Maddy Savage
BBC News, Stockholm

Five bars and restaurants in Stockholm have been closed by the city council after failing inspections on coronavirus safety.

The inspections took place following concerns that some venues weren’t doing enough to encourage social-distancing between customers.

More than a dozen other venues were given a warning by inspectors over the weekend. Checks were also carried out in the university city of Lund, where all venues passed their inspections.

Sweden has kept pubs, restaurants and cafes open since the start of the outbreak, but last month it asked venues to offer only table-service to stop customers from crowding around bars.

Joshua Cheetham
BBC World Online

Image source, Reuters

Social distancing and lockdown restrictions appear to be helping many nations slow the spread of the coronavirus.

But as economies slump and people become fatigued with the rules, governments are weighing up how to ease lockdowns without risking a second wave of infections.

One option being touted is to allow people to slightly expand their "social bubbles" - meaning they'd be able to see a select number of friends and family.

It's unclear how the rule would be policed, and there are concerns about the dangers of introducing the idea too soon.

It also promises a whole new sort of social problem - who do you pick? And what if the person you choose doesn't, in turn, choose you?

Read more here.

Jessica Parker
BBC political correspondent

After weeks away, suffering with coronavirus, Boris Johnson wanted to show he was back behind the desk and taking charge.

His government has rejected any claims that his absence created a sense of drift, but the prime minister - like or loathe his politics - is capable of communicating in a way his cabinet colleagues can’t.

He directly addressed concerns that have increasingly been aired in recent days, including by his own MPs, about the effect the lockdown was having on the economy. He also addressed evidence that some were beginning to tire of the restrictions.

The overall message was that people needed to hold tight. “Contain your impatience,” he said. The risk of a second peak clearly remains a key driver in the government’s thinking.

But Johnson also made it clear the government understood that this couldn't go on forever, and he sought to reassure the public that an exit strategy was being mapped out, even if it wasn't being spelled out.

The infectious nature of the coronavirus has meant many people have died in hospital without a member of their family or a friend by their side.

Some hospitals have been doing what they can to ensure patients are not alone.

London's Nightingale has two chaplains, Father James Mackay and Imam Yunus Dudhwala, who have been offering prayers, hope and comfort to both patients and their families. See more in the video below.

Aleem Maqbool
BBC North America correspondent

In these times, the sight of a public gathering of hundreds of people, mostly without face masks, is an alarming one. But that is exactly what could be seen at a demonstration against the shutdown measures in Washington State.

"We believe that the state governor has gone beyond his constitutional authority in shutting down businesses and ordering people to stay at home," organiser Tyler Miller told the BBC from the grounds of the state capitol.

In mid-March, Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced an emergency proclamation mirroring many issued around the world - closing restaurants and bars and banning large gatherings.

But protesters claim the emergency order was unconstitutional.

"The fact I am protesting does not mean I think it is a good idea to have gatherings, I just believe that the government has no authority to prohibit them," Miller said.

Read the full story here.

Image source, Getty Images

Watch Prime Minister Boris Johnson paying tribute to the UK for showing courage in fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

One country that's been in the news for doing more than just "flattening" the curve is New Zealand.

It says it has stopped community transmission, and with just one case reported on Sunday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the virus was "currently" eliminated.

Fewer than 1,500 people have been infected among New Zealand's nearly five million population - and only 19 have died.

So how did New Zealand get to where it is now? Some experts point to it making an earlier start. Ardern announced strict lockdown measures in March - when only about 100 people had tested positive and no one had yet died.

The country's geography has also played a role in its success. A relatively small country, New Zealand has more control over who can come in than a larger country with more porous borders.

But many experts have attributed its main success to the clarity of the message coming from the government. Unlike nations that declared "war on Covid-19", the New Zealand government message was that of a country coming together. It urged people to "Unite Against Covid-19". Ardern has repeatedly called the country "our team of five million".

"Jacinda [Ardern] is a brilliant communicator and an empathetic leader," Prof Michael Baker from Otago University told the BBC.

Calls to a domestic abuse hotline in the UK have risen by 49% and killings doubled in the weeks after lockdown restrictions began, a report by MPs shows.

Researchers at the Counting Dead Women Project told MPs 14 women and two children had been killed in the first three weeks of lockdown - the highest number in a three-week period for 11 years, and double the average rate, they said.

Read more about domestic abuse in lockdown here. If you or someone you know needs support for related issues these organisations may be able to help.

Johnson said the government could not yet spell out how changes to the lockdown policy would be implemented - or how quickly.

"We simply cannot spell out now how fast or slow, or even when, those changes will be made," he said.

"Clearly the government will be saying much more about this in the coming days.

"These decisions will be taken with the maximum possible transparency."

Johnson returned to work on Monday under significant pressure to map out an exit strategy from lockdown restrictions, and to answer questions about a shortfall in testing in the UK.

Boris Johnson has warned that the UK is at the point of "maximum risk" with regard to the coronavirus, in his first public remarks since recovering from the virus.

Johnson said he would not "throw away the sacrifice of the British people" by easing lockdown restrictions too quickly.

"I know it is tough. I want to get the economy moving as fast as I can," he said.

"But I refuse to throw away the sacrifice of the British people ... and risk a second peak."

Boris Johnson is speaking in Downing Street, the first time we have seen him at Number 10 since he recovered from the coronavirus.

He began by thanking "the people of this country" and "everyone who has stepped up".

"Every day I know that this virus brings new sadness," he said.

"It is still true that this is the biggest single challenge this country has faced since the war.

"It is also true we are making progress."

Image source, Reuters

Face masks are now mandatory across Germany, and Italy has announced plans to ease its lockdown. Here’s the latest from Europe:

• Masks are now compulsory on public transport across Germany, with most states also making them mandatory when shopping. Officials are recommending people use simple coverings and leave medical masks for health professionals
• Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced an easing of lockdown restrictions on Sunday. From 4 May, people will be allowed to visit relatives, hold small funerals, go to parks and travel within (but not outside) their own region
• Hairdressers and garden centres have reopened in Switzerland, and students will return to school from 11 May
• Malta, the smallest country in the EU, reported no new cases of the virus over the previous 24 hours on Sunday – the first time this has happened in more than six weeks

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to make a statement shortly outside Downing Street, as he returns to take charge of the UK's response to the coronavirus outbreak.

He returned to work on Monday amid mounting pressure from MPs in his party to begin lifting lockdown restrictions.

Junior health minister Edward Argar told the BBC he understood frustration with lockdown restrictions in the UK but "we're not in a place where the science says we can ease them".

He said it was "too early to speculate" on what changes might happen at the next review, scheduled for 7 May.

On who should wear face masks, he said the science was "mixed" - current advice is that they have value in a clinical setting, but not the same value for people going about their ordinary lives, though some research papers have taken a different view.

Image source, Getty Images

Junior health minister Edward Argar has said the UK is continuing to test antibody tests to determine who has already had the virus.

"The sign at the moment is positive but we're not there yet in saying this is 100% going to work," Argar told Talk Radio.

"We are continuing to research at pace... We are making very good progress now and I am hopeful we will see some positive news on that front."

An antibody test works by looking for signs of immunity generated when someone has had the virus. There has been speculation that successful antibody tests could prove decisive in determining who is allowed to return to work or move out from under other lockdown restrictions.

Image source, EPA

More than a million Australians downloaded a coronavirus contact tracing app within hours of it being released by the government.

The COVIDSafe smartphone app uses a Bluetooth wireless signal to exchange a "digital handshake" with another user when they come within 1.5m (4.9ft). The app then logs this contact and encrypts it.

Users will be notified if they have had more than 15 minutes of close contact with another user who tests positive.

Australia has recorded 6,694 cases and 80 deaths from the virus, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

The government says the data from the app will be stored temporarily and only used for contact tracing. But critics point out those protections aren't in law yet because parliament isn't sitting until mid-May.

Similar privacy concerns have been raised in the UK, where according to the health secretary a contact tracing app will be available for use within weeks.

You can read the full story here.

While you may want to clean your smartphone to avoid the risk of coronavirus infection, some substances can damage the device.

Dr Lena Ciric, a microbiologist from University College London, explains how you can effectively clean your phone using just household soap and water.

The National Childbirth Trust has said it has been contacted by lots of parents and pregnant women concerned about catching the coronavirus.

Megan Bungay, from Illogan in Cornwall, is 31 weeks pregnant and said she was missing the support of friends and family during the pandemic.

Shelly Hamilton, a new mother, said it was upsetting that it could be months before her family could hold her newborn son.

Hear what they had to say:

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases globally is approaching the three million mark, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

There are currently 2,971,831 confirmed cases and 206,542 deaths worldwide. The US has the highest number of cases with a staggering 965,910, followed by Spain at 226,629.

The real number of cases worldwide is likely to be much higher because of under-reporting and under-testing.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson returns to work on Monday, a month after he was diagnosed with the coronavirus and hospitalised in an intensive care unit.

He returns to work amid continued criticism of the government over a shortfall in testing and lack of protective wear for NHS workers, and pressure on ministers to outline an exit strategy from lockdown.

In other UK news:

• Calls to a national domestic abuse helpline rose by 49% and murders doubled in the weeks after the lockdown, a report by MPs has revealed
• The UK will need to use artificial intelligence (AI) to counter a range of threats, according to a new intelligence report.