Coronavirus makes European inroads

France is reinstating its state of health emergency after three months, likely beginning on Saturday. A third of its intensive care units are treating COVID-19 patients, and the country reported about 180 positive cases per 100,000 people in the last week. Paris is under a curfew.

How is the rest of the continent doing? Doctors in Spain diagnosed more than 5,000 new cases over Tuesday and Wednesday, its health ministry said. The virus is also surging in Italy, an early epicenter of the virus. The country on Wednesday reported a record-breaking 7,332 new cases, passing the previous high set in March. That is likely partially due to increased testing. Northern Ireland and the Czech Republic have both opted to close schools at least for now. Belgium and the Netherlands have also emerged as hotspots. The Group of 20 nations on Wednesday extended its debt forgiveness to poor countries for six months, giving vulnerable developing nations until the end of June 2021 to focus spending on healthcare and economic support.

Dig deeper: Read Julie Borg’s analysis into ongoing research into the origin of COVID-19.