Pedestrians stand at a safe social-distance in Oslo, Norway on March 25. 2020. (ODIN JAEGER / BLOOMBERG)

MEXICO CITY / LONDON / BRASILIA / ROME / CAIRO / MADRID / GENEVA / PARIS / CAPE TOWN / NEW YORK / NAIROBI / HAVANA / MOSCOW / KIEV - Norway will allow unrestricted leisure travel throughout the Nordic region starting next week, but kept restrictions on most areas of Sweden.

After opening for quarantine-free travel to Denmark, Norway is now easing restrictions for Finland, Iceland and Greenland from June 15, Prime Minister Erna Solberg said at a press conference on Friday. Due to the high infection levels in Sweden, which has adopted a more liberal Covid-19 strategy than its neighbors, only travel to the Baltic Sea island of Gotland will be allowed, Solberg said.

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On Thursday, neighboring Finland also removed restrictions on travel in the region, while it excluded Sweden. The Swedish government on Friday extended a temporary ban on entries to the European Union via the country until June 30.

Norway will continue to consider easing more travel restrictions, but could also walk back some decisions if the spread of the virus increases in some areas.

READ MORE: ECDC: Border closures of little use against COVID-19 spread

Norway is also allowing events with as many as 200 people and opening swimming halls and gyms, the government said in a statement.

Ukraine

Olena Zelenska, wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, announced on Friday via her official social media account that she has tested positive for COVID-19 virus.

"I feel good, but I am in outpatient treatment, isolated from other family members not to endanger them," the first lady said on her Instagram.

According to local media, Zelensky and his two children had also been tested for the virus, and their results were negative.

Zelenska said she does not know how she contracted COVID-19, as she tested negative at the beginning of June, and has followed all the quarantine rules of the health ministry, including wearing masks and gloves, and minimizing her number of contacts.

Noting that the danger of contracting the coronavirus is real despite the easing of some quarantine restrictions, Zelenska called on everyone to wear masks in public spaces.

A total of 29,753 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 870 deaths and 13,567 recoveries have been reported in Ukraine.

Germany

Germany is well placed to avoid a second wave of coronavirus infections, Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said on Friday, warning that the absence of a vaccine meant social distancing as well as testing and tracing measures were necessary.

German Finance Minister and Vice-Chancellor Olaf Scholz reacts during a press conference on the virus recovery plan, in Berlin on June 12, 2020. (TOBIAS SCHWARZ / AFP)

"We are living with the virus, which I describe as a new normal. And it will only change when we have new medical therapies and when we have a vaccine," Scholz said. "As long as this is not the case, we have to organize our lives so as to avoid a second wave."

We are living with the virus, which I describe as a new normal. And it will only change when we have new medical therapies and when we have a vaccine. As long as this is not the case, we have to organize our lives so as to avoid a second wave.

Olaf Scholz, German finance minister

He added that the chances were "very, very large" that Germany could avoid a second wave.

Germany’s new coronavirus cases remained in check and the infection rate held below the key threshold of 1.0.

There were 169 new cases in the 24 hours through Thursday morning, bringing the total to 186,691 according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Fatalities increased by 20 to a total of 8,772. 

The reproduction factor of the virus, known as R-naught, was at 0.88 on Thursday, compared with 0.86 the day before, according to a daily report by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). 

According to data from RKI on Friday, the number of confirmed cases increased by 258 to 185,674 while the death toll rose by eight to 8,763.

Global tally

The global COVID-19 caseload has risen to 7,273,958, including 413,372 deaths, the World Health Organization (WHO) said late Thursday.

In the past 24 hours, 128,419 new cases were confirmed globally, with 5,347 additional deaths, the WHO said in a daily situation report.

Among the six WHO regions, the Americas has reported the highest tally with more than 3.48 million coronavirus cases, followed by Europe with nearly 2.34 million, according to the WHO.  

According to a tally by Johns Hopkins University, the global caseload has surpassed 7.5 million and the global toll is now more than 421,000.

Earlier 2nd wave of virus feared after mass protests

The public health crisis caused by the COVID-19 epidemic in Europe is not over yet, the European Union (EU)'s Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides warned on Friday, urging governments to remain vigilant and plough ahead with testing and tracing the population.

The risk of a second wave of COVID-19 infections big enough to require European lockdowns to be reimposed is moderate to high, EU health experts said.

A pandemic risk assessment by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) also predicted a moderate pick-up in infection rates in the coming weeks, although it said transmission has passed its peak in most European countries.

The ECDC said the risk of COVID-19 incidence rising to a level that may require the re-introduction of stricter control measures is high if lockdown measures are phased out when there is still ongoing community transmission, and if no appropriate monitoring, testing and tracing systems are in place.

The risk would be moderate, however, if measures are phased out gradually, if transmission has been reduced to sporadic levels, and if disease test and track systems are in place.

The warnings came a day after other EU officials and experts warned that Europe could face a surge in infections in the coming weeks caused by mass protests in the continent over the last days. Before recent protests, scientists expected a second wave only after the summer. But mass gatherings might impact this positive trend.

READ MORE: UK plans soft border checks with EU, deal or no-deal

UK's health minister said people should not attend large gatherings of more than six people while Italy's health minister also struck a note of caution.

Online platform launched in Africa to boost clinical trials

A scientific community in the Sub-Saharan African region on Thursday launched a digital platform to boost COVID-19 clinical trials through seamless collaboration in research and capacity development.

The African Academy of Sciences (AAS) said on Thursday the Clinical Trials Community (CTC) online platform will enhance partnerships to find a cure for COVID-19.

Thomas Kariuki, the director of programs at AAS, said the online platform will enable researchers involved in COVID-19 clinical trials to link up with industry and regulators to secure additional funding and speed up the approval process for experimental drugs and vaccines required to treat the disease.

Africa is home to 35 out of 1,096 ongoing COVID-19 clinical trials globally, according to clinicaltrials.gov and COVID-19 Trial Tracker.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) reported 317 new COVID-19 cases in the first ten days of June, more than twice of the 156 cases reported in the last ten days of May, according to the country's Ministry of Civil Affairs.

In the city of Tuzla, some 120 kilometers north of the capital Sarajevo, all kindergartens were closed again on Thursday after six new cases were detected.

To date, BiH has reported 2,832 COVID-19 cases and 161 deaths. 

Shoppers have their body temperature checked before entering a shopping mall in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on June 11, 2020. (RAHEL PATRASSO / XINHUA)

Brazil

Brazil reported a cumulative total of 802,828 confirmed cases of coronavirus on Thursday, with 30,412 new infections in the last 24 hours in the world's second worst outbreak after the United States.

With another 1,239 fatalities, the death toll in Brazil has reached 40,919, the health ministry said, the world's third highest after the United States and Britain. 

Of the total cases of COVID-19, 345,595 have recovered, the ministry said.

Chile

Chile on Thursday exceeded 154,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 2,600 deaths, one hundred days after the outbreak began and with the health service straining under massive admissions numbers.

Health authorities have reported 154,092 cases and 2,648 deaths so far.

This week, the government said in just three days, active cases of coronavirus in the region including Santiago had increased 11 percent.

With data showing the quarantines are not being widely observed, the government has announced stiffer fines for those breaking them. On Wednesday it extended the lockdowns to the seaside cities of Valparaiso and Vina del Mar, bringing almost half of its 18 million citizens under quarantine.

Cuba

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on Thursday that the country will start a phased post-COVID-19 recovery plan in the coming weeks.

"Production and social activities will return to normal in a gradual, staged, and asymmetrical way," Diaz-Canel said during a special program on state TV Cubavision. "We have to maintain sanitary measures in all public spaces."

Cuba will resume public transportation in metropolitan and rural areas, mainly to support essential services across the country's 168 municipalities. 

"Restrictions on entering and leaving the country remain effective during the first and second phases of the plan as well as suspension of commercial flights," Prime Minister Manuel Marrero said in the same program.

New cases have dropped from a peak of nearly 70 a day in early May to an average of fewer than 10 a day over the past few weeks.

So far, Cuba has registered 2,229 confirmed cases and 84 deaths. While the capital Havana remains as the epicenter on the island, 13 other provinces have remained virus-free in the past two weeks.

Denmark

The Danish government plans to create a 10 billion Danish crown (US$1.52 billion) fund to support companies hit by the coronavirus crisis, it said on Friday.

Companies with annual revenue over 500 million crowns are eligible, the finance ministry said, and Finance Minister Nicolai Wammen said around 200 - none of which he named - would qualify.

The ministry said financial institutions and publicly owned companies would be excluded, and newspaper Borsen quoted Wammen as saying airline SAS, part-owned by the Danish and Swedish states, would not be on the list either.

Financing for it may be shared between the government and institutional investors, which will take non-voting stakes in companies that draw on it.

Ecuador

Ecuador's death toll from COVID-19 has climbed to 3,768 and a total of 45,082 people have tested positive for the coronavirus, the Public Health Ministry said on Thursday.

In the past 24 hours, 642 new cases were detected and 48 more deaths were reported, according to the ministry's daily update.

Ecuador's actual death toll could be higher, with the authorities reporting another 2,516 deaths as likely to have been caused by COVID-19.

Egypt

Egypt will open up its main seaside resorts for international flights and foreign tourists from July 1, the cabinet said. Apart from the resorts, other international flights will remain suspended until further notice.

The areas opening up are southern Sinai, where the resorts of Sharm el-Sheikh and Dahab are located, Red Sea province, home to the Hurghada and Marsa Alam resorts, and Marsa Matrouh on the Mediterranean, according to the cabinet statement.

Egypt also announced the relaxation of some restrictions during the next two weeks, including reducing the night curfew by an hour. Shop hours will be extended by an hour.

Egypt is also considering reopening mosques in least affected provinces starting from July 1 and will hold end-of-year exams for pupils in the final year of high school as scheduled later this month, State Information Minister Osama Heikal said.

Egypt has reported 38,284 coronavirus cases as of Wednesday, including 1,342 deaths. New daily cases have stayed above 1,000 over the past two weeks.

France

France's coronavirus death toll rose by 27 on Thursday, versus an average daily increase of 50 over the last 15 days, to 29,346, the fifth-highest total in the world.

On Wednesday, 23 COVID-19 deaths were reported.

The total number of confirmed cases rose by 425 to 155,561.

The total number of COVID-19 patients who need hospital treatment fell by 213 to 11,465. The same downward trend was reported in intensive care units, with 903 patients requiring life support, a one-day decrease of 30, according to the health ministry.

READ MORE: Cycling is back, as Europe emerges from lockdown

Ireland

Another eight deaths from COVID-19 were reported in Ireland on Thursday, raising the death toll to 1,703, said the Irish Department of Health.

The total number of confirmed cases rose by eight to 25,238, said the department in a statement.

"The reproductive number has remained stable, between 0.4-0.8 over a number of weeks," said Philip Nolan, Chair of the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group.

The reproductive number refers to the average number of people infected by a coronavirus carrier.

Italy

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte testified Friday before prosecutors investigating the government’s failure to isolate two northern towns earlier this year, as a bitter political tussle over handling of the coronavirus outbreak shifted to the judiciary.

Conte, who is not under investigation, was giving testimony at his official Rome residence to prosecutor Maria Cristina Rota, who’s based in the city of Bergamo, according to Conte’s office. She’s leading a probe into why a lockdown wasn’t ordered in early March in the nearby areas of Nembro and Alzano Lombardo. She is also due to speak with Health Minister Roberto Speranza and Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese.

Deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy climbed by 53 on Thursday against 71 the day before, the Civil Protection Agency said, but the daily tally of new cases rose to 379 from 202 on Wednesday.

The total death toll now stands at 34,167, the agency said, the fourth highest in the world after those of the United States, Britain and Brazil.

The number of confirmed cases amounts to 236,142, the seventh highest global tally behind those of the United States, Russia, Brazil, Spain, Britain and India.

People registered as currently carrying the illness fell to 30,637 from 31,710 the day before.

Kenya

Kenya's Ministry of Health on Thursday confirmed that 121 more people have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections to 3,215.

Mutahi Kagwe, the ministry's cabinet secretary, said in a statement that another 44 patients have recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 1,092.

He added that three more deaths were registered, taking the death toll to 92. 

Kenya on Thursday presented a 2.7 trillion shillings (US$25 billion) 2020-2021 fiscal budget that starts on July 1, intended to revive the economy following shocks from COVID-19, locusts invasion and flooding. The country is currently developing a post-COVID-19 economic recovery strategy, said Ukur Yatani, cabinet secretary for the National Treasury of Kenya.

Mexico

Mexico's Health Ministry reported 4,790 new confirmed coronavirus infections along with 587 additional fatalities on Thursday, bringing the total in the country to 133,974 cases and 15,944 deaths.

The government has said the real number of infected people is significantly higher than the official count.

This photo taken on June 11, 2020 shows a tram with a large face mask decal to remind people to wear masks, in Rabat, Morocco. (CHADI / XINHUA)

Morocco

The Moroccan Health Ministry on Thursday reported 29 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of cases in the North African country to 8,537.

The number of the recoveries increased to 7,583 after 18 new ones were added, said Mouad Mrabet, coordinator of the Moroccan Center for public health, at a press briefing.

The country's COVID-19 death toll remained at 211 as no additional deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours, the official said.

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vazquez authorized a broad expansion of business activity - including gyms, movie theaters, retail stores and tourism operations - as the US commonwealth emerges from a virus lockdown that went into effect March 15. 

Parts of the economy have been reopening gradually. In a televised address Thursday, Vazquez said tourists from the US and abroad would be welcomed starting July 15. While the island never canceled flights, officials had asked visitors to stay away.

Romania

Romanian Prime Minister Ludovic Orban announced late Thursday further easing of COVID-19 restrictions, including the reopening of shopping malls, gambling rooms and outdoor swimming pools as of June 15.

According to Orban, spa treatment activities will also resume from June 15. The number of participants in outdoor sports and recreational activities will increase from three to six. 

Meanwhile, Orban said the government will adopt the decision to extend the state of alert at its next meeting, stressing that it was the only effective way to contain the pandemic.

So far, Romania has a total of 21,182 confirmed cases, with 1,369 fatalities. 

Russia

Russia reported on Friday 8,987 new cases of the novel coronavirus, bringing its nationwide tally of infections to 511,423.

Officials said 183 people had died in the last 24 hours, pushing the official national death toll to 6,715.

South Africa

South Africa on Thursday reported 3,147 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours as it reached the one million mark in COVID-19 testing.

The new cases pushed the country's tally to 58,568, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said in his daily update.

Mkhize did not give an update on COVID-19 deaths, saying the latest figures will be given later when they have been collated. As of Wednesday, the national death toll stood at 1,210.

In the Western Cape province, which is South Africa's epicenter of the virus, almost 1,800 children and 98 teachers have been infected, leading to the closure of at least 20 schools this week, the provincial government said. Of those cases involving children, 1,537 cases were reported before the schools were reopened, according to the provincial department of education.

South Sudan

South Sudan's Ministry of Health on Thursday revised its number of COVID-19 cases downwards to 1,598 from 1,606, which was reported on June 7, citing detection errors at the public health laboratory.

Richard Lako, director-general for planning, budget and research in South Sudan's Ministry of Health, who is also the incident manager, said the revision included 48 new cases on Tuesday. He said the new cases were part of the ongoing contact tracing and surveillance.

Meanwhile, Lako said the number of recoveries had risen to 48 and the death toll stood at 22.

Spain

The Canary Islands are planning to welcome thousands of German tourists later this month before Spain's borders officially reopen, but want the visitors to be tested for the coronavirus, a source in the regional government told Reuters.

The plan was to welcome up to 9,300 German tourists in the second half of June.

READ MORE: EU to draw up safe countries list as borders open to travelers

An Economy Ministry spokesman said the government was working on a contact-tracing app which will be tested in the Canary Islands and could be rolled out later across the country. He did not say when that would be done.

For the fourth consecutive day. the Ministry of Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Welfare reported zero COVID-19 deaths on Thursday.

According to the ministry, a total of 27,136 people have died from COVID-19 in Spain.

The ministry reported 156 new cases, of which 99 were in the regions of Madrid and Catalonia, pushing the country's tally to 242,707.

A London Underground worker, right, gives a thumbs up after handing over a free face mask, a pair of gloves and hand sanitizer to a passenger at London's Baker Street station on June 9, 2020. (FRANK AUGSTEIN / AP)

UK

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Thursday urged the public to participate in the government's test and trace system designed to help with the easing of coronavirus lockdown measures. 

Chairing Thursday's Downing Street press briefing, Hancock said the test and trace system was "critical" to easing the lockdown, calling it a "civic duty" for the public to participate in the scheme. 

One third of the people who tested positive for the coronavirus could not be reached by the government's contact tracing system, or refused to hand over their contact information, according to figures released Thursday by the Department of Health and Social Care.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the UK's COVID-19 death toll rose to 41,279 after another 151 deaths were registered, according to the Department of Health and Social Care. As of Thursday morning, 291,409 people have tested positive for the virus, a daily increase of 1,266.  

ALSO READ: UK scientists defy Johnson to speak out on virus failures

On Friday, official data showed that Britain's economy shrank by a record 20.4 percent in April from March as the country spent the month in a tight coronavirus lockdown. Compared with April last year, the economy shrank 24.5 percent.

Finance Minister Rishi Sunak said the coronavirus pandemic has had a severe impact on Britain's economy but the steps the government has taken, including supporting salaries, grants and tax cuts will help it to recover.

Meanwhile, British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair have launched legal action against the UK government quarantine policy, asking for a judicial review to be heard as soon as possible, according to a statement from BA's parent IAG.

US

The United States has reported 941 additional fatalities from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 113,774, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

So far, New York state has recorded 30,580 deaths, the highest toll across the country, followed by the states of New Jersey and Massachusetts, with 12,443 and 7,492 deaths, respectively.

The US has both the highest number of deaths and the largest caseload in the world, with 2,022,488 cases reported as of 10:16 pm Thursday (0216 GMT Friday), according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at the university.

Despite the high infection rate, the New York state is allowing cities and counties to open public pools and playgrounds at their discretion while following state guidance, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Thursday.

Five regions in the state are set to enter phase three of reopening on Friday, allowing indoor dining in restaurants and personal care services to resume.