Top Headlines:

- Smaller shops in some German regions are reopening for the first time since lockdown.

- Poland has started reopening parks and forests as the government looks to slowly ease lockdown restrictions.

- UK deaths rose by 449 in the past 24 hours, as the total death toll hit 16,509.

- WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned that easing restrictions is not the end of the pandemic.

- UK airline Virgin Atlantic will fold without government aid, said its founder Richard Branson in an open letter.

- The European Union's economics commissioner, Paolo Gentiloni has said aid worth around $1.6 trillion could be needed to tackle COVID-19.

- Spain's daily death toll continues to slow, with 399 confirmed fatalities in the past 24 hours, down on Sunday's figure of 410. 

- In the UK, Queen Elizabeth's husband, Prince Philip, made a rare statement on Monday, thanking people in medical and scientific professions who are tackling the pandemic.

- Russia has surpassed 47,000 confirmed cases, a rise of 4,268 on Monday, with 44 people dying in the past 24 hours.

- Nearly 60 million jobs across Europe are at risk from COVID-19, according to a report published by consulting firm McKinsey.

- Italy has posted its lowest daily death total in more than a week, 443 on Sunday. The number of new cases slowed to 3,047 from 3,491.

- A zoo in Germany is the first large leisure facility in Europe to be allowed to reopen. All visitors to the remote Zoo Safaripark Stuckenbrock, which is 27 kilometers from the city of Bielefeld, must stay in their cars at all time and ID checks are held to make sure everyone is from the same family. 

- Deaths in Europe exceeded 100,000 on Sunday, the most of any continent.

- Czechia has reopened some of its small shops for the first time since 12 March, when the country introduced one of the earliest lockdowns in Europe. 

- Denmark, Slovakia and Norway are among other countries to start to gradually ease their lockdown measures on Monday.

- More than 200 critically ill COVID-19 patients from Italy, France and the Netherlands are currently being treated in German hospitals, according to the German health ministry.

- Confirmed cases in the Netherlands rose by 1,066, bringing the overall total to 32,655.

- Russia has quarantined thousands of soldiers who took part in rehearsals for the victory day parade after they ignored social distancing regulations.

- Switzerland's death toll has reached 1,142, the country's public health ministry said on Monday, rising from 1,135 on Sunday. 

Across Europe:

By Isobel Ewing in Budapest

Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that, according to experts, COVID-19 will peak on 3 May in Hungary. He added that by that time Hungary will have 5,000 ventilators.

Despite nearby Czechia on Monday beginning a gradual rollback of lockdown restrictions, and neighboring Slovakia opening parks and easing limits on the number of people permitted to enter shops, there are no plans yet for Hungary to do the same. It is now compulsory to wear a mask on public transport in Hungary.

The government responded to a letter from the Hungarian Medical Chamber questioning its order to release 60 percent of publicly funded hospital beds, and accusing it of poor planning.

The country's health minister, Miklós Kásler, called the letter misleading and said it only leads to further uncertainty and tension in the health system.

There remain unanswered questions over the order to evict existing hospital patients to make way for coronavirus patients.

Public health policy advisor Gabriella Lantos said that even if Hungary suffered an infection rate of the magnitude seen in Italy, this number of beds would not be necessary.

By Ira Spitzer in Berlin

Shops with a surface area of less than 800 square meters began to reopen in many German states on Monday. On Friday, health minister Jens Spahn, called the situation "manageable" as the number of new cases has steadily declined.

Many other restrictions remain in place though, such as a ban on gatherings of more than two people.

According to the health ministry, more than 200 seriously ill COVID-19 patients from European countries such as France, Italy and the Netherlands are currently being treated in intensive care units in German hospitals. 

German car maker Volkswagen plans to resume production at some European plants this week. Workers will be required to follow safety procedures, such as daily temperature readings before coming to work.

By Ross Cullen in Paris 

Family visits are going to be permitted in care homes in France from Monday, but only under strict conditions. The health secretary, Olivier Veran, said he recognized the lockdown measures were especially hard for residents confined to nursing homes. Veran said that "under the responsibility of the director of the establishment and within the framework of a strict protocol, visits can resume."

Safe distancing must be enforced during such visits and physical contact will not be allowed. France's care homes have been hit hard by the pandemic, with 7,649 deaths registered in assisted-living facilities so far, out of a national total of 19,718. There have been cases of the coronavirus in 45 percent of care homes.

By Toni Waterman in Brussels

The European Union

Remember Brexit? Seems like ages ago, but UK-EU talks resume on Monday after the coronavirus delayed what was already an extremely ambitious timetable. Negotiators admit little progress has been made in the past six weeks, but they will attempt to make tangible headway ahead of a June deadline to extend talks. The UK has flat out rejected this idea, but the EU is happy to extend. 

COVID-19 could put more than a quarter of all EU jobs at risk of permanent cutbacks and unemployment could more than double in the coming months – that's the stark warning from the consultancy McKinsey. In a report published on Monday, analysts said a worst-case scenario could push unemployment to 11.2 percent, with a full recovery not expected until 2024. 

Up to 59 million jobs, mainly in the services sector, could suffer cuts in pay or hours, temporary furloughs or permanent layoffs. McKinsey urged governments to take "swift and forceful action."

Speaking of which, a major clash is in the offing at Thursday's EU leaders summit, when heads of state meet to discuss a $590 billion rescue package and debate how to fund the bloc's recovery. On Sunday, Italy's prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, renewed calls for joint debt, telling a German newspaper that so-called "corona bonds" would be a sure-fire way to avoid economic devastation. 

Finland has also reportedly raised concerns over government guarantees for the $110 billion SURE program, which is meant to support EU workers. 

Belgium

There have been several hopeful signs in Belgium's fight against the coronavirus. For the first time this month, the number of patients infected with COVID-19 in hospitals dipped below 5,000. The country is believed to have reached its coronavirus peak in early April, although lockdown measures have been extended until 3 May. 

In another positive sign, makeshift triage stations set up by general practitioners to detect infected patients will start to be disassembled on Monday. Last month 90 posts were constructed in Flanders, which has the highest number of confirmed cases in the country. Some of the smaller stations will be combined, leaving roughly 60 posts still standing. 

Meanwhile, McDonald's is set to reopen drive-through lanes on Tuesday, after putting new safety measures in place for employees. 

From our global colleagues:

CGTN China: 40,000 passengers use Wuhan airport since lockdown lifted

CGTN America: Governors spar with Trump - call for more testing 

CGTN Africa: Nigerian oil union suspends industrial action

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.

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