-- Italy registers 110,574 coronavirus cases, death toll rising to 13,155;
-- Spain's COVID-19 cases pass 100,000, deaths top 9,000;
-- Number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Britain reaches 29,474;
-- French president announces an "exceptional fund" to finance orders for masks, respirators and medicines.
BRUSSELS, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The following are the latest developments of the COVID-19 pandemic in European countries.
ROME -- Italy registered a total of 110,574 coronavirus cases as of Wednesday, with death toll rising to 13,155, according to the country's Civil Protection Department which is managing the national emergency response.
Overall, the increase in the number of people hospitalized and those died was slowing down, Civil Protection Department Chief Angelo Borrelli told a televised press conference late Wednesday afternoon.
The number of active infections added 2,937 cases from the previous day, now standing at 80,572, official data showed.
A tester takes a sample from a National Health Service (NHS) staff to test for possible COVID-19 infection at a drive-through test station set up in the parking lot of an IKEA store in Wembley, northwest London, Britain, March 31, 2020. (Photo by Ray Tang/Xinhua)
London -- The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Britain reached 29,474 as of Wednesday morning, an increase of 4,324 in 24 hours, according to the Department of Health and Social Care.
As of Tuesday afternoon, of those hospitalised in the country who tested positive for novel coronavirus, 2,352 have died, up 563 over the same time on the previous day, the latest figures from the department showed.
This weekend the first of thousands of new ventilator devices will roll off the production line and be delivered to the NHS (National Health Service) next week, a government official said during Tuesday's coronavirus daily press briefing.
An ambulance heads to the Gare d'Austerlitz train station in Paris, France, April 1, 2020. (Photo by Aurelien Morissard/Xinhua)
PARIS -- The coronavirus cases in France have reached 52,128, with a death toll of 3,523, General Director of Health Jerome Salomon announced on Tuesday at a daily briefing.
In the last 24 hours, 7,578 more people were diagnosed with the COVID-19, which claimed 499 more deaths, the biggest fatalities caused by the virus in one day.
In order to cope with the influx and ease pressure on overwhelmed hospitals in the worst-hit regions, the government has transferred, since early March, 288 critically-ill patients to less-affected French cities and to neighboring Germany and Luxembourg, he added.
In a visit to protective mask factory near Angers in western France on Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced an "exceptional fund of 4 billion euros" (4.4 billion U.S. dollars) to finance orders for masks, respirators and medicines.
Beds are seen in one of the seven new Intensive Care Units (ICU) in Vall d'Hebron Hospital, in Barcelona, Spain, March 26, 2020. (Vall d'Hebron Hospital via Xinhua)
MADRID -- The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Spain rose by 7,719 to 102,136 on Wednesday, according to the Spanish Ministry of Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Services.
The ministry also reported that the number of deaths rose to 9,053, up 864 in the past 24 hours. This is the highest death toll for a single day so far witnessed during the pandemic, beating Tuesday's record of 849.
Madrid continued to be the worst affected part in the country, registering 29,840 cases and 3,865 deaths.
Wednesday saw the arrival of another aircraft at an airport outside Madrid, carrying 11.7 tons of medical supplies from Shanghai, China.
A security member of a supermarket is seen wearing a face mask in Berlin, capital of Germany, March 28, 2020. (Photo by Binh Truong/Xinhua)
BERLIN -- Confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Germany increased by 5,453 within one day to 67,366, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) announced on Wednesday.
The number of deaths increased from Tuesday's 583 to 732, according to RKI, the federal government agency and research institute responsible for disease control and prevention.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the prime ministers of the federal states are planning a telephone conference Wednesday to evaluate the current situation in the country.
Scanners used for payment are seen at the supermarket Albert Heijn in Haarlem, the Netherlands, March 23, 2020. (Photo by Sylvia Lederer/Xinhua)
THE HAGUE -- A further 134 people had died of COVID-19 in 24 hours and the number of positive cases rose by 1,019 in The Netherlands, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) announced on Wednesday.
These raised the country's death toll and the total number of confirmed cases to 1,173 and 13,614, respectively, according to RIVM's fresh figures.
The Dutch government had on Tuesday announced to extend the counter-coronavirus measures until April 28. The main measures are that everyone should stay at least 1.5 meters away from others, people are encouraged to stay at home and work from home and schools, childcare centers, eating and drinking establishments, sports clubs and gyms are closed.
Serbian soldiers and staff members prepare beds for possible COVID-19 patients in the hall of the Belgrade Fair, in Belgrade, Serbia, March 24, 2020. (Serbian Defense Ministry/Handout via Xinhua)
BELGRADE -- Serbia prepared a 5.1-billion-euro (5.6-billion-U.S. dollar) package of economic measures to mitigate the negative effects of the coronavirus epidemic, a government statement said on Tuesday.
According to Finance Minister Sinisa Mali, who presented the measures at a press conference, the government's focus was on preserving the current level of employment and helping the most-affected companies.
The measures will include both fiscal ones, along with the direct assistance to the private sector and ways to preserve the liquidity of the economy. Moreover, the government decided on a suspension of divident payment by the end of the year, as well as direct assistance to all adult citizens.
Moreover, liquidity of the entire system, especially private sector, will be supported with 2.2 billion euros.
CPhoto taken on March 31, 2020 shows the view of an almost empty street in Prague, the Czech Republic.(Photo by Dana Kesnerova/Xinhua)
PRAGUE -- The Czech government on Tuesday announced a lump sum payment for self-employed persons affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Ministry of Finance.
Self-employed workers and entrepreneurs affected by business closures and other complications resulting from government actions to curb the spread of COVID-19 will receive a lump sum of 25,000 Czech crowns (1,008 U.S. dollars) if they meet some basic requirements, read a news release from the ministry.
In addition, self-employed workers and entrepreneurs will see a six-month moratorium on mortgage and loan payments as well as tax relief by eliminating monthly contributions to social and health insurance for the same period.
As of Tuesday evening, there have been 3,257 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Czech Republic with 45 recoveries and 31 deaths.
Airport employees unload cargoes containing medical supplies at Chopin International Airport in Warsaw, Poland on March 31, 2020. (Photo by Jaap Arriens/Xinhua)
WARSAW -- A plane from China carrying protective gear for Polish medical services to fight the coronavirus epidemic has landed in Warsaw, the press office of the Polish Foreign Ministry said Tuesday in a statement.
Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz thanked the Chinese side for the support, the statement said. Czaputowicz also noted that the COVID-19 pandemic is a challenge for societies around the world, which means this is a responsibility that all countries have to face together.
The first batch of medical equipment from China arrived in Warsaw on March 26. ■
