Austria’s bars and restaurants reopen with new social distancing rules
Amazon France reaches deal with unions to reopen warehouses
Amazon will gradually reopen its six French warehouses from May 19, the retail giant announced on Friday.
The warehouses have been closed since April 16 after courts ordered the retailer to investigate COVID-19 risks for employees.
Portugal eases restrictions further
Prime Minister Antonio Costa told reporters on Friday evening that lifting the first lockdown restrictions two weeks ago "did not change the trend of controlling the evolution of the pandemic".
"Therefore, there is no reason to postpone or reverse any measure planned to come into force on from 18 May," he added.
From Monday, stores of up to 400 square meters, as well as cafés, restaurants anbd pastry shops will be able to reopen provided they comply with social distancing measures and capacity is limited at 50%.
Museums, monuments and palaces will also resume their activities although they will be restricted in the number of visitors.
Finally, beaches will become accessible again with people encouraged to use an app that will let them know the level of occupation of each beach in order to respect social distancing rules.
Madrid, Barcelona excluded from easing of restrictions
Most Spaniards will from Monday be able to meet up with family and friends and sit at the terraces of cafés and bars but residents of Madrid, the capital, and Barcelona will have to wait another week.
The two cities have been the hardest-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
Slovenia declares end to Coronavirus outbreak
Single during lockdown? Get yourself a 'sex buddy', say Dutch authorities
Credit: Pxhere
The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) has issued guidelines on coronavirus and sexuality as citizens remain advised to adhere to social distancing measures to contain the spread of the pandemic.
The new guidance states that although people must stay 1.5 metres away from each other at all times, "sex with your regular partner is possible".
For single people who do not have a regular partner but who "want to have physical contact", the RIVM advises that they "meet with the same person to have physical or sexual contact (for example, a cuddle buddy or 'sex buddy".
More than 27,500 people have died in hospitals and care homes across the country since the beginning of the pandemic.
Authorities also flagged that 144 reports of atypical pediatric systemic diseases had been recorded since March 1 and that a 9-year-old child had died.
"We've also observed in France and in other countries, cases of a Kawasaki-like syndrome which affects older children, between the ages of 5 and 20," it added.
Ireland to start easing restrictions from Monday
Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on Friday that "it is safe to proceed with Phase 1 of our plan to ease the COVID-19 restrictions on Monday."
"Today's announcement gives us reason to hope, but it is not a cause for celebration. We have a long way to go yet. there will be bumps in the road and we have to keep our guards up," he added.
Construction workers and gardeners can return to work while farmers' markets, garden centres, outdoor public amenities and tourism sites can reopen their doors provided social distancing rules are
respected.
New York to reopen beaches by next weekend
After two months of strict limits on business and social distancing, New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo welcomed the first loosening of restrictions in many parts of the state on Friday and announced that beaches would be allowed to open in time for the Memorial Day weekend, on 23 - 25 May.
State and municipal beaches throughout the state will be allowed to open the Friday before the holiday, but with limits, Cuomo said.
Capacity will be limited to no more than 50% of normal, with parking limited to trim crowds.
Group activities will not be allowed. Picnic areas and playgrounds will stay closed. Employees need to wear masks.
Virus 'should have been stopped in China': Trump
US president Donald Trump on Friday blamed China for the coronavirus pandemic, saying: "This came from China, it should have been stopped in China before it got out in the world."
US providing 'unprecedented support' to develop vaccine: Trump
The US leader said the country's "Operation Warp Speed" to develop a vaccine has delivered "unprecedented support and resources to expedite the trials" of potential vaccines.
He added that the country is "getting ready so that when we get the good word that we have a vaccine (...) we're ready to go".
COVID-19 vaccine 'by the end of the year': Trump
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that "we're looking to get it (a vaccine) by the end of the year if we can".
UK Health minister says he will 'fight' for a 'fair reward' for nurses
Nursing is a "skilled profession" that "deserves decent pay", UK Health minister Matt Hancock said on Friday during the country's daily coronavirus briefing.
He added that he would "fight" to offer nurses a "fair reward".
Italy's death toll increases by 242
A further 242 people died from COVID-19 in Italy over the previous 24 hours, authorities have announced, bringing the total death toll to 31,610.
The country has also registered 789 new confirmed cases. The total number of infections recorded in the country has thus risen to 223,885.
'Increased activity' in Africa: WHO
Dr Michael Ryan said that although COVID-19 numbers remain low at the moment, "what's concerning is the trajectory".
He noted that "we are seeing increased activity over the last week" with several countries reporting rises in confirmed cases of over 100%. These include Gabon, Zambia, Chad, and Benin.
UK 'past the peak' of the virus: UK Health minister
The UK reported a total coronavirus death toll of 33,998 on Friday, with an increase of 384 deaths in the last 24 hours.
11,560 have died in care homes in April with coronavirus, Health minister Matt Hancock said.
"The number of deaths is falling each day," Hancock said. "Since yesterday, we are past the peak of this virus."
Hancock said people will now be able to meet one other person outside as long as both stay 2 meters apart from each other.
The UK now has capacity for 100,000 tests a day, Hancock said. Between now and early June, all staff in hospitals and care homes will be tested.
'Very worrying' situation in Yemen: WHO
Dr Michael Ryan from the WHO said that there's a "very worrying situation emerging" in Yemen "in terms of the number of cases".
He said the WHO has sent in equipment and repurposed facilities and teams on the ground to help tackle the pandemic, stressing that it is "difficult, stressful, and dangerous work" because of the conflict.
"We need health for peace and we need peace for health," he said.
Brazil health minister resigns after one month in the job
Nelson Teich, an oncologist and former health consultant, was named minister on April 17 but resigned on Friday.
President Jair Bolsonato fired Teich's predecessor, Luiz Henrique Mandetta, after disagreements over efforts to contain COVID-19.
WHO to release scientific briefing on multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that WHO has developed a "preliminary case definition" of the Kawaski-like multi-system inflammatory syndrome that has affected children in Europe and North America.
"I called on all clinicians worldwide to work with their national authorities and WHO to be on the alert and better understand this syndrome in children," he added.
Access to COVID-19 vaccine and medicine must be 'equitable': WHO
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organisation (WHO), opened today's press briefing by saying that vaccines and treatments researchers are currently working on "will not end the pandemic if we cannot ensure equitable access to them".
He said that "traditional market models" will not work and that any advancement must "benefit everyone everywhere at the same time".
Parisian Mayor Anne Hidalgo has announced that returning to a city dominated by cars post- pandemic is “out of the question”. A special session was organised by the Paris City Council to look at ways to guide citizens out of lockdown, where Hidalgo emphasised her stance on reducing pollution in the capital.
The move by France comes as heavy congestion has all but disappeared in many cities throughout COVID-19, leading to a sharp reduction in air pollution. But, with many European countries looking to ease restrictions, problems with overcrowding have seen some governments call for people to avoid public transport altogether, and there are fears this could lead to a surge in car usage.
It is the first time since March 13 that the country reports no new fatality. The death toll remained unchanged on Friday at 537.
Health ministry Magnus Heunicke described it as "a milestone" on Twitter.
Confirmed cases, however, rose by 78 to 10,791.
Ryanair cuts more than 250 office jobs due to pandemic
The Irish low-cost airline confirmed on Friday that it has reduced its office headcount in Dublin, Stansted, Madrid, and Wroclaw by over 250.
The cuts were operated "through a combination of probation/fixed term contract ends, resignations and redundancies," the company said in a statement.
It added that it operated less than 1% of its normal flight schedules in April, May and June and that it expects to operate only 40% of its flights in July.
The airline is also meeting with pilot and cabin crews union "to finalise up to 3,000 job cuts and 20% pay cuts".
"Ryanair is facing intense price competition across Europe as we are forced to compete with flag carrier airlines who have received over €30 billion in unlawful State Aid subsidies from the governments and who will be able to engage in below low cost selling for many years," it argued.
It also warned that "further announcements on Ryanair crew job losses and pay cuts are expected before the end of May".
New Russian cases back over 10,000 a day
Russia recorded 10,598 new COVID-19 cases over the previous 24 hours.
The country registered more than 10,000 confirmed cases on 11 consecutive days -- a streak that was only broken on Thursday.
2,418 people are now known to have died from the virus in Russia after a one-day increase of 113.
Art depicting Romania's health workers as Christian saints slammed as 'blasphemous'
Controversial posters depicting health workers as saints have been appearing across Bucharest and are part of a campaign to thank Romania's medical staff.
But a spokesman for the Romanian Orthodox Church told Euronews that there are "an abuse of Christian iconography, a pathetic artistic attempt".
"It is not only blasphemous but also an offence to the honourable profession of doctors, who do not think of themselves as saints, or improvised saviours and do not claim a public cult," he added
Just over 14,000 fines issued in England and Wales
The National Police Chief's Council (NPCC) revealed on Friday that police in England and Wales had issued 13,445 and 799 fines respectively between March 27 and May 11.
“The figures show our approach is proportionate with just 0.02 per cent of the population in England and Wales being issued with a fine," NPCC chair Matt Hewitt said.
Results from two separate studies say anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine ineffective against COVID-19
Two separate studies published in the British Medical Journal said hydroxychloroquine was not effective as a treatment for COVID-19.
A French study of 181 patients with COVID-19 in care centres concluded that the drug did not reduce the risk that a patient would be admitted to intensive care or eventually die of the disease.
A Chinese study of 150 patients hospitalised with COVID-19 showed the drug did not help patients with a mild or moderate form of the disease to get better faster.
In the Chinese study, patients who received hydroxychloroquine had more adverse effects.
Hydroxychloroquine is a drug that received early media attention as a potential treatment against COVID-19 but early studies were often very small without control groups.
Majority of UK cases brought under Coronavirus Act in April were withdrawn: CPS
Britain's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) on Friday released its review of more than 200 cases brought forward in April under coronavirus laws.
Of the 44 cases brought under the Coronavirus Act, 31 were withdrawn and 13 were returned to court to be re-listed or withdrawn.
"The main criminal offence under the Coronavirus Act relates to potentially infectious persons who refuse to co-operate with the police or public health officers, when they are required to be screened for COVID-19," CPS said.
"No case of a potentially infectious person refusing to comply with a lawful instruction has yet been prosecuted," it added.
However, it noted that the majority -- 175 out of 187 -- of cases brought under Health Protection Regulations were charged correctly.
"Errors usually involved Welsh regulations being applied in England or vice versa," CPS said.
Examples of cases found to have been correctly charged under the Regulations include:
Travelling from Leicester to London for a party;
Groups of young people in a park, drinking together, displaying anti-social behaviour, and returning once moved on;
Refusing to stay at home despite being advised by the police on several occasions and subsequently being found wandering around the town centre;
Friends driving around town for fun.
MEPs estimate €2 trillion is needed to recover from COVID-19 fallout
In a resolution adopted on Friday by the European Parliament with 505 votes in favour, 119 against and 69 abstentions, MEPs demanded "a robust package, focused on citizens’ needs and building on the EU budget."
They said the €2 trillion recovery plan must be provided on top of the EU’s next long-term budget, called the Multiannual Financial Framework, and "not to the detriment of existing and upcoming EU programmes".
Instead, the recovery plan should be financed "through the issuance of long-dated recovery bonds" and be "disbursed through loans and, mostly, through grants, direct payments for investment and equity."
Video diary: how a professional triathlete keeps fit in lockdown
Professional sport has virtually shut down around the world, with many athletes facing the prospect of months without being able to compete. But a bigger problem facing elite sportspeople has been how to maintain their fitness during this period.
Zoe Bello, a triathlete in Spain, has shared with Euronews a video diary of her daily life as a professional athlete during the COVID-19 lockdown. You can watch it by clicking play on the video player above.
German death toll now at 7,723
The Robert Koch Institute announced this morning that 89 people had lost their lives to COVID-19 over the previous 24 hours, bringing the death toll in the country to 7,723.
The number of confirmed cases has meanwhile risen by 933 to 172,239.
"People aged 70 years or older account for 87% of deaths but only 19% of all cases," it indicated.
Restaurants reopen in Germany and Austria as lockdown measures relaxed
Some restaurants in Germany and Austria reopened with social distancing measures in place as some European countries further relax lockdown measures due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Germany has seen more than 170,000 COVID-19 infections and nearly 8,000 deaths. Austria has recorded 16,108 and more than 600 deaths.
In the photo below, a family eats in Berlin near the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.
AP Photo/Michael Sohn
German economy goes into recession, with GDP down 2.2% in first quarter
This represents "the largest decrease since the global financial and economic crisis of 2008/2009 and the second largest decrease since German unification," the statistics office said.
In the first quarter of 2009, the Germany economy shrank by 4.7%.
Germany began to restrict movement in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The German economy had a 0.1% contraction in the fourth quarter of last year. Two consecutive quarters of contraction is the technical definition of a recession.
Spain records 138 coronavirus deaths in 24 hours
Spain recorded 138 coronavirus deaths in 24 hours.
There were 549 new cases recorded in a day bringing the total number of people who have tested positive for the virus to 230,183.
A total of 27,459 people have died in Spain since the beginning of the epidemic.
More than 1,400 people recovered from the virus in 24 hours.
Nine-year-old in France displaying Kawasaki Disease-like symptoms with coronavirus antibodies dies
A 9-year-old child in France who had symptoms similar to Kawasaki Disease has died.
Symptoms can include red lips, red eyes, swelling, and fever. Kawasaki Disease can cause blood vessels to become inflamed and swollen and lead to complications such as the swelling of the arteries.
The child, who died of "neurological damage related to cardiac arrest", had antibodies "showing that he had been in contact" with the coronavirus, but had not developed COVID-19, Professor Fabrice Michel, head of the paediatric intensive care unit at a hospital in Marseille, told AFP.
It was the first such death reported in France though more than 100 cases with symptoms resembling Kawasaki Disease have been reported.
EU Council agrees on €100 billion to help unemployed workers keep jobs
The EU Council reached an agreement on a scheme to help unemployed workers amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The scheme will provide €100 billion worth of loans to member states to help workers, particularly those in the hardest-hit economies.
The SURE scheme or "Support to mitigate Unemployment Risks in an Emergency" is part of three safety nets worth €540 billion for jobs, workers, businesses, and member states, the EU Council said.
"The COVID-19 pandemic constitutes an exceptional challenge for Europe, as it puts many lives and livelihoods at risk. Beyond the public health implications, the outbreak has also caused massive economic and social disruption with many companies having to rely on public support to preserve employment," said Zdravko Maric, Croatia's finance minister.
The scheme is expected to be adopted May 19 by written procedure.
Slovenia becomes first European country to proclaim end to virus epidemic
Slovenia's government has said the COVID-19 outbreak is under control.
The country recorded its first coronavirus case in March.
There have been more than 1,400 confirmed cases of the virus and 103 deaths in Slovenia.
The decree repealing the declaration of an epidemic will come into effect at the end of the month.
Parisians struggle with continuing measures after partial end of lockdown
France's capital is still in a "red zone" where the coronavirus is "actively circulating". This means the city is subject to more restrictions than other areas of the country.
Despite lockdown measures being lifted in France on May 11, for instance, parks and gardens are still closed in Paris, something Mayor Anne Hidalgo has challenged the government on.
"Mental health is important as well. With open markets and shops, but we can't open what is important to everyone which is nature especially after these two months that were extremely difficult," said Penelope Komites, the deputy mayor of Paris.
Watch the full report here:
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are reopening their borders with each other
The Baltic states have recorded some of the lowest levels of COVID-19 in Europe with fewer than 2,000 cases in each country.
"I think we are all concerned but we have to try because we have to manage to live in this new world and we have to see how it goes," said Uga Dumpis, the chief infectious disease specialist at the Latvian healthcare ministry.
Watch the full report below:
Transport for London secures £1.6 billion bailout from UK government
Transport for London received a £1.6 billion (€1.8 billion) bailout from the UK government to manage the financial impact of the coronavirus crisis, the Department for Transportation said.
The bailout came after fares and other revenue fell by 90% due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said this was not the deal he wanted.
"The Government is, in effect, making ordinary Londoners pay the cost for doing the right thing on Covid-19," Khan said in a statement explaining that fares would go up next January.
France: number of deaths due to road accidents decreases by 55.8% in April
The number of people killed in road accidents fell by 55.8% in April while France was in lockdown due to the pandemic, France's Road Safety directorate said.
Around 103 people died on the roads which is 130 fewer than in April 2019.
"While road travel was considerably reduced during lockdown, law enforcement and speed cameras reported a large number of large speeding incidents, with an increase of more than 16% compared to the same period in 2019," the government said, according to AFP.
Developing a vaccine in a year is 'optimistic', says WHO Europe director
Dr Hans Kluge said in a radio interview that obtaining a vaccine for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 in a year is an "optimistic" timeline.
"A year and a half is more realistic," the World Health Organisation's Europe director told Europe 1 radio.
Kluge said medical professionals in contact with the virus should be vaccinated first and that the World Health Organisation has launched a global initiative.
China goes one month without new coronavirus deaths
China reported just four new coronavirus cases on Friday after reporting no new deaths in a month.
There are 91 people currently in treatment for the virus and around 600 in isolation.
China has reported more than 82,000 cases and 4,633 deaths due to the virus since it was first detected in Wuhan last year.
Wuhan is set to test all 11 million residents for the virus, meanwhile, after a few cases were recorded for the first time in a month last weekend.
US could face "darkest winter in modern history”
The US could face “the darkest winter in modern history” unless leaders act to prevent the resurgence of COVID-19, a whistleblower told the US Senate on Thursday.
Dr Rick Bright, a vaccine expert who led a biodefense agency in the Department of Health and Human Service, alleges he was removed from his position after sounding warnings about the virus outbreak.
US President Donald Trump has called him "disgruntled".
Dr Bright said the US lacked a vaccine plan.
The US has more coronavirus cases than any other country in the world with nearly 1.5 million cases and more than 86,000 deaths.
Coronavirus cases in Brazil top 200,000
There are now more than 200,000 cases of coronavirus in Brazil and nearly 14,000 deaths, according to Brazil's health ministry.
Brazil is Latin America's hardest hit country and is now the sixth most impacted country by the coronavirus pandemic.
The country reported 13,944 new cases and 844 deaths in 24 hours.
President Jair Bolsonaro has encouraged the lifting of lockdown measures by governors in his country, and continued to do so on Thursday.
"We have to have the courage to face the virus. People are dying, they are! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. But more will die, if the economy continues to be destroyed by those measures" he said, according to AP.
Some restrictions lifted in populous Australian state
Some restrictions on gatherings were lifted in the populous Australian state of New South Wales.
Cafes and restaurants were able to open in Sydney as long as they followed strict social distancing rules.
There have been just over 7,000 cases in Australia and around 98 deaths due to coronavirus. AP Photo/Rick Rycroft
Good morning Europe. This is Lauren Chadwick and here is the latest coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.
${title}
