Virus worries haunt workers demanding rights on May Day

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Millions of workers worldwide marked international labor day on Friday trapped between hunger and fear — struggling without jobs or worried they don’t have enough protections against the coronavirus as more countries and states reopen for business.

Beijing’s Forbidden City, the imperial palace turned museum that is one of China’s biggest tourist attractions, started welcoming visitors again, and Bangladesh began reopening factories, as world leaders try to salvage their battered economies without causing a resurgence of the virus that has killed over 230,000 worldwide.

With traditional May Day labor marches curtailed by strict limits on public gatherings, Turkish protesters attempted to stage an unauthorized demonstration. California activists planned strikes, and Parisians sang from balconies to plead their causes: workplace masks, health insurance and more government aid for the jobless.