Cases around the world continue to accelerate and Europe has become the new epicenter of the pandemic. In an attempt to contain the outbreak, the EU proposed to close its external borders to all non-essential travel.

“The less travel, the more we can contain the virus,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday following a video conference between G7 leaders. She appeared confident that the European Council would sign off on the restriction in a Tuesday vote.

The WHO’s latest global death toll stands at 6,610. It lists the China death toll at 3,218, with 3,392 deaths outside China, or at least 174 more deaths outside China than inside.

Much of Europe is now under lockdown and travel restrictions.

Italy remains under complete lockdown. Spain has closed its land borders. And Germany is enforcing border restrictions with Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg and Denmark. Switzerland’s government banned all private and public events.

Spain coronavirus deaths approach 500

Coronavirus cases in Spain have risen to 11,178 with 491 deaths, a health ministry official said on Tuesday.

In the last 24 hours 1,987 new cases have been diagnosed, said Fernando Simón, director of the Spanish Coordinating Centre for Health Alerts and Emergencies, speaking at a press conference in Madrid.

The largest share of cases continues to be in the Spanish capital, Simón added.

France goes into lockdown after Macron promises to protect businesses

France officially entered lockdown at midday Tuesday local time as part of a number of measures announced by President Emmanuel Macron.

All non-essential outings are outlawed and can draw a fine of up to €135.

In a televised speech on Monday, Macron also promised to support French businesses by guaranteeing €300 billion worth of loans, as well as suspending rent and utility bills owed by small companies.

“No French company, whatever its size, will be exposed to the risk of collapse,” he said.

The French government will also support healthcare staff by paying for hotels, taxis and childcare during the coronavirus crisis, Macron said in a series of tweets following his speech.

“We owe the care of their children to our healthcare teams: a minimum service has been put in place, from today, in kindergartens and schools,” Macron said. “We also owe them peace in their travel and rest: this is why, from tomorrow onwards, taxis and hotels can be mobilized for their benefit. The state will pay.”

Macron also said hospital masks will be rationed for healthcare workers.

“We have decided to reserve the masks as a priority for hospitals and for medical personnel in cities and in the countryside, especially for general practitioners and nurses, who are now at the front line of dealing with the crisis,” he said in a tweet.

UK warns coronavirus outbreak spreading faster than expected

The British government has warned that the coronavirus outbreak is spreading faster than it initially predicted, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said Tuesday.

“I was told by the government, and the government’s advisers, that London is a few weeks ahead of the rest of the country, and the way that this virus is spreading is faster than the government and advisers had thought,” Khan said during an interview with ITV’s Good Morning Britain.

“We can understand why London is further ahead than the rest of the country, because of our connectivity, our global travel, our density,” Khan said, highlighting that 23 people have so far died in London after contracting the virus.

“I think the advice given by the government now is the right advice…we’ve got to take sensible to steps to avoid the virus spreading faster,” the mayor added.

Khan’s remarks come just hours after Prime Minister Boris Johnson introduced new measures to tackle the spread of coronavirus, advising against all unnecessary social contact.

“Now is the time for everyone to stop non-essential contact with others and to stop all unnecessary travel,” Johnson said Monday.

“We need people to start working from home where they possibly can and you should avoid pubs, clubs, theatres and other such social venues,” he said.

German health agency raises virus risk level and says it doesn’t yet know what death rate will be

Germany’s Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the national agency for disease control and prevention, has raised the risk of the coronavirus to public health to “high.”

“We notice that even well-established clinics are now having problems,” said RKI president Lothar Wieler Tuesday. “We have to do everything possible to interrupt any possible chain of infection.”

Wieler said he assumed the number of coronavirus cases is “significantly higher” than reported to the institute.

“We don’t yet know what the death rate will be,” he added.

Wieler singled out the community of Heinsberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, as being especially affected by the pandemic.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas urged German citizens to stay home today, after a dramatic leap in the country’s coronavirus cases.

The German government is doing everything possible to repatriate thousands of Germans who are currently abroad, he said, and pleaded for citizens to not travel.

This comes after the country reported 1,174 new infections within 24 hours between Sunday and Monday – its largest single-day rise in cases.

Germany has over 7,200 coronavirus cases, including 17 deaths, according to an estimate from Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking cases reported by the World Health Organization and additional sources.

The government also issued drastic new restrictions yesterday, closing bars, clubs, theaters, concert halls, museums, and other public spaces.