UK increases tracing; Russia sees rise in cases

The British government on Monday aired details of a "test, track and trace" strategy for fighting the coronavirus, as it considers an easing of lockdown rules within weeks.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock confirmed at Monday's news briefing that a smartphone contact-tracing app was due to begin trials on Tuesday on the nation's Isle of Wight before being rolled out nationwide.

Hancock said: "Where the Isle of Wight goes, Britain will follow." He added that the app will allow the government to take a "more targeted" approach to the lockdown.

Using Bluetooth technology, the app works by monitoring the virus closely to see where it is spreading. If small localized outbreaks are discovered, they can be isolated.

Hancock said that a further 288 COVID-19 patients had died in Britain, taking total deaths in the country to 28,734. The figures include deaths in all settings, including hospitals, care homes and the wider community.

The UK government is expected to outline full details on Sunday of how the country will exit the lockdown－three days after the government must review the current restrictions on Thursday.

Across Europe, the virus had infected 1,406,385 people and claimed 141,780 lives by Tuesday, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

In Russia, the number of cases rose by over 10,000 for the third straight day on Tuesday. Russia reported 10,102 new cases in the latest 24-hour period, taking its total to 155,370, the country's coronavirus crisis response center said on Tuesday. Its death toll stood at 1,451.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, who has contracted COVID-19, is receiving treatment and feeling normal, his spokesman Boris Belyakov said on Tuesday.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has become increasingly concerned about the spread of the virus in the military, with the number of cases reported in the armed forces and military academies exceeding 3,180 on Monday.

Sergei Avdeyev, chief freelance pulmonologist of Russia's Healthcare Ministry, said the spread of COVID-19 in Russia is still far from reaching a plateau and that the outlook depends on whether people observe the lockdown rules.

Germany took a further step on the road back to post-coronavirus normality on Monday, with museums and hairdressers reopening under strict conditions, churches opening for worshippers, and more car factories resuming work.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and premiers of the 16 federal states will on Wednesday discuss coronavirus restrictions for schools, kindergartens and sports, her spokesman said on Monday.

Infections in Germany increased by 685 to 163,860, data from the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases showed on Tuesday. The death toll rose by 139 to 6,831.

Chen Yingqun in Beijing, Xinhua and agencies contributed to this story.