost one of its founding members. he's died at the age of 73 after a short battle with cancer. he achieved -- the band achieved hits in the 19 -- they are credited with influencing genres ranging from hip-hop to techno. after a short break, i'll be back to take you through the day. first, some of the m music from kraftwerk. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption cocontent and acaccurac. visisit ncicap.orgrg]

big name french cultural icon speak out for help to sustain the arts and entertainment secector monumental replies with a raft of measures to help prevent closures and loss of jobs. ththe metal says the first phase of the curve it nineteen pandemic is over. german chancellor has announced a widespread lifting of restrictions but with a warning. she says that is a long fight ahead of us. special reports from our correspondents in afghanistan health workers that are struggling in the system already battered by decades of conflict. without the basics to even protect themselves