Euobserver.com

The 1918 flu pandemic "was just another thing to put up with" for people numbed by World War One - but there were also parallels with today, a British academic says.

Despite the horrific impact of the coronavirus on the EU's economy and daily life of its citizens, solidarity is spreading across communities in all member states - with offline and online initiatives.

The country's lack of investment in the medical system, widespread corruption, politically-appointed hospital managers and staff shortages (as droves of doctors and nurses left to work in other European countries), severely weakened Romania's ability to deal with an emergency.

Millions of gig economy workers have been left abandoned by companies during the coronavirus outbreak. Workers have complained that gloves, masks or gel have not been made available to protect their health and safety in the course of their duties.

The UK's health minister, Matt Hancock, announced on Friday he had also tested positive for the Covid-19 virus, just hours after British prime minister Boris Johnson announced he was self-isolating in Downing Street after testing positive. As of Friday, 14,579 positive tests had been recorded in the UK, with 759 deaths, according to the official daily statistics.

"The government still wants a strong Europe, but the EU has its weaknesses," Hungarian PM Viktor Orban said in a radio interview on Friday, a day after EU leaders failed to agree on a robust economic and financial plan to offset the pandemic's fallout. "In terms of coronavirus aid, for example, Hungary has received support from China and the Turkish Council," he said, referring to the organisation of Turkish-speaking states.

A court in The Hague ordered the Dutch state to pay compensation to victims of colonial massacres in the 1940s, the Guardian reports. The court found that 11 men had been killed as a result of actions by Dutch soldiers, mostly by summary executions. Eight widows and three children of the executed man will receive a compensation of between €123.48 and €3,634 for loss of income.

As doctors in Europe, we call on the leaders of our governments and of the European Union to take immediate action to ensure the safety of refugees.

Belgian virologist Steven Van Gucht said during Friday's daily national coronavirus press conference that for the first time a cat was found to be affected by the coronavirus, Belgian national broadcaster VRT reports. He added that so far this is a isolated case. So far only three pets are known to be affected, two dogs in Hong Kong, and now one cat in Belgium.

UK prime minister Boris Johnson has tested positive for Covid-19. "Over the last 24 hours I have developed mild symptoms and tested positive for coronavirus," he said Friday morning, in a tweet. "I am now self-isolating, but I will continue to lead the government's response via video-conference as we fight this virus."

EU countries have agreed to launch an air and sea surveillance mission, Operation Irini, in the Mediterranean in April to help stop Libya arms smuggling, diplomats told Reuters Thursday. Austria and Hungary had opposed it on grounds it would pull in migrants, but Greece agreed to take in rescued people on condition other EU states helped pay the costs. "Greece has allowed disembarkation in its ports," an EU diplomat said.

Russia's top coronavirus fake news stories by Facebook engagement were about Western plots, a theme also popular in Chinese disinformation.

The US is planning to modernise its nuclear arsenal on European soil, Deutsche Welle writes. The US has positioned nuclear bombs across Europe as a deterrent against Russia. While the precise number of American weapons stored in Europe is unknown, estimates put them at roughly 150. Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Italy are all part of a sharing agreement.

The US has surpassed China and Italy with more than 82,000 cases according to Johns Hopkins' University in Washington, the Guardian writes. A lack of early action and setbacks in testing could be to blame. During a Coronavirus Task Force briefing, US president Donald Trump expressed skepticism at the news that the US was worst hit by the pandemic, accusing China of spreading false data.

As billions of people are obliged to remain in home quarantine or isolation with possible or proven coronavirus infection, experts agree that these measures can have a negative effect on people's mental health and well-being.

Frontex has instructed deployed officers they have a legal obligation to remain on duty along the Greek-Turkey border in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, other operations are being suspended and downgraded.

EU leaders failed to flesh out what the economic response to the corona crisis should look like, but they agreed to build a crisis management system and fight disinformation.

Declaring a state of emergency is not even an option on the table for Poland's Law and Justice (PiS) chairman Jarosław Kaczyński - as it would render the 10 May election impossible.

European Parliament president David Sassoli said MEPs should only claim a daily €323 allowance if they are traveling to Brussels or Strasbourg. "If they aren't going to Brussels or Strasbourg then it is not paid," he said, when asked if he had endorsed the proposal first revealed by EUobserver.

Belgium's national security council will decide on Friday whether new measures are needed to contain the virus after law enforcement asked for more clarity. "A cycling tour of 70km is not essential. It's probably better to quantify a certain margin for walks or bicycle tours," the home affairs minister Pieter De Crem told Belgian radio. Belgium expects to reach the peak of infections at the beginning of April.