French and German national lockdowns, cases soar in England: COVID-19 daily bulletin

- French President Emmanuel Macron has announced a second national lockdown lasting one month, warning that the second wave could be "more deadly than the first" if the country does nothing.

- Germany will enter a 'light lockdown' on November 2. Bars and pubs will close, while restaurants will remain open for takeaways only. Gyms, theaters and cinemas will also shut.

- German Chancellor Angela Merkel says intensive care units risk being overwhelmed in a few weeks due to a surge in cases, prompting her decision to introduce new measures.

- The spread of COVID-19 continues to increase across all parts of England with cases doubling every nine days, according to a new study by Imperial College London.

- The UK government believes it can control the virus and avoid a national lockdown by using tough local measures, said housing minister Robert Jenrick.

- Jenrick has also warned that police could break up large family gatherings at Christmas and said they were right to enforce restrictions on socializing. 

- French health minister Olivier Veran said on Thursday that he could not rule out a third wave of the COVID-19 virus.

- Polish government spokesman Piotr Muller told public television that daily COVID-19 case rises could hit 20,000 by Thursday or Friday.

- EU leaders aim to make progress on common testing and vaccination strategies at a video conference on Thursday.

Click here for more