A cyclist wearing a face mask is seen in Berlin, capital of Germany, April 6, 2020.(Photo by Binh Truong/Xinhua)
-- Coronavirus cases in Italy reach 132,547, death toll at 16,523;
-- Spain sees further drops in new cases, deaths;
-- Death tally in France now at 8,911;
-- Death toll exceeds 5,300 in UK, 51,608 cases confirmed as PM moved to intensive care after coronavirus symptoms worsen;
-- Merkel says EU faces "biggest test" since its founding amid coronavirus pandemic.
BRUSSELS, April 6 (Xinhua) -- The following are the latest developments of the COVID-19 pandemic in European countries.
Volunteer nurses arrive at Bologna Guglielmo Marconi airport in Italy, April 4, 2020.(Photo by Gianni Schicchi/Xinhua)
ROME -- The total number of coronavirus cases in Italy has increased to 132,547 on Monday, while that of deaths hit 16,523, according to fresh data released by the country's Civil Protection Department.
Speaking during a televised press conference, Civil Protection Department Chief Angelo Borrelli confirmed that there were 1,941 new active coronavirus infections compared to Sunday, bringing the nationwide total to 93,187.
Of those infected, 28,976 are hospitalized, 3,898 are in intensive care and the rest are quarantined at home, Borrelli said.
"The number of patients being moved to intensive care has dropped for the third consecutive day," he added.
Medical workers put on protective suits at a hospital in Barcelona, Spain, March 20, 2020.(Photo by Francisco Avia/Xinhua)
MADRID -- The number of new COVID-19 cases and new deaths continued to fall in Spain, according to the daily data published by the Spanish Ministry for Health on Monday.
The total number of confirmed cases recorded in the 24 hours between Sunday and Monday rose by 4,273 to 135,032 from 130,759. The growth has slowed down continuously. A total of 6,023 new infections were registered between Saturday and Sunday, fewer than the 7,026 new cases in the previous 24 hours and 7,472 between Thursday and Friday.
The number of deaths rose by 637 from 12,418 to 13,055. This is down from the 674 new deaths reported on Sunday. It means the number of new deaths in a 24-hour period has fallen for four consecutive days from a high of 950 deaths recorded on April 2.
Photo taken on April 3, 2020 shows a medical staff wearing protective suits, standing in the COVID-19 testing center at Borussia Dortmund's stadium in Dortmund, Germany.(Photo by Alexandre Simoes/Borussia Dortmund via Xinhua)
BERLIN -- The confirmed COVID-19 cases in Germany increased by 3,677 within one day to 95,391, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) announced on Monday.
The number of deaths from the novel coronavirus in Germany increased by 92 to 1,434, according to RKI, the federal government agency and research institute responsible for disease control and prevention.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said last Friday that the current lockdown measures will extend to April 19 and stressed now "is much too early" to relax the government's strict measures to combat the spread of coronavirus.
Ambulances head to the Gare d'Austerlitz train station to evacuate coronavirus patients from the Ile-de-France region to the Brittany region to free up intensive care beds in Paris, France, April 1, 2020.(Photo by Aurelien Morissard/Xinhua)
PARIS -- The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed 8,911 lives in France, Minister of Health Olivier Veran announced on Monday.
In hospital, 605 people died in the last 24 hours, a worst daily increase, bringing the total to 6,494 since the outbreak of the epidemic. Meanwhile, 29,722 people are currently hospitalized, including 7,072 patients in intensive care, said the minister.
A delivery man wearing a mask passes by a statue in Brussels, Belgium, April 6, 2020.(Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)
BRUSSELS -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Belgium has risen from 19,691 to 20,814 by Monday morning with 1,632 deaths, according to the latest figures from Belgian health authorities.
Belgium has recorded 1,123 new cases of COVID-19 contamination, including 185 new deaths in the last 24 hours, said the public health institute Sciensano, which is in charge of monitoring and analyzing COVID-19 data collected from its network of partners, on Monday.
In addition, in the last 24 hours, 420 patients of COVID-19 have been hospitalized while 235 people have left the hospital.
A girl watches British Queen Elizabeth II's address on TV in London, Britain, on April 5, 2020.(Xinhua/Han Yan)
LONDON -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been moved to intensive care after his coronavirus symptoms worsened, Sky News reported on Monday, quoting Downing Street source.
The death toll of those hospitalised in Britain who tested positive for the novel coronavirus reached 5,373 as of Sunday afternoon, a daily increase of 439, the Department of Health and Social Care said Monday.
As of Monday morning, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Britain hit 51,608, up 3,802 in the past 24 hours, said the department.
Flowers blossom at the European Quarter in Brussels, Belgium, April 6, 2020.(Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)
BERLIN -- The European Union (EU) is facing the "biggest test since its foundation" due to the coronavirus pandemic, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday.
The pandemic has produced a "symmetrical shock" and all countries are "equally affected," Merkel said at a press conference at the Chancellery. There is a common interest in making certain that Europe "emerges strongly from this test," she said.
"Germany, too, will only be successful in the long term if Europe is doing well," noted Merkel. It was her first public appearance following her home quarantine after being in contact with a doctor who had tested positive for coronavirus.
A worker conducts disinfection as a measure to curb the spread of COVID-19 in Bucharest, Romania on April 6, 2020. (Photo by Gabriel Petrescu/Xinhua)
BUCHAREST -- Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said on Monday that the state of emergency needs to be extended for another month, stressing this period is absolutely necessary for keeping the spread of the epidemic under control.
Iohannis made the statement at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace after an assessment meeting of the measures regarding the management of COVID-19 pandemic with Prime Minister Ludovic Orban and several related members of the government.
Albanian military vehicles patrol on the street in Tirana, Albania, on March 30, 2020.(Photo by Arben Celi/Xinhua)
TIRANA -- The residents of Albania's capital had to go through disinfection tunnels at the entries and exits of main markets when shopping for vegetables and fruits there starting from Monday, a stringent measure imposed by the government in the framework of preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the community.
As of Monday, Tirana has a total of 177 COVID-19 confirmed cases, according to health authorities. The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases climbed to 377 in Albania as of Monday, of which 22 were fatalities, despite the efforts of the health personnel, Mira Rakacolli, Deputy Minister of Health and Social Protection, said in a daily communication with the media.■
