TOP HEADLINES

• Ukraine registered a record 2,438 new daily cases on Friday, for a total of 114,497. The country this week imposed a temporary ban on most foreigners from entering the country until 28 September and extended lockdown measures until the end of October. 

• France recorded its highest number of new daily cases since lockdown ended and its second-highest ever. The 6,111 new infections on Thursday – which followed another post-lockdown record jump on Wednesday – take the total to 259,698. 

• Britain reported its biggest daily increase in cases since 12 June on Thursday, with 1,522 people added to the list – the sharpest rise since non-essential shops reopened in England. 

• Face masks must be worn everywhere outdoors in Paris from Friday after a mandate from French Prime Minister Jean Castex – although Paris police later excused those exercising or cycling and those aged 11 and under. 

• Poland has drafted legislation banning flights from 46 countries, including France and Spain, as of next Wednesday. Poland closed its borders and suspended flights in March but reopened gradually and lawmakers are trying to avoid another full domestic lockdown.

• The UK government is to launch a campaign urging people to return to their workplaces, with ministers warning that working from home will make people more vulnerable to getting sacked, according to a report cited in The Daily Telegraph newspaper. 

• More than 100 mink farms in the Netherlands will be closed after animals at dozens of locations contracted the coronavirus. The Netherlands expedited existing measures to end the industry by 2024 after several farm employees contracted COVID-19.

• The UK's transport minister, Grant Shapps, has added Switzerland, Czechia and Jamaica to the list of countries from which travelers arriving in England must quarantine for 14 days. The measure starts at 0300 GMT on Saturday. 

• Spanish schoolchildren aged six and over must wear masks to class when they return to school in less than two weeks, said the country's health minister, Salvador Illa. 

• Britain will give $11 million to fund three nationwide studies into understanding human immune responses to the coronavirus pandemic. 

• France is hoping to avoid quarantine measures being imposed on its citizens traveling to and from Switzerland, the country's junior European affairs minister, Clement Beaune, said on Friday.

• UK research suggests children and young people are far less likely than adults to get severe cases of COVID-19 infection and death from the pandemic disease among children is exceptionally rare – but children of black ethnicity and those with obesity are disproportionately affected. 

• Four staff members of the Lotto-Soudal team were sent away from the Tour de France after two of them tested positive for coronavirus.

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ACROSS EUROPE

Ross Cullen in Paris

The French health authorities have announced another post-lockdown record of new coronavirus cases, with 6,111 new infections registered in 24 hours – the second-highest daily rate since the start of the outbreak in France. Only on 31 March were more cases registered in a day. 

Admissions to hospital and new deaths remain low – a fact the government is attributing to the rocketing rate of infections among young people, many of whom may be asymptomatic. Those young people who do catch the disease have better immune systems to fight off the infection before they are hospitalized. "The virus is circulating four times more among people under 40 than those over 65," said the country's health secretary, Olivier Veran.

From Friday morning local time, face masks have been mandatory everywhere in Paris. The restrictions previously only listed specific streets and outdoor areas but the surge in cases has prompted authorities to make face coverings compulsory in all areas of the city center and the wider Paris capital region. Cyclists, runners and those aged 11 and under are exempt.

The Tour de France organizers will attempt an "almost behind-closed-doors" event, urging spectators to stay away. Any people who do line the route must wear a mask and police say they will break up any crowds too close to one another. The famous race begins tomorrow in the southern city of Nice after being delayed by two months due to the pandemic.

Andrew Wilson in the UK

The UK government is planning a concerted campaign after the weekend to encourage people to go back to their places of work. Pressure from Conservative MPs is growing as city centers remain quiet and restaurants and cafes in those areas start to report closures and job losses.

However, many experts still caution against actually threatening workers, reminding ministers the country is still in the middle of a public health crisis.

British travelers will be repeating the scenes from last week today by rushing back to the UK from the latest "red-listed" countries ahead of the 0300 GMT deadline. Switzerland, Czechia and Jamaica now join the group on Britain's 14-day quarantine list.

Lucy Hough in Brussels

Belgium's foreign ministry has banned travel to Paris amid concerns of a fresh wave of coronavirus cases in the French capital. 

The city has been classified as a "red zone," meaning Belgians must take a COVID-19 test when returning to Belgium or self-isolate for 14 days. Large areas of Spain, including Barcelona and Madrid, have also been classified as red zones.

Figures published on Friday show a decrease in the number of people testing positive for the virus in Belgium, with an average of 477.1 people per day over the past week. The trend of new infections has decreased by 7 percent.

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