Expert warns many countries are driving blind as they reopen

NEW YORK (AP) — India's trains will start rolling again and millions in the Philippines will be able to leave their homes, even as an expert warns that many countries are driving blind as they reopen because they haven't set up strong systems to track new outbreaks of the coronavirus.

In the United States, some of the leading experts on infectious diseases are due to speak via video link Tuesday at a Senate hearing — a setting where President Donald Trump will not be controlling the agenda. Democratic senators are expected to ask tough questions about the death toll in the U.S., its testing capabilities and perceived administration failures.

In India, a strict lockdown has so far helped keep confirmed virus infections relatively low among the population of 1.3 billion. Rail, road and air services were all suspended in late March. But in recent days, as the lockdown has eased and some businesses have resumed, infections and deaths have been increasing.

As the colossal rail network begins reopening, special trains will depart from select big cities, including New Delhi and Mumbai, and run at full capacity. Passengers will be allowed to enter stations only if they are asymptomatic and clear thermal screening.

In the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte said the country's lockdown, which has restricted millions to their homes and taken a heavy economic toll, will be eased. He warned that people who want to return to work must follow safeguards to avoid more deaths and a second wave of the virus.

Yet questions remain about how prepared many countries are to end lockdowns. The World Health Organization’s emergencies chief, Dr. Michael Ryan, said robust contact tracing measures adopted by Germany and South Korea provide hope that those countries can detect and stop...