Here is the latest news from our European neighbours, as of Saturday 28 March.
Italy has passed 10,000 deaths from coronavirus and remains the global epicentre of fatalities from the new disease.
Only the United States has more cases of COVID-19, and the Italian government has been forced to call on the European Union for financial assistance during the crisis - although there was some good news today as a 101-year-old reportedly made a full recovery.
Cases: 92,472
Deaths: 10,023
Recoveries: 12,384
Deaths from coronavirus in Spain rose by a record 832 today, leading the government to prohibit all non-essential workers from leaving the house for the next two weeks.
Earlier in the week, the government was forced to recall a batch of faulty testing kits provided by China.
Cases: 72,248
Deaths: 5,812
Recoveries: 12,285
France has the fifth-most deaths from coronavirus, behind Iran. A national lockdown has been in place since 17 March, and will most likely be extended, as a 16-year-old with no pre-existing health problems became the youngest French victim of the new disease.
The Grand Est region of France, which neighbours Luxembourg, remains the worst-affected area of the country, with 580 deaths and 701 in intensive care.
Cases: 37,575
Deaths: 2,314
Recoveries: 5,700
Angela Merkel labelled the coronavirus Germany’s biggest challenge since the Second World War, and the Chancellor herself was forced to go into self-isolation earlier in the week, although she has since tested negative.
All but 7 of the country’s borders with Luxembourg have been closed, but while Germany ranks fifth for confirmed cases, it is only ninth in deaths, and experts have been astounded by its uniquely low mortality rate.
Cases: 56,202
Deaths: 403
Recoveries: 6,658
After initially planning a much-ridiculed strategy of ‘herd immunity’, the UK backtracked this week, imposing a three-week nationwide lockdown from Monday.
The British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Minister of Health Matt Hancock have both tested positive for the coronavirus.
Cases: 17,089
Deaths: 1,019
Recoveries: 135
Belgiumclosed its borders to non-essential travellers on 20 March. The country is on ‘lockdown light’, with social distancing measures in place similar to those in Luxembourg.
Cases: 9,134
Deaths: 353
Recoveries: 1,063
