Pedestrians wearing face masks are seen in Munich, Germany, April 27, 2020. (Photo by Kevin Voigt/Xinhua)
The following are the latest developments of the COVID-19 pandemic in European countries.
ROME -- Italy on Thursday recorded the highest daily number of coronavirus recoveries since the emergency started in late February, the country's Civil Protection Department said.
The country registered on Thursday 4,693 new recoveries, the highest daily figure since the emergency began, bringing the nationwide total 75,945, according to the latest data released by the Civil Protection Department.
The death toll on Thursday was 285, bringing the total to 27,967 in the country. The new infections on the day were 1,872, bringing the total number of cases, combining infections, fatalities and recoveries, in Italy to 205,463.
MADRID -- The Spanish government will set time slots for outdoor activities, in line with social-distancing regulations, to prevent further contagion from COVID-19, Transport Minister Jose Luis Alabos said on Thursday.
Speaking on radio station Cadena Ser, Alabos said the government was working on "a set of measures that will see certain hours agreed with regional and local governments" for people to be allowed outside.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said last week that adults would be allowed to take "individual exercise" outdoors from May 2. However, when children were allowed out for an hour with a parent on Sunday, there were numerous examples of people failing to follow social distancing rules.
LONDON -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Thursday that the country is "past the peak" of the COVID-19 outbreak as another 674 patients have died, bringing the total coronavirus-related death toll in Britain to 26,711.
"We are past the peak of this disease" and are "on the downward slope", Johnson told reporters during his first Downing Street daily press briefing since his recovery from COVID-19.
Johnson said he will publish a "comprehensive" plan next week, which will cover three things: how Britain can restart the economy; how can the country get children back to school and get people into work.
BERLIN -- Germany has registered 1,478 new confirmed COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, raising its total cases to 159,119, said the federal government's agency for disease control and prevention on Thursday.
The trend that the daily new cases between 1,000 and 1,500 continued, lower than last week. "This is a pleasant development," said RKI President Lothar Wieler.
At the height of the pandemic in Germany, more than 6,000 new infections were recorded in a single day by the RKI.
LISBON -- Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa announced on Thursday that Portugal will enter a 'state of calamity' as of May 3 after the 'state of emergency' ends on May 2.
"The Council of Ministers today approved the transition from the 'State of Emergency' to the 'State of Calamity'," Costa told reporters after the Council of Ministers.
The 'state of emergency,' which was first declared on March 18 and renewed twice on April 2 and 16, will end at 23:59 local time on May 2.
ATHENS -- Greece announced on Thursday that COVID-19 infections totaled 2,591, with 140 deaths, since the start of the outbreak in the country on Feb. 26.
Since Wednesday, 15 new cases were diagnosed and one patient died, officials told a regular press briefing at the Greek Health Ministry.
Currently, 38 people were being treated in intensive care units with an average age of 67 years old, while 74 have been discharged from ICUs.
