TOP HEADLINES

- German Chancellor Angela Merkel will impose an emergency month-long lockdown from Monday 2 November that includes the closure of restaurants, gyms and theaters to reverse a spike in coronavirus cases. Schools and shops will remain open. 

- Italy has registered 24,991 new daily coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours, a record high, as cases in the northern region of Lombardy surge. Virus-related deaths are up 211, to a total of 37,905.

- Sweden, whose light-touch strategy to tackle coronavirus has been a focal point for debate, has recorded a daily high 1,980 new coronavirus cases, according to the country's health agency. 

- A further 310 people have died in the UK having tested positive for COVID-19, taking the total to 45,675 fatalities. Infections were up 24,701 in the past 24 hours. 

- European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has urged EU countries to follow the bloc's new coordinated approach to COVID-19 data sharing, testing, medical and non-medical equipment, travel, and vaccination strategies. "We are all in this together," she said.

- French President Emmanuel Macron is due to impose his own four-week lockdown in a television address on Wednesday evening. Schools are expected to stay open, online study will be encouraged for older children and universities and there will be a further push towards working from home. France recorded 523 deaths on Tuesday.

- Belgium has overtaken Czechia as suffering the EU's highest coronavirus infection rate, according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control. The Belgian government will meet on Friday to discuss a new national lockdown. Belgium has 5,554 COVID-19 patients in hospital, almost as many as it had during the peak in early April. 

- Police in Rome used a water cannon on Tuesday evening to disperse demonstrators protesting against new coronavirus restrictions for a second night running. Police say the protesters were mainly from the far right or were so-called "ultra" football fans, and that there were 16 arrests. Daily cases surged to almost 22,000, with 221 deaths.

- Czechia's health ministry has reported another record high in daily cases, with 15,663 new coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours. In an effort to stem one of Europe's worst per capita COVID-19 case figures, the country introduces a 9 p.m. curfew tonight – except for working, walking the dog or urgent medical needs. Shops will close an hour before that.

- More than 200 ultraviolet sanitizing devices are being installed on 110 escalators across the London Underground in the coming weeks after a successful six-week trial. The UV lights, which clean handrails continuously by using the escalator's motion to power a bulb that breaks down contamination, will be fitted across one quarter of the network.

- Russia recorded 16,202 new coronavirus cases and a record 346 deaths in the past 24 hours, pushing the national death toll to 26,935. Authorities have reimposed the mandatory wearing of masks in crowded public places, with catering and entertainment venues advise to impose an 11 p.m. curfew.

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ACROSS EUROPE

Stefan de Vries in Amsterdam

The current measures to stop the second wave in the Netherlands – including the closure of bars and restaurants – will most probably remain in place until December, announced Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Tuesday. Families can only celebrate traditional winter holidays such as St Nicholas and St Martin's in small circles. 

With another 10,353 positive tests on Tuesday, the infection rate is stabilizing, which could be an indication that the measures are working. However, the government said it is too soon to draw any conclusions and to loosen or tighten current rules.

Hospitals are almost operating at full capacity: in some cases, they are sending patients with illnesses not related to COVID-19 home. On Tuesday, clinics scaled down 20 percent of regular health care and, if the current trend continues, this could be 75 percent by the end of November.

Andrew Wilson in the UK

UK scientists are warning that the second wave of the pandemic could result in more deaths than the first. The latest modeling points to a lower peak but one that is sustained for some weeks before starting to fall again.

This is putting pressure on Downing Street to consider tougher measures to control the spread – just as a group of Tory MPs, identifying as the Northern Research Group, have started an internal campaign for a clear 'exit strategy' form the measures currently in place in the north of England.

Data from the Office for National Statistics showed 670 virus-related deaths in the week to 16 October, more than double the total of 321 two weeks previously.

The ONS will publish a raft of comprehensive new data on Wednesday.

Toni Waterman in Brussels

Belgium has passed Czechia to become the EU nation with the highest rate of COVID-19 infections. As of Wednesday, the country was averaging 1,448 infections per 100,000 inhabitants, although some municipalities are recording infections at more than twice that rate.

Hospital admissions are also hitting new highs, now exceeding the peak of the first wave. Half of Belgium's COVID-19 intensive care beds are expected to be occupied by tomorrow and the stock completely depleted in less than two weeks. At that point, patients may be transferred across the border to Germany, where hospitals are on standby.

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CGTN Europe has been providing in-depth coverage of the novel coronavirus story as it has unfolded. Here you can read the essential information about the crisis.