EU unveils virus exit plan, hoping to avoid more chaos

The European Union moved Wednesday to head off a chaotic and potentially disastrous easing of restrictions that are limiting the spread of the coronavirus, warning its 27 nations to move very cautiously as they return to normal life and base their actions on scientific advice.

With Austria, the Czech Republic and Denmark already lifting some lockdown measures, the EU's executive arm, the European Commission, rushed out its roadmap for members of the world's biggest trade bloc to coordinate an exit from the lockdowns, which they expect should take at least a few months and involve large-scale testing.

Some 80,000 people have now died in Europe from the disease - about two-thirds of the global toll - according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. The commission said those scientists should be relied upon to guide national exit strategies in the...