TOP HEADLINES:
- Thousands of workers, who cannot carry out their job from home, have returned to work in Spain. Officials have been seen at all major public transport hubs across the country handing out free face masks.
- France's President, Emmanuel Macron is set to address the nation at 1900 GMT on Monday evening to discuss the country's COVID-19 response. It is expected that Macron will warn the French population that its lockdown may continue for several weeks.
- Deaths in the UK have risen by a further 717 to total 11,329. A slight reduction on the 737 fatalities recorded the previous 24 hours.
- The director of a state-run care centre in Serbia has been detained by Police and charged with an "aggravated crime against public health" and "spreading diseases" after 139 people were infected at the home.
- World Health Organization chief, Tedros Ghebreyesus, has urged countries to be cautious with lifting their lockdown measures saying "the way down is much slower than the way up."
- For the third consecutive day, the number of new COVID-19 cases in Germany have fallen – 2,537 cases were announced in the past 24 hours, down from 2,891.
- Spain recorded its smallest increase in daily deaths since it started tracking citizens. New fatalities fell to 517 on Monday, from Sunday's 619.
- Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli has live-streamed an Easter Concert in Milan's famous Duomo cathedral.
- Russia posted its highest daily number of confirmed cases, 2,558, as hospitals in Moscow continue to struggle with the influx of patients.
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has threatened Hungary with legal proceedings over its new laws to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Von Der Leyen added she was "ready to act if the restrictions go beyond what is allowed."
- Greece prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will also address his nation this evening. Greece, who went into lockdown in March, have had 98 fatalities from COVID-19 so far.
- Health authorities in Belgium have recorded another 303 COVID-19 deaths bringing the country's death toll to 3,903.
- Russia's President Vladimir Putin has said the country might need to call in the army to help take the worsening crisis. He has also claimed that the new lockdown permit website has been hit by hackers.
- UK prime minister Boris Johnson tested negative for COVID-19 upon leaving hospital on Sunday, says a Downing Street spokesperson. He is currently continuing his rehabilitation at home.
A police officer hands out masks at Atocha station in Madrid as thousands of workers return to their jobs. /AP
ACROSS EUROPE:
France
France's president will give his third prime time television address to the nation at 19:00 GMT on Monday evening.
Emmanuel Macron is expected to warn the country's residents that the current lockdown measures could be in place for "a number of weeks," but could also reveal the government's plans on how to recover from the pandemic when numbers start to drop.
Cases and deaths have plateaued over recent days, albeit at a steady rate. But officials maintain the situation is still serious, especially in the Ile-de-France region around Paris.
Earlier this week, the president visited a doctor in Marseille whose work on an anti-malaria drug has been promoted as a potential weapon to be used against COVID-19.
As of Monday morning, France's confirmed cases of COVID-19 stood at 133,672, while the death toll had risen to 14,393.
By Andrew Wilson in the UK
The UK starts its fourth week of lockdown today, with distancing measures up for review on Thursday. It is very likely the government will extend it further, particularly after the official number of people who have died from the coronavirus passed 10,000 this weekend.
Boris Johnson is now out of hospital and recuperating at the Prime Minister's country residence, Chequers. Downing Street insists there is no vacuum of leadership even though it will be some time before Johnson can actively take the reins of government again.
The repeated allegation that medical staff do not have enough protective equipment is likely to come to a head this week after a string of ministers and medical professionals have been vague about how acute the problem really is, generally blaming logistics rather than supply. At least 30 front-line medical staff in the UK have died so far from exposure to COVID-19.
By Ira Spitzer in Berlin
Germany's Robert Koch Institute reports that more than half of the people infected with the coronavirus in Germany have now recovered. According to the government's latest figures,123,016 people in Germany have had the virus since January and 64,300 have recovered.
According to a survey by YouGov, a wide majority of Germans continue to support the government's social distancing restrictions to slow the spread of the virus. It showed 78 percent say they will adhere to them in full, 18 percent only partially and 2 percent not at all. Gatherings of more than two people are currently banned, except for those from the same family or household.
Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel, will hold a video conference with the leaders of the country's 16 states on Wednesday to discuss an extension of the national restrictions beyond 19 April.
FROM OUR GLOBAL COLLEAGUES:
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CGTN Europe has been providing in-depth coverage of the novel coronavirus story as it has unfolded. Here you can read the essential information about the crisis.