TOP STORIES

• The Italian government has agreed to push back the overnight curfew from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m.. From June 7, it will be moved back to midnight before being completely removed later in the month. From June 1, restaurants will be permitted to serve customers indoors and weddings can go ahead from June 15. 

• Germany's professional paediatrician association has warned of an unprecedented level of psychiatric illness among young people. Children and young people were "from the start massively neglected" by politicians, spokesman Jakob Maske told German media. 

• Finnish MPs will vote today on whether to back the European Union's $916bn COVID-19 stimulus package. It has been approved by 20 of the 27 EU member states so far but the government needs a two-thirds majority in parliament. 

• People will be able to stop wearing masks outdoors soon in France, according to Health Minister Olivier Veran. He says the requirement will be relaxed faster in spacious areas than in busy cities with shops and queues. It also depends on the number of people vaccinated. 

• Three U.S. airlines, United, Delta and American, have announced COVID-19 test flights to Italy after the government in Rome eased travel restrictions to boost summer tourism. Passengers must have a negative coronavirus test before both flights. 

• British nationals aiming to stay with family and friends in France are being told they need a French reception certificate prior to traveling. People without EU citizenship currently must provide proof of accommodation in the form of a receipt from a hotel or a town hall. 

• Portugal's football league has scrapped plans for a limited number of fans to attend the last games of the season from Wednesday, citing uncertainty surrounding health conditions.

• UK ministers are stepping up calls for people living in hotspots for the Indian COVID-19 variant to accept a vaccination as soon as they are offered one. The variant continues to spread as lockdowns are eased in England, Wales and parts of Scotland. 

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AROUND EUROPE 

Penelope Liersch in Budapest 

Hungary has recorded its lowest number of new COVID-19 infections since September last year. 

Some 382 new infections were reported on Tuesday, while 64 people died in the past 24 hours. The number of daily deaths is an increase on the 38 reported on Monday, the lowest since October last year – which may show a lag in reporting over the weekend. 

COVID-19 data have been dropping steadily in the past couple of months, with the government attributing improvements to the high level of vaccinations in the community. As of Tuesday, more than 4.7 million people have had their first dose of the vaccine. Some 75,000 first-dose vaccinations were recorded on Monday, the highest number since the end of April. 

Those registering and going to appointments had dropped in the past week. It's understood the numbers have picked up after Hungarians were able to register for Pfizer again. Teenagers aged 16 to 18 are being vaccinated with the jab but the Prime Minister has said around 150,000 people a week will be able to get the vaccine after that. A new Pfizer shipment is due on Tuesday. There are good supplies of Sinopharm, Moderna and the Johnson & Johnson shot. 

Hungary's surgeon general has also said the country is on track to begin manufacturing its own vaccine at the end of 2022. The foundations for the National Vaccine Factory will be laid in Debrecen in 99 days' time.

Andrew Wilson in the UK

UK ministers are considering three alternatives in the face of the risks posed by the spread of the variant first discovered in India: no change to the unlocking roadmap; a nationwide delay; or local lockdowns. Plans are being drawn up based on the Tier 4 restrictions introduced last year.

Clusters of the faster-spreading variant have been found in 86 areas around the country and known cases are up 76 percent since Thursday, according to health officials.

Studies now show that more than 90 percent of Britons develop antibodies to the coronavirus after having one dose of the AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccines, and almost 100 percent do so after their second jab.

The Indian variant is now dominant in the northern towns of Bolton and Blackburn. Some of these neighborhoods have had extremely low vaccination rates so far, but 6,200 doses were administered over the weekend.

Toni Waterman in Brussels 

Belgium's COVID-19 indicators are in sharp decline as more people become vaccinated and somewhat warmer weather pushes people outside. 

The average number of new daily infections tumbled 28 percent in the past week, compared with the week before, to 2,153 cases per day. The number of deaths is also down by nearly 28 percent. 

But another thing that's on the decline is vaccinations. The average number of daily doses fell 20 percent in the past week compared with the week before. Certain regions, including Brussels, are struggling to fill all of their vaccination slots, which is leading to calls for the age limits to be lifted. 

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CGTN Europe has been providing in-depth coverage of the novel coronavirus story as it has unfolded.