Barcelona bars spring back to life after five-week coronavirus closure

Waiters wearing protective masks stand as a customer sits at the outdoor seating section of Zurich bar at Catalunya square, after Spain's Catalonia region allowed bars, restaurants, gyms and cinemas to reopen from Monday, gradually easing some of the restrictions put in place to tackle the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Barcelona, Spain, November 23, 2020. REUTERS/Nacho Doce

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Bustling waiters and the smell of coffee returned to Barcelona's pavements on Monday as bars and restaurants in the Spanish region of Catalonia reopened in a phased easing of coronavirus restrictions.

Suppliers rolled in carts with groceries and masked attendants spaced out tables on bar terraces and inside establishments as the first customers ordered their morning coffee with croissants.