Most European countries are starting to lift strict quarantine measures and movement control orders as many regions recorded significant declines in new COVID-19 cases, but risks are still present amid ongoing outbreaks in surrounding regions.
British Business Minister Undergoes COVID-19 Testing
Roughly a day after the British government ordered parliament to resume voting in person, the United Kingdom's business minister Alok Sharma was tested for potential coronavirus infection after he felt ill during Wednesday's parliament conference.
A spokesperson for the business minister said Sharma started feeling unwell as he presented at the House of Commons. Sharma has since been tested and will be at home under isolation while waiting for his test results.
During his speech at Commons' main chamber, Sharma was seen on television wiping his brow and face multiple times. He also looked like he sweated profusely and was seen wiping his nose as he spoke about a new legislation.
Ever since legislators were asked to return in-person to parliament, legislators across different British parties expressed their dismay as they feared for their health.
It remains to be seen how Sharma's situation will impact parliament's in-person voting that resumed this week.
As of Wednesday, the U.K. logged a total of 279,856 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 39,728 deaths.
Italy Reopens Borders to European Neighbors
Italy on Wednesday reopened borders for its European neighbors as other nations in the region pursue economy reopening.
Regional affairs minister Francesco Boccia said it is time "to focus on protecting the economy and jobs." It is worth noting that Italy was once the hardest-hit country in all of Europe before it gradually saw a decline in new COVID-19 infections.
As part of the efforts to get the economy back on its feet, the Italian government started allowing arrivals from across Europe without quarantine mandates unlike when the nationwide lockdown was in place.
Before the easing of travel restrictions, residents were only allowed to travel within their home regions. With the lifting of travel guidelines, Italians can now move around the country but with some registration mandates by select areas.
As of Wednesday, Italy logged a total of 233,836 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 33,601 deaths from the virus.
France Contact-Tracing App Sees 600k Downloads
In France, hopes are up for the newly-released contact-tracing app that the government rolled out as part of the efforts to prevent further infections among French citizens and residents.
Since the StopCovid France app was rolled out, there have been 600,000 downloads, with government officials hailing the app's apparent success as early as this week. On the other hand, there have also been concerns about the app's supposed data gathering issues.
Digital minister Cedric O said of the app's progress that the digital ministry is "very happy" with the developments. O went on to reveal that the ministry is expecting millions of downloads.
As of Wednesday, France registered a total of 151,677 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 29,021 deaths from the highly-infectious disease.
