TOP HEADLINES

- Thousands of Albanians are forming long queues at the border with Greece to enter the country to return to work, mainly in the agricultural sector, after summer holidays at home. Athens' new rule means that daily arrivals from Albania will be capped at 750 from 16 August. 

- People coming to the UK from France and the Netherlands must quarantine for 14 days from Saturday. Travelers are rushing to get back to the UK before the measure comes into force at 03:00 GMT. The UK quarantine measures also apply to people traveling from Monaco, Malta, Turks and Caicos and Aruba. France says the UK decision will lead to "reciprocal measures." 

- The European Commission has reached a deal with British pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca to purchase at least 300 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine. 

- Paris and the region of Bouches-du-Rhône around Marseille have been classified as high-risk COVID-19 zones. On Thursday, health officials in France announced 2,699 new cases and a rise in hospital admissions, particularly among people aged under 40. 

- Spain has recorded its biggest increase in daily infections since late April, with up to 2,935 cases in 24 hours. Madrid is one of the worst-hit areas in the country and hospitals in the capital are on alert. The Spanish government has announced it is closing bars and nightclubs and banning smoking in streets where a two-meter distance is not possible. 

- Lockdown measures are being eased in England, with beauty salons, bowling alleys and casinos some of the public spaces that are reopening. Fines for refusing to wear a mask could be as high as $4,189. 

- Top Italian scientist Agostino Miozzo has completely ruled out the reopening of nightclubs in the country. Infections are rising but they are under control, said Miozzo.

- A 54-year-old German woman has been fined $12,745 for breaching a court order by going shopping, taking a taxi and going for a walk in the park after testing positive for the virus. 

- Denmark has recorded its most significant fall in GDP, shrinking by 7.4 percent in the second quarter of 2020, which is still smaller than the EU average fall in economic output of 11.9 percent. 

- The UK government has signed deals for a further 90 million doses of a coronavirus vaccine being developed by the Belgian pharmaceutical company Janssen, increasing its potential stockpile to 340 million jabs. 

- Belgian hospitals are stockpiling drugs and protective kits in preparation for a second wave of COVID-19.  

- Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis warned on Friday that the country's young people should rein in reckless behavior, which is seen as a key contributing factor to a spike in cases. "Please ... take care of yourselves, you are not immune and your parents and grandparents are especially not immune," said Mitsotakis.

- Norway recommended that passengers should wear masks on public transport in and around Oslo during rush hour to curb the spread of COVID-19. 

- Worldwide, coronavirus cases have surpassed 20.9 million, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 12.9 million people have recovered, while more than 759,000 have died. 

Iolo ap Dafydd in London 

The news that up to half a million Britons have dreaded came overnight. Holidaymakers and visitors from France, as well as the Netherlands and Malta, will have to quarantine for 14 days when they return to the UK.

It is likely to lead to a scramble to find space on ferries, trains and airplanes before the Saturday 03:00 GMT deadline as infection cases increase in France. Clement Beaune, the French secretary of state for European affairs, said on social media that the UK government's decision was a matter of "regret" for the French. 

In England, there are more coronavirus-induced changes as rules are relaxed on visiting indoor theaters, music and other performance venues, bowling alleys, casinos, skating rinks and children's play areas. 

But fines for people not wearing face coverings will be stiffened. Those who repeatedly refuse to wear masks could face a maximum fine of $4,189. The government also announced organizers of illegal raves could face a penalty of $13,097.

Toni Waterman in Brussels 

Belgium

A new study from the University of Antwerp showed pressure is mounting on Belgian workers to return to the office, despite the government recommending people stay home. 

Researchers said managers were partly to blame, but workers themselves also wanted to get back into a regular routine. While workspaces are more COVID-19-proof than at the beginning of the year, the researchers said roughly 40 percent of participants who tested positive for the coronavirus during the summer believe they became infected at work. 

Meanwhile, a man has been arrested after returning to his East Flanders office after a trip to a "red zone." Police say he did not complete the required return form and did not begin the mandatory 14-day quarantine. After the arrest, he was placed in self-isolation. 

Belgian health experts say Belgium's rising infection numbers are, in part, linked to people returning from a holiday abroad and they are concerned cases will continue to climb. 

The EU

The European Commission has struck a deal with Johnson & Johnson, a subsidiary of Janssen Pharmaceutical, to buy up to 400 million doses of a potential COVID-19 vaccine.  This comes two weeks after the EU secured a similar deal with French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi for 300 million doses. 

All member states will have the opportunity to purchase the vaccine, as well as to donate to lower and middle-income countries. 

Advanced purchase agreements are part of the Commission's "vaccine strategy" adopted in mid-June to secure high-quality, safe, effective and affordable vaccines within 18 months. 

The Commission said it continues to negotiate with other companies. 

Isobel Ewing in Frankfurt 

A coronavirus test mishap in the state of Bavaria, Germany, has left 44,000 travelers wondering whether their test results are positive or negative.

Bavarian State Premier Markus Söder met with state government officials on Thursday after a breakdown in testing.

Söder fielded criticism after Bavaria's Health Minister Melanie Huml announced on Wednesday that 44,000 travelers returning to Germany's largest state were still awaiting their COVID-19 test results, of which 900 are positive.

The testing was done at specially established centers on state highways.

"A blunder happened, and a very big blunder at that," Söder told reporters on Thursday after the meeting. 

"The entire state government is sorry that these mistakes happened."

Söder said that Huml had twice offered her resignation, which he rejected. "I still have trust in her," Söder said.

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