TOP HEADLINES

• Two Belgian resort towns have announced measures to stop day-trippers after beach fights broke out between police and youths told to leave for refusing to respect coronavirus safety measures.

• The UK reported 1,062 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, the first four-figure daily rise since late June and 304 higher than the 758 new cases reported on Saturday. The UK is imposing new local lockdowns in some areas amid worries over a second wave of infections.

• Greece reported its highest daily rise in case numbers since the start of the outbreak. A government official said the 203 new cases takes the total to 5,623.

• Paris will make masks mandatory outdoors in busy areas from Monday for those aged 11 and over, after a rise in cases. The mandatory mask zones will be regularly evaluated.

• The Republic of Ireland reported 174 new cases on Saturday, by far the highest number since May and up from 98 on Friday and an average of 58 per day for the past week. Of the 174 new cases, 118 were linked to the three counties – Kildare, Laois and Offaly – where restrictions were reintroduced on Friday.

• Czechia recorded its biggest daily rise in cases since 3 April, with the health ministry reporting outbreaks in a number of regions. The 323 new cases take the total to 18,060. A total of 389 people have died.

• Germany has added regions of Romania and Bulgaria to its high-risk areas after caseload rises there. Travelers entering Germany will face mandatory coronavirus tests and, if testing positive, a two-week quarantine. 

• UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that not reopening schools in September would be "socially intolerable, economically unsustainable and morally indefensible." A recent study suggested Britain risked a second wave this winter if schools open without an improved test-and-trace system.

• Russia reported 5,189 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, taking its tally to 887,536, the world’s fourth-largest caseload. Another 77 deaths pushed the toll to 14,931. 

• Germany's cases increased by 555 to 215,891, the Robert Koch Institute said on Sunday. The death toll rose by one to 9,196.

• The UK medicines regulator has ordered the recall of up to 741,000 coronavirus test kits from the national test and trace program as a precautionary measure. The government had already ordered the program to stop using the kits in question, from Northern Ireland-based company Randox Laboratories.

ACROSS EUROPE

Iolo ap Dafydd in London

Despite a rise in coronavirus infections, Prime Minister Boris Johnson says schools must stay open when the new term starts in September. He says it's a "moral duty" to get children back to education. Pubs and restaurants would close before schools in any future lockdown.

Opposition politicians have urged the government to improve its test and trace system or to consider closing bars before schools reopen.

As more migrants arrive in the UK by sea, some Navy ships have been asked to help deal with illegal arrivals. Boats could be used to prevent people leaving French waters. Home Secretary Priti Patel has appointed a former National Crime Agency executive to deal with an increasing number of migrant crafts landing each day: on Saturday, 151 people arrived in 15 boats, while Sunday newspapers quote the French government's request for $39 million to patrol the English Channel. 

Belgium

While some local leaders worry about how to increase footfall to save local businesses, two resort towns on the Flemish coast have announced measures to stop day-trippers – after beach fights broke out between police and youths told to leave for refusing to respect coronavirus safety measures.

The popular destinations of Knokke-Heist and Blankenberge, near the border with the Netherlands, said they have taken the step to "guarantee public security." Police arrested several people Saturday on Blankenberge beach after a brawl broke out between officers and youths they had told to leave. 

The ringleaders have been barred from the resort but mayor Daphne Dumery confirmed Blankenberge was now also closed to day trippers. Belgian coastal towns have been swamped with visitors seeking relief from a heatwave as the country also grapples with one of the most serious coronavirus outbreaks in Europe.

"We need a quiet period," said Dumery. "Anyone who comes to Blankenberge must have a good reason to be here. With this step, we are trying to restore calm."

The nearby upmarket resort of Knokke-Heist took a similar step after "dozens of incidents, during the day and the night," a city statement said, saying the council "felt obliged to take drastic measures. To ensure public security, day visitors will no longer be allowed."

There will be road checks where people will have to show proof that they either live in the town, are staying in a hotel or rented apartment, or work there, the statement said.

Paris

Parisians and holidaymakers strolling along the banks of the River Seine or browsing the French capital's open-air markets must wear a face mask from Monday after authorities imposed new measures to curb a rise in coronavirus infections.

The order, which applies to people aged 11 and over, covers busy outdoor areas, although tourist sites such as the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Elysees boulevard were not listed – yet.

Data showed the virus had begun circulating more widely in Paris and its lower-income suburbs since mid-July. The rate of positive tests in the greater Paris region now stands at 2.4 percent compared with a national average of 1.6 percent, it said.

After tough lockdown measures slowed infection rates, many European countries are now watching new clusters flare up after easing restrictions to try to limit the economic damage and alleviate public frustration.

France has made it compulsory to wear a face mask in closed public spaces such as shops and banks since 21 July, and Paris joins a growing list of cities ordering people to wear masks in busy zones outdoors. The list also includes Toulouse, Lille and Biarritz.

Those breaching the order face a fine of $159. The penalty rises to six months in prison for anyone violating it more than three times in the space of a month. The Paris order will last a month.

FROM OUR GLOBAL COLLEAGUES

CGTN Europe podcast: Notes on a pandemic: New hope for the planet

CGTN China: Chinese mainland reports 23 new COVID-19 cases

CGTN America: Tackling COVID-19 food insecurity through “gleaning”

CGTN Africa: Angola maintains closed borders to fend off COVID-19

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Check out all episodes of Notes on a Pandemic, from CGTN Europe's This Way Forward podcast series