TOP HEADLINES

· UK finance minister Rishi Sunak announced more job protection plans to stem unemployment, which include a new wage subsidy scheme, as existing safeguards expire next month. 

· Germany has added regions in 11 European countries to the list of coronavirus risk zones, including Dublin, Lisbon and Copenhagen and major tourist destinations such as the French regions of Brittany, Normandy and the Loire Valley.

· The number of people in France currently in intensive care due to the coronavirus topped 1,000 for the first time since 8 June, the French health ministry reported on Thursday. 

· France has unveiled a map of coronavirus "danger zones" around the country, warning authorities in those areas hardest-hit, to increase measures or risk a "state of health emergency" being declared.

· A six-meters-high statue depicting a "Super health worker" has been installed in Madrid, Spain to pay tribute to the people on the front line of the coronavirus battle.

· Daily cases in the Netherlands hit a record high on Thursday, with 2,544 confirmed over the previous 24 hours.

· Sweden's prime minister warned of the "worrying" spread of the virus in the country, adding that "the caution that existed in the spring has more and more been replaced by hugs and parties."

· Switzerland has quarantined the entire undergraduate body of Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, one of its premier hospitality management schools, just days after their return from summer recess following an outbreak at a party.

·England and Wales launched a new track-and-trace app four months after the technology was promised to the public.

· With more than 18 million users, Germany's health minister has urged people to upload positive test results to the country's track-and-trace app, so others at risk get a timely warning.        

· Austria is issuing travel warnings for Prague and the certain French regions, including Paris and the Cote d'Azur but is lifting a long-standing warning for Sweden.

· Portugal has extended coronavirus measures until at least mid-October as the number of daily cases continues to climb.

· Poland and Slovakia reported their highest daily increase since the pandemic began, with 1,136 and 360 new cases, respectively.

· A consumer rights group has filed civil lawsuits against the Austrian government over a coronavirus outbreak at the ski resort of Ischgl last winter.

AROUND EUROPE

Ross Cullen in Paris

Bars and restaurants in France's second city Marseille will be closed from Monday onwards for a period of at least two weeks, as the country struggles under a second wave of the coronavirus. France's health minister announced the new measures, which included naming Paris as one of the regions most at risk from the surge in new infections and hospitalizations.

Olivier Veran said the ongoing circulation of the coronavirus means new restrictions are now required in Marseille, along with the nearby city of Aix-en-Provence and the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe.

The minister was giving his weekly update on COVID-19 and said the government was now reclassifying the regions most at risk into threes categories: alert zones, heightened alert zones and maximum alert zones. He said Paris would now be categorized as on heightened alert, meaning gatherings of more than 10 people in parks would be banned, working from home was once again recommended and bars and restaurants must close by 10:00 p.m. local time.

Veran warned that if the situation across the country did not improve, then the government would have to bring in even stricter measures. In particular, he warned people in Marseille that if the situation worsened, the government could reclassify the southern port city as being in a state of health emergency, which would prompt even tougher restrictions.

Andrew Wilson in London

From Thursday, pubs, bars and restaurants must close at 10:00 p.m. local time and from now on they will be restricted to table service only.

The finance minister, Rishi Sunak, will announce new measures to protect jobs in the light of the latest restrictions and the ending of the furlough scheme in October.

The UK's Winter Economy Plan, which will replace the usual Autumn Budget is expected to be based on Germany's kurzarbeit system. Employees will be paid for work, but subsidized when they can't – partly by the government, partly by their employers.

After months of delays, the government will also finally launch its NHS contact-tracing app. It will include Bluetooth contact tracing, QR check in, and test booking capability.

CLICK: CHECK OUT OUR BREAKDOWN OF THE LATEST RULES ACROSS THE CONTINENT

Isobel Ewing in Budapest

Hungary recorded 750 new infections on Thursday, as well as seven deaths.

Amid its intensifying second wave, the UEFA Super Cup Final, in which the Champions League winners, Germany's Bayern Munich, will take on the Europa League champions, Spain's Sevilla, is scheduled for 10:00 p.m. on Thursday.

It will be the first European match to be held in front of spectators since the start of the pandemic, as a "pilot test" for governing body UEFA for bringing back fans to stadiums.

Just one-third of the 67,215-seat Puskás Aréna will be filled, with 3,000 tickets available for the supporters of each of the finalists.

All spectators will have their temperatures checked before entering the stadium and wearing a mask will be obligatory when entering the stadium and for moving around inside, while it will be only recommended when seated.

The use of hand sanitizer is also advised, as well as the adherence to the physical distancing rules.

Toni Waterman in Brussels

Despite a steady uptick in new coronavirus cases, Belgium has decided to roll back prevention rules, theorizing that simpler, less restrictive measures are the only way to rally a jaded public into long-term compliance. 

Starting 1 October, face masks will no longer be required in outdoor public spaces, unless it's a crowded location. Quarantine periods for those exposed to the virus or returning from "red zones" will be halved from two weeks to one. And the government is nixing travel bans, instead opting for travel advisories. 

The easing of restrictions comes as the number of new infections in Belgium per day hit 1,425 between 14 and 20 September, a 62 percent increase.

Mia Alberti in Frankfurt

Germany has added several EU cities and countries to its "high-risk" travel list. 

Travelers from several regions in France, Denmark and the Netherlands, the cities of Lisbon and Dublin, and the UAE, among others, must now get a COVID-19 test 48 hours before or after arriving in Germany.

"Anyone entering Germany from a risk area must go into quarantine … if the test result is negative, the quarantine can be lifted," the government said.

Germany considers a risk area a region "in which there is an increased risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2," and the mandatory quarantine and test applies to travelers who have been in these places in the past 14 days.

FROM OUR GLOBAL COLLEAGUES

CGTN China: Chinese mainland reports 10 new COVID-19 cases, all from overseas

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CGTN Africa: COVID-19 causes multiple shocks to Zimbabwe's businesses - World bank

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Cover image: A six meters high statue depicting a "Superhealthworker" has been installed in Madrid to pay tribute to the heroes who fight against coronavirus./
Gabriel BOUYS/AFP