The European country’s disease control agency on Thursday reported 294,931 new cases in the past 24 hours.

Relief and hope are creeping back in after a long, dark period of loss, fear and deep uncertainty about the future.

The city of 7.4 million people is in the grip of a spiraling omicron outbreak that has swamped hospitals and morgues and reduced hours or shut restaurants and other shops in the normally bustling financial hub.

A month ago, case numbers were about 200 a day.

The moves in New York City, Los Angeles and elsewhere come as government officials around the U.S. have been signaling that the risk of coronavirus spread is retreating – at least for now.