After months under strict lockdowns, Europeans have finally begun to enjoy a sense of newfound freedom in recent days drinking at cafes, visiting museums and spending time outdoors with friends and family.

The slow resumption of daily life represents a milestone in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. But it also raises concerns about a second wave of infections, scientists warn.

The fear of a second wave is there, the risk of it coming is high, epidemiologist Pier Luigi Lopalco told HuffPost Italy .

If infection rates start to tick upward again, recent images of people gathering together at bars and in parks could seem less like a sign of life returning to normal, and more like a harbinger of another deadly catastrophe.

The question of a second wave is when and how big, Andrea Ammon, director of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, told The Guardian.

I dont want to draw a doomsday picture, but I think we have to be realistic. That its not the time now to completely relax.