Books? Hairdressers? Europeans split on lockdown essentials

HALLE, Belgium (AP) — In times when a pandemic unleashes death and poverty, the concept of what is essential to keep society functioning in a lockdown is gripping Europe. Beyond the obvious — food stores and pharmacies — some answers in the patchwork of nations and cultures that make up Europe can approach the surreal. What is allowed on one side of a border can be banned just a brief stroll down the road, on the other. Italy allows hair salons, Britain doesn’t. Books are