TOP HEADLINES

- A YouGov study has shown the number of people willing to be vaccinated in Europe has risen significantly, with Sweden (21 percent) and the UK (20 percent) displaying the biggest increases.

- Vaccinations have been halted in parts of Germany and Italy, while medics in Madrid have also had their jabs suspended because of Pfizer-BionTech vaccine delivery delays.

- The UK's R number is estimated to be below one for the first time since December, with the number of new COVID-19 infections shrinking by as much as 4 percent a day, the government revealed on Friday.

- At least 14 members of a group of UK tourists staying in Vallorcine, France, have tested positive and are waiting to see if they are carriers of a COVID-19 variant.

- Hungary said on Friday it had reached a deal to buy large quantities of Russia's Sputnik-V vaccine, even though it has not yet been approved by the European Union.

- The UK government is considering a plan to pay people 500 pounds ($673) if they're forced to self-isolate and miss work after testing positive.

- France's President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to give university students two meals a day for 1 euro ($1.20) to help them cope during the pandemic.

- Pfizer and BioNTech have agreed to supply their COVID-19 vaccine to the World Health Organization's COVAX vaccine access scheme.

- UK Environment Minister George Eustice says borders will remain open for now, following speculation that the country could be completely shut to arrivals, after it recently tightened requirements for travelers to stop the spread of COVID-19.

- Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban says the country cannot lift restrictions until it can carry out a mass inoculation of the people.

- The French government is now recommending that people wear surgical masks in public because they offer better protection from COVID-19 transmission than fabric face coverings.

- Portugal's Prime Minister Antonio Costa said on Thursday that all flights to and from UK would be suspended from Saturday as Portugal scrambles to tackle the rapid spread of the new variant of the coronavirus first discovered in the country.

ACROSS EUROPE

Lucy Hough in Brussels

Belgium's consultative committee is meeting today to discuss the existing lockdown measures, as well as travel issues in light of new COVID-19 variants. 

Measures for travellers returning to Belgium could change, with a possible extension to the current 14-day quarantine period. 

Professionals from the beauty and hospitality sectors are calling for more clarity on when their businesses could reopen after more than three months of closure. 

Bars and restaurants are calling for a phased reopening of the sector from March 1.

No significant changes are expected to the lockdown measures in February amid continued concern about the slow pace of the vaccine roll-out, and the impact of new more contagious COVID-19 variants. 

Guy Henderson, London

There are concerns England's lockdown isn't bringing down case numbers sufficiently, with officials turning their focus to how they can better enforce the current rules. The UK government is considering offering 500 pounds ($673) to anyone who has to isolate after a study suggested only 17 percent of those with symptoms get a test for fear of lost income.

The UK's vaccination roll-out is continuing at a rapid rate, with 5 million doses now administered, but the government won't be drawn on exactly when it will consider lifting restrictions. Schools could open as a first step, with Education Minister Gavin Williamson saying he "hopes" that can happen before Easter.

With the risk of new vaccine-resistant strains coming into the UK from abroad, UK Environment Minister George Eustice told Sky News on Friday that ministers had considered a full border closure. They have stopped short of that for now. Non-essential travel is already banned and all new arrivals are required to self-isolate.

If vaccination begins to bring the mortality rate down by spring, the next challenge will be keeping it that way. Is another year of "staycations" on the way?

Ross Cullen in Paris

France's President Emmanuel Macron has told other EU leaders most European travelers will need to have a negative PCR test, carried out 72 hours before departure, to enter his country. That measure will start from this Saturday, January 23 at 11 p.m. GMT but cross-border workers and transport will be exempt. 

Health Secretary Olivier Veran says if there is a surge in France of the variant first identified in the UK then a third national lockdown will become "an absolute necessity." Veran says the government is still hoping the nationwide 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew currently in place will work sufficiently to control the spread. The government's plan is to have vaccinated every French citizen by the end of August. 

In addition, Veran says: "France's High Council for Public Health considers that category 1 filtering masks are sufficient but advises against the use of homemade masks." He said 7 million masks would be sent on Friday to "less advantaged" French families.

Mia Alberti in Budapest

Hungary has struck a deal with Russia to buy large quantities of the Sputnik V vaccine after the country's Foreign Minister Peter Szijarto met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Friday.

After the meeting, Szijjarto released a video statement on his Facebook page: "Hungary has concluded with Russia an agreement to buy in three phases large quantities of the Sputnik V vaccine; the contract has been negotiated and signed during the night."

The news comes after Hungarian health regulators issued an emergency six-month temporary authorization of Sputnik V. Hungary will become the first EU country to use the jab and says it has the capability to vaccinate up to half a million people per day.

The country has also approved the Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine, but it will only be allowed to use the British jab after the European Medicines Agency approves it, which isn't likely to happen before the end of January. 

Hungary has repeatedly criticized what it says is the slow pace of vaccine approval and procurement by EU authorities. "We should face the fact that something has gone wrong with the EU," Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in a weekly radio interview on Friday. "If there is no vaccine from the Union, let it come from elsewhere. It is not possible that Hungarians die because of this." 

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