German Giants return to football as virus marches on

BERLIN: German football champions Bayern Munich kicked off their first match in more than two months on Sunday as coronavirus restrictions ease in parts of Europe, but the devastating pandemic remains on the march elsewhere.

With a worldwide coronavirus death toll of nearly 312,000 and the global economy reeling from the damage caused by lockdowns, the reopenings in some of the hardest-hit countries such as Italy provided much-needed relief. But the number of COVID-19 fatalities soared past 15,000 in Brazil with 230,000 infections, making it the country with the fourth-highest number of cases. The virus -- and the response to it -- is progressing at different speeds across world. While hard-hit Spain marked a milestone drop in its daily death rate on Sunday, India reported its biggest single-day jump in infections, prompting an extension of a nationwide lockdown until the end of the month.

In Germany, where authorities have started to gradually ease restrictions, reigning Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich took on Union Berlin in the capital on Sunday evening, a day after the league resumed games in empty stadiums.Already attracting a record TV audience, the restart is under intense scrutiny as a test case, with top sports competitions trying to find ways to resume play without increasing the risk of spreading the virus, which has infected 4.6 million people globally. However after several players celebrated goals by hugging -- two even kissing on the cheek -- Bavarian state minister Markus Soeder called on the Bundesliga to “tighten up” its hygiene protocol.