The Italian Civil Protection Department said on Saturday that number of people in intensive care in Italy has fallen for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It said that 3,994 coronavirus patients were in ICUs, down 74 with respect to Friday.

Greece’s police have been imposing fines on individuals and businesses violating the lockdown for several days now, Greek media reported. The total amount of fines imposed throughout Greece until 3 April amounted to 4,253,700 euros for violations related to the traffic ban or the suspension of store operations within the framework of measures taken to avoid the spread of the coronavirus.

Two people were killed and seven others injured in a knife attack in the southeastern French town of Romans-sur-Isere on Saturday, news wires reported.

More than 250,000 European Union citizens are still trying to get home, as the number of people stranded by the coronavirus outbreak remains high even after the EU has repatriated some 350,000 people, its top diplomat said on Friday.

Current restrictions in society and the economy to be gradually eased, while ensuring medical care for the entire population in Germany, urged an interdisciplinary group of renowned scientists.

Germany Interior Minister Horst Seehofer wants to extend to another four countries stricter border controls designed to halt the spread of the novel coronavirus and oblige passengers arriving by air to enter quarantine, Der Spiegel reported.

Romania's centrist minority government will almost certainly postpone a June local election as the coronavirus outbreak ruled out the best conditions for such an exercise, news wires reported, citing PM Ludovic Orban. The country is due to hold a local election in late June and a parliamentary election in November.

Scientists in Germany are working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to process the tests of as many people as possible for the novel coronavirus during the pandemic, dpa reported. According to a Germany-wide survey by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), more than 170 laboratories in Germany tested swabs for Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, in mid-March. According to the RKI, about 350,000 patients were tested last week.

Portugal’s parliament approved on Thursday the suspension of rents for vulnerable households and cash-strapped small firms during the coronavirus outbreak, but rights groups warned that the measure might only delay a looming housing crisis.

Hungary will introduce a new pandemic fund on Saturday and work out the details of the country’s biggest economic stimulus package by Tuesday, Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced, adding that the plans focus primarily on employment. For instance, healthcare workers will receive a 500,000 forint ($1,500) bonus this year to compensate them for the extra workload and risk that fighting the coronavirus entails.