There is anger, especially at the high number of deaths in the country’s nursing homes, and widespread dismay at the London government’s stumbling attempts at managing the pandemic.

The opportunity to return to Mass -- with restrictions -- since May 18, and the need for ongoing vigilance to control the COVID-19 pandemic have combined in Italy to create a situation in which some people rushed back to Mass and others were convinced it was too soon to be safe.

The death of Floyd, 46, while in police custody in Minneapolis has triggered demonstrations in central London since late May.

The Oxford-based Anscombe Bioethics Centre said an "ageist bias" in the attitudes of policymakers toward the needs of care home residents and staff had led them to prioritize the care of younger and healthier patients over the elderly.

In Europe, there is a broad consensus that the elderly have suffered the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic—some have called it a “silent massacre.”

The Swedish approach to Covid-19 has been to suggest rather than mandate social distancing, reports the pastor of a small island parish in the Baltic. So far that has meant a higher death toll than in other Nordic countries.