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The first foreign tourists may have landed in locked-down Spain and Greece, but as a third wave of the pandemic accelerates across the EU, few Europeans will be enjoying an Easter break abroad – or even away from home. German holidaymakers began arriving on Crete on Monday, with six half-empty flights landing at Her...

EU health commissioner says bloc will assist with genomic sequencing to curb mutationCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe EU has warned that the highly contagious coronavirus variant first found in Britain is now having “a significant impact” in other European countries, and said its spread “must be stopped at all costs”.“We cannot be complacent,” Stella Kyriakides, the bloc’s health commissioner, said on...

France, Germany and Spain remain watchful, while Italy has cleared Babbo Natale to travelCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageEurope’s governments are putting off painful decisions about Christmas and new year celebrations, with few yet keen to say exactly what will be allowed and many already warning there could be much that will not.“It’s a massive headache,” a French government minister told Le...

Czech PM apologises for bringing back tough measures; Poland and Croatia set daily records European politicians and experts charged with combating the coronavirus pandemic are raising the alarm that nations across the continent are on the brink of an “out-of-control” resurgence of the disease.As multiple countries recorded record rises in infections – including some previously praised for the effectiveness of their response – a...

Parts of Spain and Italy facing restrictions as Ireland set to become first EU country to reimpose national lockdownRegions in Spain and Italy have returned to lockdown and Ireland will do so from Wednesday as countries across Europe continue to report new Covid infection highs and governments struggle to contain the second wave of the pandemic.The northern Spanish Navarre region, where the number of...

European countries tighten regional lockdowns as daily cases of Covid-19 keep risingCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe Spanish government has declared a state of emergency to keep Madrid in partial lockdown as countries across Europe struggle to deal with the continuing surge in new coronavirus cases.The move came as Italy logged more than 5,000 new daily coronavirus cases for the first time...

Parents and teachers fear face masks and other measures not enough to prevent second waveCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageTens of millions of pupils, most wearing face masks, have headed back to class in France, Belgium, Poland and Russia, as schools across Europe cautiously reopened amid spiralling numbers of new coronavirus cases in several countries.Parents and teachers around the continent have expressed...

Countries cross threshold for cumulative 14-day totals, with Spain particularly worrying Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageNineteen European countries have crossed a key threshold of new coronavirus infections, with Spain’s figures particularly worrying.According to data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the countries have recorded cumulative 14-day infection totals higher than 20 per 100,000 inhabitants, considered an early alarm...

When the Guardian spoke to staff in March they had no time for reflection. So what do they think of the new surge now? Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageDuring the initial peak of Spain’s Covid-19 pandemic in the spring, the virus displayed an unexpected mercy. In its spread, ferocity and awful novelty, it left health workers too tired and overwhelmed to...

Rise of new cases in Germany comes as Madrid’s regional government imposes new restrictions to halt spread of virusCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe head of Germany’s disease control agency has blamed negligence for a worrying rise in cases in the country, while the World Health Organization has counselled against treating Covid-19 as a seasonal phenomenon or talking about waves of the...

Spanish government injects £4bn while Sweden study casts doubt on herd immunityCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageMore than 8,000 people have been quarantined in fresh outbreaks of Covid-19 in three areas of Germany, while the most comprehensive study yet on immunity in Sweden showed very few people had developed antibodies.As governments across Europe continue to ease their restrictions, authorities in North Rhein...

Spain to reopen borders on 21 June but other countries are adopting more targeted approachCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageFrance and Germany became the latest European countries to reopen their borders as the continent emerges from its three-month Covid-19 lockdown.Speaking on Sunday evening, France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, said the country’s Schengen borders would be open from Monday and its non-EU borders from...

From Spain to Denmark, even those who have coped with coronavirus are aware the world has changed dramaticallyCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageHer customers may be back and there are, miraculously, more of them. Spring is here; the sun is out. No one wants to dwell on what happened; everyone wants to pick up their lives again, same as before.“But still,” says...

From Berlin to Madrid the movies are back, albeit with hygiene and distancing restrictionsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAs Madrid’s spring evenings warm into summer nights, cinema-goers are parking up to watch Grease. In Munich, they are taking al fresco seats to follow the adventures of a communist kangaroo with a penchant for boozy chocolates, and in Prague they are witnessing a...

Infection rates in Latin America growing rapidly as lockdowns ease in EuropeCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe World Health Organization gave a stark warning on Wednesday that the coronavirus pandemic is far from over, after 106,000 new cases were recorded worldwide over the past 24 hours – the most in a single day yet.Speaking in Geneva, the WHO’s director general, Tedros Adhanom...

Commission issues guidelines on summer holidays, while Spain plans quarantine on arrivalsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe EU has urged a gradual reopening of the bloc’s internal borders to salvage at least some of the summer holiday season, as Germany said it would start relaxing entry controls from this weekend but Spain said it could wait until July.With debate over rules on...

Guardian writers report on how various European countries have managed the processCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBoris Johnson has been heavily criticised for failing to show Britain a clear route out of lockdown. Easing a nation out of two months of confinement is a complicated business, and some degree of confusion is almost inevitable. Here, Guardian correspondents look at how other European...

Spain seeks to extend state of emergency; Danish agency warns of risk of second waveCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageNew coronavirus infections in Iran have risen sharply since the country relaxed its restrictions on movement, while France has said it will reimpose strict lockdowns if cases surge when it begins to emerge from confinement next week.Tehran on Wednesday reported 1,680 new infections,...