The U.K. eased more lockdown restrictions Monday despite warnings from some health officials of another spike in coronavirus infections, especially if Britons persisted in flouting the new guidelines.

Most of the changes were in England, where a number of schools reopened to some — but not all — younger children for the first time since they closed in mid-March.

The easing of the lockdown, particularly in England, has raised concerns that it is taking place too soon for economic rather than health reasons, given a still-high level of coronavirus infections and a lack of evidence showing that the recently rolled out track and trace system is working properly.

Even in Scotland, there are worries over another spike in infections. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon warned that her government may reverse course if people contravened the rules as they did over another sunny weekend.

She said police in Scotland dispersed 797 groups on Saturday alone for not abiding by the guidelines, five times higher than the previous Saturday. She also said road use on Sunday was up 70% on the week before.

Sturgeon said the rules will be tightened “if there is continued evidence of even a minority not abiding by these guidelines and travelling unnecessarily, if people meet up in larger groups or if they’re making journeys which risk spreading this virus."

Over the weekend, as the U.K. basked in warm sunshine, beaches and parks were packed, with many people clearly not observing social distancing guidelines to stay 2 meters (6 1/2 feet) apart.

The four nations that make up the U.K. — England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — are moving at different speeds out of the lockdown that began March 23.

England has gone furthest. As well as reopening primary schools, groups of six people are now able to meet up outdoors, including in gardens, provided social distancing guidelines are observed. Those people considered vulnerable, who have been asked to remain indoors and stay away from other people since March, are now also able to go for a walk.

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Greece lifted lockdown restrictions Monday for hotels, open-air cinemas, golf courses and public swimming pools as the country ramped up preparations for the crucial summer tourism season to start in two weeks. Primary school children also returned to class.

Strict public safety measures have kept Greece’s COVID-19 infection rate low. The country has seen only 179 virus-related deaths, according to Health Ministry data.

International flights with screening procedures will return to Athens and Greece’s second-largest city of Thessaloniki starting on June 15 and will be expanded to the rest of the country on July 1.

Screening for arriving passengers will be based on an assessment by a European Union flight safety authority, with arrivals from low-infection countries being subjected only to random testing.

“Greece is continuously monitoring epidemiological data, in collaboration with experts and European and international organizations,” government spokesman Stelios Petsas said. “We will receive visitors from countries that are improving in their infection curve and remain vigilant in the event of any deterioration.”

Year-round hotels were allowed to reopen Monday but many chose to remain closed until closer to the start of the tourism season, citing low bookings.

Panos Betis, who runs a travel business and three hotels in Athens, decided to reopen Monday, arguing that it would be easier to gradually increase capacity.

"Today, we opened two rooms and tomorrow three. It’s like building an anthill,” Betis told The Associated Press as employees wearing face masks tidied a rooftop restaurant and cleaned a window facing the ancient Acropolis.

“We can’t compare the season to last year. We were at 95% capacity. Our aim now is to hang in there till 2021,” he said.

Other businesses in Greece were allowed to restart Monday, including campsites, wedding reception services, tattoo parlors and dating agencies.

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Spain on Monday reported no official deaths from the new coronavirus in a 24-hour period for the first time since March.

The development is “very, very encouraging,” emergency health response chief Fernando Simón said.

Also, Spain recorded only 71 new COVID-19 infections over the past 24 hours, he told a news conference.

“We are in a very good place in the evolution of the pandemic,” Simón said. “The statistics are following a trend. They are going in the right direction.”

Spain reported its first two deaths on March 3. Another was reported two days later. Spain’s number of infections and death jumped exponentially. On April 2, it recorded 950 deaths in 24 hours — the peak death toll.

The official death toll now stands at 27,127, with 240,000 confirmed cases.

Spain was the second European country after Italy to be forcefully hit by the pandemic before it also spread death in France and Britain. One of the world’s strictest lockdowns was put into place in mid-March and managed to eventually reduce the pressure on hospitals after some were overwhelmed with patients suffering from the virus.

The lockdown is gradually being relaxed as the medical situation improves.

The Spanish government has warned, however, that the threat is not over and that the loosening of restrictions could be reversed.