TOP HEADLINES

-  Maria Ilera, Spain's tourism minister, says foreign visitors should look to book vacations in Spain from July as the 14-day quarantine restriction is due to be lifted on 1 July.

- UK prime minister Boris Johnson chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, has said he does not regret traveling 400km to his parents in breach of lockdown rules. 

- Johnson announced UK outdoor shops can reopen from 1 June and all other shops from 15 June if they are "COVID-secure."

- Czechia has lifted the rule requiring face masks to be worn in public that was first imposed in March after a state of emergency was declared.

- The Netherlands has reported 209 more confirmed cases of COVID-19, taking its cumulative total to 45,445. Fatalities also rose by eight to 5,830.

- Spain is to lift its quarantine requirement for those entering the country from 1 July, according to an official government statement. 

- Sweden's death toll has risen to 4,029 as cases also increase by 384 to 33,843.

- Germany's economy was pushed into recession in the first quarter of the year due to falling consumer spending, capital investments and exports as a result of COVID-19, the national statistics office said on Monday. 

- Elisabeth Borne, France's environment minister, has discouraged citizens from travelling overseas this summer, urging people to consider domestic holidays instead.

- Spain has further eased its lockdown restrictions on Monday. Some areas will be entering phase one of the relaxation which includes the reopening of malls, cafes and some museums. Other areas will enter the more relaxed phase two where some beaches will be allowed to reopen. 

- France's measures to prop up the economy during COVID-19 has so far cost $490 billion, or the equivalent of 20 percent of GDP, the finance minister has said. 

- Russia reports 8,946 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours as the country climbed to 350,000 cases overall. Fatalities also rose by 92 overnight, taking the overall death toll to 3,633.

- Hungary reopened its southern border with Serbia from Monday morning, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced.

- Belgium will not return to the strict measures they imposed for nearly two months to combat COVID-19, even if there is a second wave of cases, its interior minister said on Monday.  

- The Venice Film Festival in Italy will go ahead as scheduled at the beginning of September according to the governor of the region, Luca Zaia.

ACROSS EUROPE

By Andrew Wilson in the UK

The national row continues over the prime minister's chief advisor's decision to drive 400km with his wife and child to stay near his parents and other family during the lockdown.

A YouGov snap poll found that 68 percent of respondents said they thought Dominic Cummings had broken lockdown rules and 52 percent thought he should resign.

Lifting the lockdown is supposed to dominate cabinet discussions this week but backbenchers fear the Cummings row will overshadow the process and undermine the government's credibility.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he would have sacked Mr Cummings if he were prime minister. "This was a huge test of the prime minister and he has just failed that test."

Former government ministers, scientific advisors, Church ministers and a former police chief have all publicly criticised Cummings' behaviour. Cummings defended his actions on Monday evening, saying he did not regret it.

Boris Johnson, who has defended Cummings, on Sunday confirmed that primary schools in England will reopen next Monday as part of plans for the next phase of eased lockdown restrictions, even though some teaching unions remain opposed.

By Ira Spitzer in Berlin

More than 107 people have tested positive for coronavirus stemming from a church service in Frankfurt on 10 May, according to local health officials. Churches in the state of Hessen opened their doors to worshippers again at the beginning of May. The church says all social distancing rules were observed and has gone back to holding online services.

The leader of the German state of Thuringia says he wants to end all coronavirus restrictions on 6 June, sparking criticism from many other politicians. While the rules vary by state, currently people are required to observe social distancing regulations and wear masks when shopping and riding public transportation. New coronavirus cases have flattened significantly in Germany over the past month.

By Toni Waterman in Brussels

The European Union

Brussels is heading into a week of historic importance as it tries to overcome the deepest recession in living memory. The commission will pull the wraps off its highly anticipated coronavirus recovery fund on Wednesday. The scope, shape and size of the proposal will be fiercely debated and is widely seen as a test of European unity. 

But the battle lines are already being drawn with deep divisions over how to finance the fund and distribute the money. A $545 billion Franco-German plan pushes for grants, while a 'frugal four' (Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark and Austria) rival plan calls for cheap loans. 

Wednesday's unveiling is just the first step in what will be an acrimonious process, but the aim is to come to some sort of agreement before summer, which is just a few short weeks away. 

Belgium

A Belgian MP was caught partying in Ghent despite lockdown measures being in place. Far-right Flemish MP Dries Van Langenhove, 27, was among a dozen people at the gathering. Police raided the party after a neighbor complained of loud music. Van Langehove was fined 250 euros. If he doesn't pay it, he could face prosecution. 

Meanwhile, Belgium enters another phase of deconfinement on Monday. More school children will return to the classroom and prison visits will resume although each prisoner is only allowed one visitor per week. Restaurants, bars and cafes remain closed.

Greece

Greece has reopened its restaurants and cafes on Monday after nearly two months of closure to stop the spread of COVID-19 as the country slowly begins to return to normality. 

It has entered its third phase of lockdown easing as many schools and shopping malls have been allowed to reopen, albeit with strict social distancing measures still in place. 

Free travel between regions will also restart, with Aegean Air announcing it will gradually enhance its connectivity in domestic flights. 

Greece plans to reopen the country to some foreign visitors from mid-June in a bid to re-boost the country's economy. 

FROM OUR GLOBAL COLLEAGUES

CGTN China: Wang Yi briefs media on China's foreign policy and diplomatic relations

CGTN America: U.S. may ban travellers from Brazil over COVID-19 spike - White House

CGTN Africa: South Africa to ease COVID-19 restrictions further from 1 June

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