A COVID-19 patient shakes hands with a nurse as he is moved out of an ICU ward of a hospital in Barcelona, Spain, on May 7, 2020. (Photo by Francisco Avia/Xinhua)
-- Spain announces 10-day national mourning for COVID-19 victims;
-- Italy to start national serological screening next week;
-- UK health official says deaths starting to come down;
-- France allows religious ceremonies and gatherings.
The following are the latest developments of the COVID-19 pandemic in European countries.
MADRID -- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez declared on Saturday 10 days of national mourning for the victims of COVID-19.
"From next Tuesday (May 26), when all of the country is in Phase 1, the government will declare 10 days official mourning - the longest in the history of our democracy," said Sanchez.
Over 28,600 people have lost their lives in Spain due to the novel coronavirus and the prime minister said that "flags will fly at half-mast on all public buildings and all naval vessels and when the scale-down is over, the Head of State will preside over a homage" to the victims.
A man gets his body temperature checked at a resort in Fregene, Italy, on May 19, 2020. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)
ROME -- Italian authorities confirmed Saturday that an announced serological screening at a national level would begin next week on 150,000 people, in an effort to ramp up the country's fight against the pandemic.
"The tests on 150,000 Italians will help us further understand how the coronavirus 'behaves,' and how we can tackle it better... We look forward to seeing the results," procurement commissioner for the coronavirus emergency Domenico Arcuri told a press conference.
The national screening, carried out by the Italian Red Cross, will be free of charge, and all of the people involved will be informed about their own results.
The owner of a coffee shop poses for a photo in London, Britain, May 17, 2020. Some restaurants, cafes and other catering shops in Britain have gradually resumed business with preventive measures like keeping social distancing after the British Government released a phased easing strategy from the novel coronavirus lockdown. (Photo by Tim Ireland/Xinhua)
LONDON -- Jenny Harries, England's deputy chief medical officer, told the Downing Street briefing that deaths are starting to come down. "We will be looking to expect that to come down further," she said.
Encouragingly, Britain is also maintaining a downward trend in new confirmed cases, she said.
A man wearing a mask stands in front of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart (Basilique du Sacre-Coeur) in Paris, France, May 22, 2020. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)
PARIS -- France's Ministry of Interior on Saturday announced further easing in restrictive measures, allowing religious ceremonies and gatherings. But it recommended worshippers to wear masks, respect one-meter distance and wash their hands.
The government had said it would consider new restriction measures if the virus hits back and infects more than 3,000 people per day.
