E is the only viable answer here. AR15J's explanation above is all correct.
I'd add that the use of the present perfect ("have been") in A and the past perfect ("had been") in A and D is wrong, as well. The simple past ("were") is what we want. The present perfect is used to describe events that are still current, and while the regulations may still be relaxed, it's not appropriate to use this form to describe a cause that precedes the action of the sentence. The
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I'd add that the use of the present perfect ("have been") in A and the past perfect ("had been") in A and D is wrong, as well. The simple past ("were") is what we want. The present perfect is used to describe events that are still current, and while the regulations may still be relaxed, it's not appropriate to use this form to describe a cause that precedes the action of the sentence. The
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